3greytjoys

He is who he is... I keep a clean squirt bottle of plain water next to the door for quick leg/paw rinses, and a towel. It only takes a few seconds, and I consider it a special time to positively bond with our hound/s. Many male Greyhounds do not lift their legs to urinate because their kennel yards are limited size or due to old injury, or arthritis. If urine is rinsed off before it dries, there's no odor. Another option is to purchase a doggie construction cone, or doggie fire hydrant made with an elimination attractant.

I just found one of our hounds' nails on the living room carpet. It came off during our nearly 12 y.o.girl's runner rug capture play session that included zoomies. Two of our hounds occasionally lose nails during play times; however, they do not have SLO. They just have a lot of fun and get pulled off. They usually grow back fine, but sometimes grow more slowly than their other nails. (Fine with us!) Hard ground could have been enough to dislodge Felix's nail. I wouldn't worry too much unless it happens more often inside the house without other reasonable cause.

One of our 13 year old hounds had a similar reaction to Clavamox (tolerated okay during earlier years). Lack of appetite occurred halfway through the treatment period. Then one tablet was administered without enough food (he suddenly refused all foods). That sent his body into a downward spiral with severe lack of appetite and diarrhea. Several days later, vet recommended Pepcid, which dramatically worsened his condition + more severe liquid diarrhea for 5 more days. We halted all medications to allow his body to recover. He improved on a bland diet (overcooked rice, potato, scrambled eggs, lean ground turkey, plain chicken, small amount of plain yogurt, etc.) The following week, we gradually reintroduced tiny amounts of soaked kibble until his appetite and stools improved enough to handle regular meals. Hounds in previous years improved with Flagyl (to control diarrhea caused by bacteria or parasites). Positive thoughts for Bowie's speedy recovery.

We brush dogs' teeth when dog is standing up and away from his/her bed (e.g., soon after a meal or after coming in from a potty outing) or we go to the dog and happily lead dog into kitchen to brush teeth while dog is standing up. Reasons: Dogs' beds should remain their safe, undisturbed place. Dogs should never be called to "come" to their human for anything that is not fun for the dog. (Otherwise, dogs quickly learn to avoid responding to their owner's call to "come", even in an emergency.) Use a "dog toothbrush" (soft bristle with long handle); plus enzymatic toothpaste made for dogs. One example: C.E.T. poultry flavor toothpaste for pets. Pet toothpaste is made to be safe for pets to swallow. Do not use toothpaste made for humans. 1. Run a new toothbrush under warm water to further soften the bristles before initial uses. 2. Squeeze a small amount of pet toothpaste on toothbrush. (I allow hounds to lick a little pet toothpaste off the brush first to encourage a happy experience.) 3. Lift dog's lip on one side to brush the outside surfaces of the teeth. Very GENTLY brush teeth in a circular motion. (If dog doesn't tolerate circular brushing on back molars, it's okay to brush molars horizontally until dog better adjusts to daily tooth brushings.) Brushing the entire mouth only takes a minute or so. I brush in sections (upper teeth first, then lower teeth): I start with upper back molars brushing 12-20 strokes (stroke# depends on dog's comfort tolerance; vets taught me to brush minimum 12 strokes). Then move to upper center section pre-molars, then front long canines and front small incisors. (Front upper + lower teeth can be brushed at once.) Let go of dog's mouth to allow a little break. Repeat uppers on other side of mouth, then lowers. Tips: - When brushing lower back molars, I gently place a thumb/finger in between center section (premolars) to slightly open dog's jaw 1/2" to 1" to gain access to lower back molars. To answer your question: There are 2 smaller molars (one molar on each upper side) at the back of the large molars. - A most common mistake is brushing too hard. Plaque is soft and can be removed with very gentle brushing, which also provides dogs a more pleasant brushing experience. - If a dog has a tooth that is a little sensitive, I wait to brush that tooth last. If trying to keep a sore tooth clean prior to an upcoming veterinary dental, a new, clean water bottle can be used to squirt a flow of water to dislodge food. (Helpful for dogs who eat canned food.) - Ensure your hound's brushing experience is friendly, positive, and happily praised when finished. ETA: Here's Virbac's tooth brushing video. It's the best I found in recent years (but I can't review it at the moment to ensure it's the same video): http://www.virbacpets.com/dog/category/dog-teeth-and-mouth

Whew, thank you for letting us know Percy's update. I know you'll be treasuring his time with you. Hope you're able to snap plenty of pictures while he's feeling so young and puppy-like. Continued positive thoughts...

