Shaysmom

Sending prayers for Neko.

I am so very sorry you are going through this. We have had the exact same issues with our dog Seamus and Buprenorphine. After an leg injury, the vet gave him an injection for pain relief, and it was horrible. He was glassy-eyed, agitated. and panting for over 24 hours. He wouldn't stop whining and wouldn't sleep. After a horrible night, I took him back to the vet, and they gave him a fentanyl patch--which was even worse. I won't go into the details but it was really awful. We were also given acepromazine to calm the anxiety, and it just added fuel to the fire. Not only was he agitated and unhappy, but he couldn't even stand up, walk, or go outside to relieve himself. I am not a vet, but I am guessing that Pegasus is very sensitive to pain meds and that would include Buprenorphine. Seamus is super sensitive to any and all pain meds. They send him into a weird, disphoric state where he pants and whines and cannot be consoled. He also won't eat anything, so I understand about the difficulty getting the other meds into her. Just keep trying different foods--cream cheese? Some kind of meat? Our experience was that you just have to wait for it to wear off. If it gets really bad then you might be looking for an E-vet to take her to, but we just stayed with Seamus until it wore off. Again, I am so sorry that you are going through this. It really is tough to watch them--the experience we had with it was one of the worst we have ever gone through with our guy.

It really does depend on the dog. We have had many foster dogs, and for the most part they have been females. Our boy has gotten along with all of them except two. One was a submissive male that for some reason Seamus didn't like, and the other was a very sweet and seemingly submissive 2 year old female who had it out for him from day one (he was seven at the time). She kept attacking Seamus in a way that was difficult to make sense of and created too much stress, so she was placed a different foster home. I do muzzle them for the first day or two until I feel comfortable with their dynamic, and when the new dog first arrives, I always have them meet outside in front of the house and go for a short walk. It may be magical thinking to believe that makes a difference, but we do it every time. And I do think that the more they can walk together the better. I have always been amazed at how Greyhounds tend to get along with each other so effortlessly, but dogs are going to like who they like the same as people do.

This may be random, but I used to be a dancer, and for those who had one toe longer than the others, it was important to pad the other toes to make all the toes "even" before putting on a pointe shoe and standing on the tips. I am wondering if you could have enough room in the end of the boot to accommodate the long toe and then put in some extra sheepskin and take up the empty space? Just a thought... I have made booties but nothing with a heavy sole on it. The hardest part is the smallness of the whole area you are sewing. And it is important to trim the seams well so they don't rub. Good luck!

Seamus doesn't like water either. I use a kiddie pool outdoors in the summer. I have him stand in it to get his feet wet and then splash water on his belly and chest. He doesn't enjoy it, but tolerates better than a hose drenching. Either way, he still tries to rub it all off when he gets inside the house. I love the dogs who will plop right down in a full kiddie pool!

Seamus had a similar growth, and they removed it during his dental. They called it an epulis? I was worried that it might be malignant, but it wasn't. Our vet said also that they are common and usually not a problem, but that it was best to take it out. He hasn't had another one since--it was two years ago or so. Best wishes and scritches to Cooper.

Seamus is another one who keeps ripping his dew claws so I did ask the vet about having them removed. She discouraged me from going that route unless it really becomes unmanageable since it is a surgery that involves going under anesthesia and recovery time. I decided against it for Seamus. She just told me to keep them well trimmed. It is certainly worth discussing with your vet for their perspective and a list of the pros and cons. Wishing you good luck with it.

Not so serious usually. Ointment and a wrap should do it. As long as it stops bleeding. You do want to keep them from licking it excessively, and also watch for signs of infection--if it did get infected, you would want to take her to the vet and have it looked at. Here's hoping it heals quickly! She is such a cutie!

Seamus has always had issues with aggressive reactions when startled out of sleep. He has never been in our face snarling, but even so, I don't let him sleep up on our bed. It isn't his fault that it happens, and when he snaps out of it and realizes what he is doing, he looks embarrassed and contrite. But for me, it is not worth the risk of something happening--besides, I like my space!

No need to go to the vet unless it starts to look really bad. Antibiotic ointment and a light dressing is all that is required. You just need to watch for signs of infection--then you would take him in to the vet. Seamus has ripped off a dew claw twice. Both times I just watched it at home, and it healed just fine. You don't want them to lick it excessively. It will grow back slowly. Love the picture with the cookie. What a sweet face!

Seamus has a really low tolerance for heat--anything above 70 degrees causes him to wilt and lose energy. I have to be very careful in the summer when and how long we walk. However, what you are describing with your pup sounds out of the norm to me. There are health problems that are connected to heat intolerance, including heart issues and thyroid. It may be worth checking out with the vet if it doesn't improve. How long have you had him? When I first got Seamus, he didn't have any stamina for long walks at all. He would abruptly lay down on the grass mid-walk when he got over-tired, just lay there and pant. And we weren't walking very far. Eventually when he built up his endurance, he stopped doing that, but it was a few months before he could handle even half a mile. Sometimes when it is warm, I hose down Seamus' paws with cool water before we go in the house. You can also make a simple coat out of a terry cloth towel to wet down and drape over their bodies, but if he doesn't like water, he may not go for that. Some people use those cooling kerchiefs you can drape over their necks, but I'm not sure how effective that is.

