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PrairieProf

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Posts posted by PrairieProf

  1. There is a ton of information on greyhounds and other animals online here; worth searching around! Many of us live with greys and other animals. Greyhound adoption groups screen dogs before you adopt them; many are safe with small animals, some aren't; you will be looking to adopt a "cat safe" greyhound. You also have to actively teach them to leave the other pets alone. They may or may not become friends, but in most cases they'll at least peaceably cohabit.

     

     

  2. Welcome from Iowa! Congratulations! Capri sounds great, I'm glad you're having such a good experience with her. And like everyone else, I want pictures!

     

    I noticed my grey Beth frequently sat outdoors on hills, when her front end was downhill from her back. I was trying to teach her to sit and finally tried asking her while positioned facing down on small hills -- voila! She got it at once, and quickly was able to generalize to doing it on the flat. You might want to give it a try! (She's turned into a sittin' fool -- she does it to bribe me for treats on walks! But we've also passed an intermediate obedience class and will be continuing to advanced.)

  3. The only time my grey has had significant eye boogies was when she got conjunctivitis. Her eye was also clearly inflamed. A simple course of eye drops cleared it right up. But if William were my dog I'd take him to the vet -- to me, the price of a vet visit is well worth the peace of mind knowing for sure what's going on and getting the best treatment if any is needed (admittedly I'm a nervous new dog mom and a worrier by nature, and really like my vet!).

     

     

  4. I am so very sorry. I lost a special kitty this summer, and I know how much it hurts -- but I can't imagine the suddenness and shock you went through. Rest in peace in a warm sunny spot, Kandinsky.

     

    :f_white

  5. Just to wrap up with a happy update:

     

    I just came back from the vet with Beth, and he said her abrasions were healing fine -- he doesn't want me to use Neosporin or wrap it any more (I did wrap it some eventually to keep her from licking), just let it be exposed to the air.

     

    The bump(s) on her side -- I found another yesterday, about six inches from the first -- are just little sebaceous cysts. He expressed one. Anyway, nothing to worry about, but he said I was right to bring her in, since sometimes bumps can turn out to be serious.

     

    He thinks she looks absolutely perfect in every visible measure of health and condition (as well as recent bloodwork), and that I shouldn't feel I need to change or rotate her food.

     

    Whew! I'm happy to get on with the rest of my week without worrying. :colgate I still feel a little jumpy when she's in the car, though, but I'm sure I'll get over it!

  6. Thanks for the sympathy!! I'm still haunted by what those dazed out-of-control seconds felt like. Thank doG highways through Iowa farmland have wide, soft shoulders.

     

    Hey folks, is there any problem with leaving a dog's leg wrapped while you're away? I did wrap Beth's leg tonight with a nonstick pad and self-stick flexi-gauze (from the regular drug store) as she was licking the Neosporin off. But tomorrow is my longest day for leaving her (she stays in her crate and has no SA issues); I'm trying to decide whether to wrap or not wrap. She wouldn't, like, chew off the bandage and eat it??

  7. Morning update: Beth's leg seems much better this morning -- you can see than mostly the hair was just scraped off, and the line where the skin was really cut (mostly on the back tendon) is closed up now. The overall area looks just pink rather than red. I didn't wrap it; Beth spent the night entirely zonked, as I predicted (though I'll cover it if it snows several inches as forecast for today). She trotted along perkily on her walk this morning. Whew! Very relieved -- though I'm still going to get that bump looked at this week.

     

    Can I just add how much I loooove my grey girl? :wub:

  8. Gosh, Anne, just seeing this! :ohno I'm so sorry - sounds like you had a terrifying time. Very frightening :yikes

     

    I hope you managed to find some vet wrap. Let us know what the vet says next week. In the meantime I'd just wrap it overnight so that she doesn't bother it while you're sleeping and can't stop her, and then let it breathe a bit tomorrow when you are around to monitor her.

     

    I'm assuming it's not bleeding anymore - right?