Our hounds usually begin their aminocaproic acid (aka: Amicar) treatments beginning 1 day (or two for our more severe excessive bleeder) prior to surgery day. Our vet also requests that we give one dose on morning of surgery (even though hounds can't eat after midnight the night before surgery). I assume your leftovers are tablets that have not yet expired. (The liquid form has a greatly reduced shelf life.) Good luck with Miriam's surgery.

Regarding tbhounds excellent input: Here's a link about syncope: http://www.petplace.com/article/dogs/diseases-conditions-of-dogs/symptoms/syncope-fainting-in-dogs (There are questions to provide helpful answers for your vet visit at end of linked page.)

I'm glad you posted. Your sweet girl's behavior is not normal. Please don't blame yourself. I'm hoping others with more veterinary experience will respond; meanwhile, I'll share a few thoughts: Generally, Greyhounds can be more sensitive to medications (and hot or cold ambient temperatures). Some vet medications are given at reduced doses (vs. full doses for other dog breeds of same size). Seems many of your girl's side effects could be caused by sensitivity to Incurin: http://www.merck-animal-health-usa.com/binaries/Incurin_PI_tcm96-86674.pdf She may be having seizures when she's collapsing with her eyes rolling back (possibly worsened by Incurin?). Since she had one before Incurin was started, other toxins could be considered also, anything from wild mushrooms in gardens to fertilizers/pesticides used on neighboring grasses, vermin bait, human foods (grapes/raisins/chocolate/onions/xylitol, etc.). A Greyhound's semi-collapse during a bath or shower is different from what you're seeing. They don't lose consciousness from being showered or bathing in water that is slightly too warm for them. As mentioned, once water temperature is corrected, they regain muscle control and stand normally. Once they are out of the water and towel dried, they're completely fine. If still damp, a light blanket could be placed loosely over hound while resting. If a hound were much, much too cold while walking outside you may see symptoms of hypothermia: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1677&aid=301 Rhabdomyolysis is seen in some pet Greyhounds, but usually happens if a hound gets loose, especially during hot summer weather: https://www.vetstream.com/canis/Content/Disease/dis60304 Again, most of your girl's symptoms appear to be sensitivity to Incurin. If you and a vet eliminate Incurin to get her general health on track, absorbent puppy pads, hospital bed pads or doggie diapers could help keep her bed and skin dry. Please let us know how it goes.

I'm not in the veterinary medicine field, nor do I have any experience with Incurin, but could you please elaborate a little more on the situation re: collapsing with unresponsiveness? That is not normal behavior. I will mention that Greyhounds are temperature sensitive. Many Greyhounds' bodies will semi-collapse down during a bath if the bath water is too warm for them; however, their muscle control bounces back immediately when water temperature is corrected, and they are completely fine after their bath.

Just a guess since I wasn't seeing Joe in the moment: A couple of our hounds do that when they're feeling too full of urine or bowel. It's their way of verbally communicating discomfort just before they stand up to alert demand their need to go outside. (A couple of our hounds refuse to eat when they need to eliminate first.) Who knows why Joe didn't eat his second cookie, maybe a saver, hoarder, or simply not hungry.

Sometimes indirect subtleties without clear explanations are passed over without notice. Although I understand adoption groups work differently around the globe, we were thankful these safety issues happened to be clearly discussed by our Greyhounds' various adoption groups on adoption day (to all new adopters). My reply was for the longer retired hounds, but it doesn't hurt for the OP to understand more about canine pack instinct/behavior also.