It really helps if they know the down command. Seamus tends to want to stand up in the car because he is anxious. We have a Honda Fit, so when he is up, it is hard to see out the rear view mirror,especially when backing up. I have gotten into the habit of not moving the car from being parked unless he is laying down, and it helps. Still, he tends to pop up if he doesn't know where we are going or thinks he needs to check on things. I started bringing a cup full of small treats that I put in the cup holder within easy reach. Whenever he lays down on his own, I toss him a treat and praise him. When we are stopped at a light (he almost always wants to stand up and look around then), I toss him treats as long as he stays put laying down. He has gotten the idea to the point where if I ask him to lay down, he will usually do it--and then wait for a treat. This also helps alleviate some of his car anxiety. Seamus tends to want to stand between the seats, and I do worry that if I have to stop suddenly, he will go crashing into the windshield. I have also thought about getting a barrier--not sure if they make them for cars as small as Fits.

I am so sorry. What a terrible, horrifying experience. Wishing Avril a quick healing and sending good thoughts to you.

A friend's greyhound developed cellulitis after being bitten on the face. After a lengthy round of antibiotics, he recovered just fine. Wishing your girl a speedy recovery...

Did you mention how old she is? I am not finding it. You say she gets an hour walking each day, but if she is young and you don't have a yard where she can run a bit, she may need more to get her tired. I recently had a 2 year old foster. After a walk of an hour and 15 minutes, my 7 year old greyhound would plop down on his bed and sleep the morning away. My young foster would look at me, bright eyed and eager, as if to say, "What are we going to do now?" She rarely slept much during the day and had energy to burn. And the less tired she was, the more likely that she would get into mischief (like Celeste, she was also a chewer). I do hope you find what is best for you and for Celeste.

My greyhound had a very bad reaction to Ace. He had seriously injured his leg (didn't get a correct diagnosis of a ruptured Achilles for several weeks), and he came home with fentanyl patches for pain. This made him so disphoric that he was inconsolable, extremely anxious, and would not stop wailing. To help him calm down and sleep, the vet gave me Ace to give him. I gave him just half of what she recommended, and it doped him out so bad that he couldn't even stand up, let alone walk on his own to go out and pee. He didn't know where he was, and his breathing was so slow, I was terrified all night that he might stop breathing. It was awful, and one of the most frightening experiences I have had with him. Each dog is different, but I will never give Seamus Ace ever again.

The webcam sounds like a great idea to get an idea of exactly what he does when left alone. My greyhound is anxious, and in addition to wearing a DAP collar, I have a diffuser plugged into the wall. It really does help him.

Are you sure it is not anxiety? It really sounds like it to me. How long is he left alone? Does he get enough exercise before being left? Having worked with several hyper foster dogs with energy to burn, I have learned (the hard way) that a tired dog is a happy dog, and is bound to be less destructive and/or anxious.Perhaps you could hire a dog walker or someone to check on him in the middle of your day?

My personal experience is that most fosters go to their forever homes and don't look back, no matter how much they love you. They have that ability to live in the moment and (for the most part) love whomever they are with. I have had a few ego-bruising moments when I've been reunited with foster dogs that I had a really strong bond with--I was certain they would greet me with unbridled enthusiasm and the joy of having found a long lost love. They didn't. I am a loving foster mom, and they have a happy life with me, but I think it takes years to build up that kind of bond. And that is a really good thing. You can let them go to their forever homes and not worry that they won't be able to move on. They really do.

Seamus has always been a nervous car passenger, panting, drooling, and standing up. We mostly ignored it, but when he suffered an injury, and it was mandatory that he lay down on trips back and forth to the vet or hurt himself further, we had to address it. I started bringing treats in the car (tiny little tidbits such as used for training) and every time he laid down, I would praise him and toss him a treat. Every time we stopped at a stoplight, I would toss him a treat and praise him (he used to pop up whenever the car slowed or stopped) for staying. Any time he looked like he might be ready to pop up, I would toss him a treat and praise. It really did the trick for us. He still has his moments, but when I ask him to lay down, he always does--and looks at me expectantly for a goodie. These days, he just gets lots of praise.

I agree that some dogs are so prey driven or leash reactive that it becomes impossible to get their attention once they have gone into that zone. I had a foster like that, and once he saw another dog, there was virtually nothing I could do to distract him, including leash correction, commands, and the yummiest treats. I tried two different types of harnesses--neither made any difference for him. He would become so agitated and focused, he just couldn't hear me. Clicker training is definitely something I would try.

My heart aches for you both. Sending healing energy, positive thoughts, and prayers.

Our grey, Seamus, is sleep aggressive. He is the sweetest guy in the world and loves everybody, except when he is startled while sleeping. Then he snarls and snaps out--not at the person and not consciously; he doesn't even know he is doing it in the moment. We always make sure he is awake before we touch him or even pass by him, by calling his name loudly or making noise. It is important to know that they can also be sleeping even though their eyes are open. Because of this issue, Seamus is never allowed up on our bed, and we never allow visitors close to him when he is on his bed. Healing thoughts to you and your husband. So sorry that happened to you all.....

Seamus will shred paper to relieve anxiety when left alone. If we leave the newspaper within reach while we are gone, he can create a very impressive pile of confetti for us. I have often wished I could watch him to see how he gets it into such small pieces with just his teeth. I am wondering if Bella's actions are her way of relieving her stress rather than an issue with boredom. Shredding paper and collecting things may be bringing her some comfort. My friend's greyhound will gather a very large collection of things when she is home by herself, including backpacks, shoes, and her owner's clothing. She doesn't chew on any of it, she just collects it on her bed. Three weeks is not a very long time, so things are still so new for Bella. Time may be part of the solution. In the meantime, consider moving all papers and books higher? Good luck!

Have you considered acupuncture? I have heard that it can be effective in dealing with canine anxiety. Perhaps someone here has experience with that? I am so sorry for you and for Hattie. I hope you find the answer soon. Sending good thoughts to you both....