     

    She was never actively bleeding, that I saw, and there's no staining on her fur -- it's just really raw flesh on the tendons.

     

    I did speak to the vet on call (not the one I usually see, but the nice older partner -- he's totally the kindly vet straight out of central casting!) -- and he was reassuring.

     

    I'm still delaying on wrapping it, since outside of a lick or two at the Neosporin Beth has not bothered the leg at all -- she's sacked out on a bed next to me after her busy M&G day. I'm feeling like she would be much more likely to notice it and worry it with a wrap on. She sleeps with me most of the night, so I'll trust the bed will vibrate if she starts licking at it. But of course I'll do it if she starts bothering it at all.

     

    I'm a lot more rattled by the experience than she was, evidently.

  9. I took Beth to our "QCGA West" Meet & Greet today, and we had a great time ... except a stranger who was petting her said "she has a bump on her side," and sure enough she does -- it's on the front part of her side, sort of where her ribs meet her shoulder. It's very small, skin-colored, and looks very much like a human pimple, but of course I'm worried and will take her to the vet Tuesday at the latest. (Sorry the photo is so bad, my cellphone really can't handle close-ups.)

     

    04-04-09_1824.jpg

     

    On the way home, the most terrifying thing happened. I had my window a few inches open so Beth could stick her nose out as she likes, and somehow she put a paw up and got it caught over the window. I'm driving down the highway and hear the GSOD and try to pull over and come really close to having an accident, getting the brake and accelerator confused and somehow even ending up in reverse -- it's all a blur to me what was happening (except I remember that scene from the Marley and Me movie trailer, "He's making a break for it!" was flashing through my mind!). She's screaming horribly all the while. Somehow I stopped and got the window down more and extricated Beth's leg -- she settled right down, put weight on it, and seemed remarkably fine. I took her out for a quick walk when we were able to get to a side road and she didn't limp at all, nor when I walked her on our return home. But tonight, as she was lying on her bed, I saw the big booboo she got, on the back of her right front leg just above the wrist -- she scraped the skin off her tendons where the window hit them. This is what it looks like (the shininess is from Neosporin). It's a pretty deep abrasion, but there doesn't seem to be any skin hanging loose, and she isn't worrying the area nor flinching when I touch it. I'm assuming this isn't an e-vet matter; is there anything else I should do other than keep Neosporin on and just let it heal, assuming it doesn't seem to bother her?

     

    04-04-09_1853-1.jpg

     

    And of course, I'm not going to let her get more than her nostrils outside the window anytime soon! But it really wasn't open very far; I have no idea how she got a paw up that high to start with. I'm still shaking from the terror for my girl and then for the car accident I nearly caused!

  10. Good luck! I'm eager to hear how she does. I was a basket case the first time I left Beth for an extended period (even though it was just 3-4 hours to teach my classes), but she was fine, so I hope Sarah is too.

     

    (I like it that we both have hounds with girlie names! :) )

  11. Congratulations -- he's beautiful and looks like a lot of fun; there's a real sparkle in his eye!

     

    I'd find out the racing name before you finalized your decision on the name you'll use, just so you know what you're changing from (that's me, anyway). If he just became Arrowhead, what was he called before?

     

    And welcome to GT! We're happy to have you (especially when you include pics on your first post! :colgate)!

     

  12. Congratulations! She looks like a beautiful girlie! Can't wait to see more pictures. It sounds like she's doing great overall. I got my dog Beth when she was 2 1/2 too, just this past Labor Day.

     

    I bet the howling will die down pretty fast -- it just sounds like a response to newness and confusion to me. Beth didn't howl when I brought her home, but she whined some. I wouldn't worry about speaking to Sarah when she howls at this early stage; she's probably a bit anxious and needs to hear your voice. I would speak reassuringly but firmly to Beth, sort of "It's OK, now settle down." And when she is calm, lies down, etc. at a time she sometimes howls, reward her! (And yes, do work on the alone training starting in very short bits today, with the Kong and PB!)

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