Quote: "About 2 months ago at the dog park, she saw a German Shorthaired Pointer running and she took after him. After that, she was constantly looking to see any dog that was moving and off she would go. After 5 or 6 of these races with various dogs - that she always won - she started nipping at her competitors. She didn't break any skin, but the GSBs, her fav competitors, howled when she did that. So I started putting a muzzle on her when we went to the park. It hasn't stopped her racing, but it did stop any nipping of other dogs." A general rule for muzzles is if one dog is muzzled, all dogs in the group should be muzzled. It is not safe for only one dog to be muzzled in a group setting. If a spat breaks out or if a dog gets hurt, the non-muzzled dogs could attack a muzzled Greyhound who would not be able to defend him/herself. A single muzzled dog is perceived by a dog pack as a "weak link". Weaker links are often ganged upon. Common canine pack instinct is if one dog squeals an entire pack could rush to attack the crying/hurt dog. (I've seen 20 dogs rush across a field to attack one crying dog.) All breed dog parks can be risky for many reasons. Since retired racers can be highly competitive sighthounds and are a hunting breed, a safer solution is to arrange Greyhound breed only play dates with other muzzled Greyhounds through adoption groups. An alternative is to visit a dog park during off hours when the park is empty of other dogs.

I'm so very sorry for your sad loss of your beloved companion, Dolly. She was a lovely satin doll. Godspeed sweet Dolly... as Huston helps guide her way.

If the infection is eliminated and the wound happens to begin bleeding again, I wonder if your vet mentioned possibly trying a hemostatic gelatin, fibrin glue or thrombin, etc.? Perhaps not the best option available(??), but we keep Clotisol topical blood clotting solution at home to help stop other minor wounds from bleeding excessively. (I would not use Clotisol on a known dermal hemangiosarcoma wound.) I'm hoping Percy will be our beloved hound's fellow long-lived miracle twin! (Big time Percy fan here since he found his way into your family. )

Oh Ducky, I'm sooo deeply sorry about sweet Percy's gut-wrenching diagnosis. I can only hope his hemangiosarcoma might be slower than average to spread. Our most caring thoughts are with Percy, and you all.

Thank you for the update. Hope you aren't seeing as much breakthrough bleeding while the pressure bandage is in place. Poor Percy (and you as his nurse), seems that infection has been relentless. Maybe his body is trying to build a little new tissue by now. I understand the current lack of original surface mass as a FNA target, and vet #2's hope of reducing infection in this difficult situation. Not sure if Dr. Couto addressed Percy's ongoing wound bleeding. I'll add that our vet prescribes aminocaproic acid treatments to begin at least 2 days prior to surgery day for our hemangiosarcoma hound. Vet also keeps injectable aminocaproic acid in hospital's stock to use during surgery and hospital recovery. Our other hounds seem okay if treatment begins 1 day prior to surgery. (I understand T.A. is an alternative now.) Continued positive thoughts for Percy this week...

Curious how Percy's mass looked during his bandage change? I'm still hoping that Percy's growth is nothing too concerning. However, I'm puzzled regarding multiple vet delays in testing those cells by FNA (if surgery might be the desired treatment). Hopefully not, but if it happens to be a cancerous mass, every week of vet delays could be rapidly strengthening it's presence. To elaborate on my previous post: Our 9 y.o. (LP + excessive bleeder) hound's subcutaneous hemangiosarcoma (red/dark red) mass on her (white) leg was surged within a few days of discovery. (Cancer possibly caused by early life sun damage to light color hound.) It's my understanding that type of cancer mass (and perhaps others?) happens to behave similarly, meaning mass size can fluctuate and leak blood internally or externally.

Welcome to GreyTalk! This is an excellent question. Many Greyhounds are uncomfortable walking on open riser stairs; however, it's not so much whether they can learn to navigate the stairs, but more important is Greyhounds' safety. Interestingly, open riser stairs are a deal breaker for some adoption groups due to the additional danger of Greyhounds' long legs slipping through the openings. There have been horrific injuries caused by open riser stairs, some injuries leading to hounds being euthanized. After Greyhounds learn and become comfortable navigating stairs, they love to run fast up/down stairs. Also, they often try to skip several stairs at once, further increasing risks of their long legs slipping in between those openings. Adopters have had risers built to enclose open riser stairs as a condition for their adoption. Many Greyhounds manage walking slowly on deep, wide, open riser stairs (e.g., outside of public buildings) while safely leashed with their human's guidance. Good luck with all your exciting life changes!

