PrairieProf

I am so sorry, and sending you all good and strong thoughts. I have a four year old girl too, and I can't even imagine what you're going through.

Welcome! Lakota is adorable, and that picture of Caesar is amazing!

Congratulations! He has such a sweet and happy face.

No advice as I have no experience with any of this -- just sending you very good thoughts and commendations for your hard work. I know I've been really lucky as half-sister Beth has never had SA. The medication certainly sounds reasonable to try. My only question is, you're sure you've done the alone training/densensitization slowly enough and in tiny increments enough? I've ask only because I've read the Patricia McConnell I'll Be Home Soon and I know how she stresses the importance of getting the technique exactly right and really really taking your time with every little piece.

Great pics -- the contrast is so funny! Make sure you look up some of the recent threads posted by GT member Adrianne, with lots of wonderful pics of her current and former greyhounds and her dachsie Ollie.

I'm so sorry for your loss. So good you got time with him beyond the surgery ... just not enough.

Rest in peace, Mama Cat. You deserved much better.

Welcome from one state north! Allstun is very handsome and striking -- uncommon markings! With a look like that I'm assuming some Irish blood. What's his racing name?

It is not stupid to take your dog to the dog park without a muzzle -- it would be stupid to do the opposite, as it leaves your dog defenseless. Only use muzzles when ALL dogs present are muzzled. I too go to the dog park as I don't have a yard (well just a tiny one) and Beth would almost never get to run if I didn't, but I will NEVER let Beth loose with small or even medium-smallish dogs -- she is vulnerable to getting too excited and if she does she's way too much for them. This generally means going very early in the morning when she can be alone or with "regulars" -- I am fortunate that around 7:00 a.m. (earlier in the summer) the only folks who go are just a few who have large dogs Beth plays well with, and they're savvy about dog behavior. Or sometimes if the small-dog side is empty we use that, separately (I also won't let her off if there are more than a few dogs of whatever size -- too high a risk for dangerous pack behavior). Or, when there's no snow on the ground, I've found another fenced not-technically-for-dogs-but-not-evidently-illegal field I take her to run. I think you've just learned your lesson (fortunately without major harm to anybody) that you have to be much more careful about when it is safe to use the park. People here are mostly very anti-dog park, but for those of us who don't have spacious fenced yards it's a matter of being aware of the risks and being really vigilant -- not being able to use the park when you hoped to because some idiot has a small dog in the big dog area is a pain, but not as much as what could happen. Greyhound playgroups are great, but not all of us live in areas with regular ones (besides, I think my dog needs to run at least every other day!). So maybe too, like me, you can find a time with some regulars it works well to have Alex be with.

Very sorry. I always loved his name, and have noticed a lot of his pups racing at Dubuque.

So very sorry. Such a sweet kitty, and what a long happy life she had despite her problem.

I am so sorry.

Given that dogs digest raw bones with no problem, a shrimp tail is like a micro-speck.

I'm always amazed that one of the most common things people ask me about retired greyhounds is "Is it true you have to teach them how to use stairs?" I'm not an expert being on my first grey, but really, it just takes a day or so usually. People act like it's some huge challenge and commitment, when there are so many various things you'd have to teach *any* dog who was living in a house/as a pet for the first time. Teaching Beth not to pull on leash (just for example) took longer than the stairs, and even that wasn't a big deal once I learned the technique.

Haven't you been having colder/snowier weather than usual? I used to live in South Jersey, and it stayed very mild mostly. Frozen poo is the supreme delicacy -- the harder frozen the better, I think Beth would say.

OMG how awful! Sending many good thoughts for her.

I think that's the wrong kind of training if you're trying to push the dog into position. I'm not a training expert but I don't know any positive reinforcement trainers who do that.

Just to note, plenty of greyhounds can learn to sit (mine did, it took me a while to figure out how to teach her -- getting her facing downhill on a hill did the trick) and it's easy to teach down from a stand -- greys typically go down in front first. There is no reasons greyhounds can't do great in group classes -- mine did, though I was a little frustrated the first couple of weeks. And it is great bonding with your dog to work on training. We've done LOTS of classes and it's fun. Don't undersell Ben or yourself. And if he tends to be reactive to small dogs in stressful situations that's exactly the kind of thing you need to learn strategies to avert and to practice in a group setting. Avoidance is going to provide any long-term advantages.

Bag Balm is highly recommended for dry winter pads (in the green tin, you can get it at some drugstores or a feed store). And yes, stay off the salt if you can. I use Pawz dog boots (little rubber disposable booties) when it's salty, and have also used Musher's Secret paw wax. Welcome to GT!

I'm so sorry for the loss of your beautiful girl. I loved reading her story.

Welcome! You will find many like-minded folks here, as I'm sure you know. I remember visiting this site when having a greyhound was still just a twinkle in my eye too....

Oh no! This is my worst nightmare. Sending good thoughts.

Yeah, a hot spot would be raw from licking.... Could he have gotten some kind of abrasion there? I dunno though . . . I'd be tempted to let a vet have a look (but that's my answer for everything as a relatively inexperienced and pretty neurotic dog mom).

She is so cute, and Walter looks like a really good sport! Congratulations and welcome to GT. I'm sorry you're having medical issues, but I'm sure knowledgeable folks will chime in very soon with suggestions.

Beth often rubs her side along people, trees, fences, etc. when she's wearing her coat. The butt-whomping while I'm walking her can be a little annoying, though it's also sort of a play thing. Something about how the coat feels, it seems -- but I don't think the coat bothers her in a really serious way. And in Iowa winter temps, I'm not giving her the coatless option!