If any of the antibiotic pills (or other medications) were given without enough food, it can do surprising harm to an elder hound's system. Also, I wonder if Riley might be having additional tummy upset due to lactose intolerance, fat, or certain ingredients in Ensure. If you haven't already tried the following, it might help: Canned meat dog foods. Plain meat baby food (Gerber Stage 2 does not have any pet toxic spices added like onion or garlic). Veterinarians use (and sell) a canned pet food that is highly appetizing and works well for their ill/recovering hospital patients. Our 13.8 year old Greyhound had an awful, long-lasting illness after one antibiotic tablet was administered immediately before a meal (meal was suddenly refused) vs. immediately after a fully eaten meal. During the following days/weeks, severe lack of appetite worsened. Surprisingly, Pepcid worsened this already poor condition. All drugs were stopped. Canned soft meat pet foods eventually resulted in our hound's much improved appetite. Hoping Riley's condition improves very soon.

I completely understand all your your concerns. If you decide to try it, I recommend finding a veterinarian to perform the non-anesthesia cleanings. Some vets will make exceptions for certain medical reasons or far advanced aged hounds. Vets have much more dental and dog handling experience with instant access to stronger medications if needed. Also, dislodging dental tartar causes a massive bacteria party in the dog's mouth and body, so the vet could prescribe antibiotics to reduce risk of infection. That type of non-anesthesia cleaning is considered cosmetic because they really can't work as deeply under the gums. A major problem is they can't probe without anesthesia, so if there is underlying dental disease, the hounds come home looking pretty for several weeks, but they would have to endure another full year of worsening deep tissue disease or root disease; internal organs could become more affected/diseased; it would not be any easier to chew or eat meals; then hounds would be yet another year older and may have developed unrelated medical conditions that put them at greater risk for surgery. If your hounds are awake and being manhandled by non-veterinary professionally trained people, hounds may not be returned to you as wonderfully willing to have their teeth brushed or their mouths/bodies handled. Good luck with whatever you decide. Side note to other readers: Daily tooth brushing with a pet-safe toothpaste is important for Greyhounds of all ages. Dental health becomes even more important as hounds advance towards their double-digit years. Dental heath becomes a huge factor when hounds advance into their teens since good dental health can prolong Greyhounds' lifespan, and helps prevent kidney disease and other organ disease.

I'd ask your specialty vet to please squeeze Percy in as an urgent appt. (if their next opening isn't within a couple of days). FWIW, one of our senior excessive bleeder hounds, who has advanced LP, was placed under general anesthesia for removal of subcutaneous hemangiosarcoma and other masses about 5 years ago. (Margins were not clear.) Although she's not on aminocaproic acid (aka: Amicar) 24/7, we do keep tablets stocked at home for emergencies. The tablets have worked successfully on all of our excessive bleeder hounds during off-hours emergencies. A couple years after that hemangiosarcoma surgery, she underwent a successful toe amputation (while on aminocaproic acid). Now, she's 14 years old, so surgeries are weighed even more carefully. That said, this particular hound doesn't over-stress terribly during hospital recoveries. (Our other advanced LP hound + excessive bleeder could not tolerate hospital stress as well.) Hope the T.A. helps eliminate Percy's bleeding for now. Looking forward to seeing answers to your veterinary questions. Did your vet try a FNA? One of the reasons I think you're smart to involve a (surgical) specialist is location of that mass to vessels, tendons, thin skin, etc. Surgeon's expertise would be most important if that surged opening bleeds excessively. Also consider if Percy isn't under general anesthesia, could Percy and the surgeon handle it successfully...

So glad Chase is recovering at home now. He is in our healing thoughts. A couple of our hounds have had extreme stress-related medical circumstances while at the vet hospital. You may already do this for Chase, but something we found helpful is to minimize their hospital waiting times. Example: If their surgery is scheduled for mid-day, we don't drop them off at 7:00 or 8:00 AM, leaving them to stress out (over heat) while waiting several hours for their scheduled surgery time. If they have an early morning surgery time slot, we pick them up as soon as they can be safely discharged, meaning we don't leave them waiting at the hospital all afternoon until it's more convenient for their human to pick them up. Please let us know how Chase's condition progresses.

Understandable re: her crate (as long as she doesn't harm herself trying to get out). Please remember to remove her collar whenever she is locked inside her crate (to prevent strangulation from her collar and/or tags from catching on crate). Our most severe SA hound is similar weight. When she was on Fluoxetine (aka: Prozac) her Greyhound savvy vet started her treatment at 10 mg. for several weeks for her body to adjust to the drug. Thereafter, she was increased to 20 mg. total for several more weeks of evaluation. The 20 mg. dose worked most effectively for her longer term treatment. Eventually, she was tapered back down very slowly to end her drug treatment. (That drug should not be stopped suddenly.) (Alternatively, after slowly adjusting to Fluoxetine on lower doses for multiple weeks, hounds who eventually reach up to a total of 30 mg. to 40 mg. usually consider it the final maximum high-end dose for Greyhounds of that weight; however, many hound owners report extreme lethargy and loss of appetite at the higher doses, so hounds need to be tapered back slowly to a more manageable dose.) Just to touch on your mention of her trying to scratch wood floors, not sure if you meant she was playfully scratching (which is common), or if she needed to go potty, but every Greyhound we've ever had, including all our fosters have done indoor zoomies (racing around a room or through the house). Our house happens to be fully carpeted except the kitchen and family room. For the Greyhounds' safety, we have a large area rug in the family room, plus runner rugs (with gripper mats underneath) in the kitchen. I understand you are a student, but a cheap rug or two in your most used rooms (during day) could help save your landlord's wood floors from having to be refinished, and your hound from expensive vet bills. To answer your previous question, ideally, alone training should be practiced daily; however, you can only do the best you can considering your class schedule. The more alone training that you can do (within her comfort level) the faster she could potentially progress. Generally, the most important thing for humans to remember is positive, loving patience. Also, to never reprimand a dog for doing something undesirable that is rooted from their fear. Separation anxiety is fear-based. Greyhounds are an extremely sensitive breed. If they even emotionally feel a human's intense displeasure, their reaction can result in their fear-driven behavior becoming intensified and prolonged. Time and alone training are your friends. Good luck with Suki.

How much does Suki weigh? I hope your vet is Greyhound savvy. Greyhounds can be more sensitive to drugs than other breeds. IMO, starting a female Greyhound on 30 mg. Prozac could be too high a dosage before her system even begins to adjust to that medication. Ideally, these medications are best started while you are home to evaluate the hound's reactions. Besides Xanax and Prozac, please don't combine any other medications without your vet's prior approval. Prozac is strong, and combining certain drugs can be unsafe for the hound. If you leave her in the hallway, be aware that many newly retired Greyhounds are fearful of hard floors (and can easily lose their footing causing a potentially serious fall). She may need to walk on rubber-backed bathroom rugs, or a cheap runner rug with a rug gripper mat underneath. Assuming you received her "Greyhound turn-out muzzle" upon adoption, you may need to use it if she's likely to chew the rugs. Of course, she should not be allowed unsupervised in any area with a cat. I'm guessing this is not the mature 7 year old hound you were originally considering. Please contact your adoption group to let them know about Suki's separation anxiety, and let them know your plan. Ideally, while alone training, the dog should not go above her relaxed comfort threshold (i.e. she needs to stay under her first sign of anxiety).

I'm so very deeply sorry for your sudden loss of your beloved boy who left much too soon. Many thoughtful posts from others with whom I agree. I wish we could help lessen your grief. The deepest intense sadness comes in fewer waves over time... I lost my heart hound recently, and currently have another deeply beloved hound with hemangiosarcoma. I hope to think our pets that have crossed the bridge remain close in our hearts and feel our love from afar whenever we're thinking of them.