3greytjoys

I'm a little confused why agreeing to foster would be committing beyond one or two fosters. If a foster family needs to stop fostering for some reason, they usually can. Since Greyhounds are inside only dogs, I'm not sure why a larger piece of (fenced) property would be necessary. Greyhounds do well with leashed walks. A middle-aged, independent, laid back boy could work well. Too young might develop into too much pack energy once hound gets comfortable in new home. Temperament is most important when adding to a pack. Some alphas don't do well living with too many dogs, and your current hounds living peacefully is your greatest responsibility to them. In your case, fostering would be a smart option to seriously consider. Many groups frown upon color requests since a proper personality match is top priority. You might get lucky if they offer two hounds from which to select. Good luck!

I'm so sorry that Luke was so seriously ill. Our deepest sympathy to your housemate and to you for your loss of Luke, such a special and beloved boy. His photo is precious, and a sweet memory. May he rest with his Greyhound family of angels at the bridge... (Luke's photo reminds me of our geriatric boy, same age, also struggling with health.)

Agree with others. Many years ago, a small poisoned critter (baited in neighbor's yard) made it inside our fenced yard to die. One of our young, healthy large dogs (not a Greyhound) snagged it during a brief yard outing, and fell into severe seizures. It was horrifying! The e-vet didn't think the dog would survive hour-by-hour during the first 3-4 days. A week of intensive hospital care just barely saved dog's life, and only because we arrived at the e-vet so quickly. Another family returned from work one day, looked in their fenced yard to find all (5-6) dogs dead (poisoned). They didn't use rodent poison on their property.

In your case, I'd suggest feeding full meals inside crate, then letting hound out within 3-5 minutes immediately after eating. This helps build daily positive crate experiences without hound feeling abandoned too long, and helps prevent hound from developing a dreaded fear of crate. Sounds like you already know good things need to happen for the hound during each crate session. You could put hound back in crate for a longer training session later in day with Kong. As mentioned, hand feeding helps bonding, but you could feed 1-2 meals by hand or hand feed treats, then move to feeding meals inside crate thereafter. Racing Greyhounds are used to eating meals in kennel crates. BTW, if you're not aware - never put hound in crate as punishment. Crate needs to remain a happy and safe space from the dog's perspective. Always praise/treat dog when going in crate. Crate friendly dogs are a joy when traveling, going into a veterinary hospital, visiting family, etc. Low soothing music or talk radio often helps a hound feel less alone. When there are no other dogs in the new home, it helps some new hounds to see their Greyhound reflection in a mirror. Great if there is a mirrored door directly across the room from crate, or if you can secure a mirror at floor level several feet away from the crate (i.e., with bungee cord, etc.). Just be sure direct sun will not hit the mirror anytime during day. (Dogs in crates should not be in direct sun.) Retired racers come from a lifetime with other Greyhounds in their kennels so they're used to seeing Greyhound buddies nearby. Wow, this is scary to read. Our male Greyhound would bite anyone who tried this type of forced personal body-space-invasive man-handling. Many new fosters are equally uncomfortable with that type of physical handling, even weeks after knowing a human. I much prefer positive, non-physical training methods, and to begin after the new human has had a month (or longer) of bonding and working to earn the trust of their new Greyhound. For safety reasons within the earliest weeks, I do begin familiarizing words to actions like "Fido come" (for treats) inside the house, "wait" while safely leashed at doors, and leash heeling next to human's side for walking safety.

Congratulations on your recent addition of Lily! It sounds like her personality matches her beauty! We brought in two brood moms. Both wonderfully outgoing, friendly, very loving, gentle and confident. Seems broodies have additional life experience deserving ultimate queen-like respect. It's nice to see caring motherly instincts appear even years after a broodie's last litter, such as shifting to ultra high alert if a human baby cries or hearing puppies on TV or computer. Gently watching over or leading their new found family, keeping things collected, etc. One offspring pup joined mom at age 2.5 (pup is now 5). Mother and pup remembered each other instantly, and their bond is extremely tight. Brood mom took over the instant her adult pup arrived, teaching pup all things about living in a home, including that it was okay to walk inside the door of a family home! (Pup statued in fear outside the door until mom gave the canine "follow momma" signal.) Pup was very shy during the first month. She ran upstairs whenever another hound squeaked a toy downstairs. (You'd never know that now; she's as outgoing as ever! ) Tom: If desired, please feel free to post behavior questions on GT. Collectively, there are so many GT members that many others have experienced common behaviors of newly retiring Greyhounds. Greyhounds often blossom dramatically over weeks, months, even years as they become more comfortable in their new environment.

Congratulations, and welcome to Greytalk! I try to keep sessions very short <5 minutes each. Maybe 2 or 3 sessions a day, unless the dog is frustrated, then I'll stop for the day after one session. Every dog is different, but I usually work on one behavior until they "get it". If it's not working well, I move on to an easier behavior. I find that our sensitive Greyhound breed learns best when catching them doing something right naturally, then adding a word to their action. Example: Have yummy treat ready and watch for hound to lie down, then say "down" while they are doing that action. Treat immediately. It doesn't take long for them to learn. A clicker can be used if desired. You could practice "Gambler come" with every meal, and throughout day with treats. Also, I've always taught my dogs to "come" to a whistle (in case of outside emergency escape). A whistle sound carries much further than my voice. I use a "Sense-ation" harness that does a great job of helping to slow down new fosters when teaching heeling. http://www.softouchconcepts.com/index.php/product-53/sense-ation-harness Below is one of my previous posts re: teaching sit. "Greys are built differently from other dogs. Many Greyhounds can "sit" but some Greys may have had a racing injury that makes it painful. Those hounds should not be asked to "sit". Some hounds can "sit" for very short periods (their legs might shake, which is a clue to not force it for long periods). Other hounds are fine sitting for a slightly longer periods. Teach on carpet (not bare floor). Try to set your hound up for success. Please do not use physical force with Greyhounds. Here are two methods that can work well for Greyhounds. 1. When a hound is lying down, offer a special treat by showing it to hound, then slowly lift treat up above hound's head. Some hounds will gently move into a partial sit position as their head follows the treat. Once they are in position, immediately say the word "sit" as you give treat and verbally praise, praise, praise. After they connect the feeling with the word "sit" begin asking for a "sit" daily (before they are in sit position), but not for long sessions. They get bored very easily. 2. (My favorite method.) Watch for the hound to walk over to lie down naturally. (This is easy with Greys!) Get ready with treat in hand, and quickly move closer to hound. Once hound's rear end touches the carpet or bed, you move in to stand directly in front of the dog's body. Your body is blocking the hound (into a natural sit) while preventing dog from lying all the way down. Immediately say "sit" and treat the dog, and praise, praise, praise. Do this whenever the dog goes to lie down naturally, and the hound will learn "sit" in no time! If desired: A clicker can be used if you want to "click" immediately when the hound's rear end touches the ground (or dog bed), but just treating with food works fine in most cases. I've had a number of hounds that do a side sit vs. a straight sit. This is fine as far as I'm concerned considering a Greyhound's body design. Many times they will eventually do a straight sit on their own if it's comfortable for them. Other hounds I teach a straight sit from the start. Adapting with gentle, positive training is very important with Greys."

I'm so glad he's improved from the previous day. Desi remains in our positive thoughts. Please take care of yourself and try to rest well too.

Congratulations, and welcome home Zhivaya! Love those earsies!

Oh, I'm sooo very sorry! Desi (and you) will be in our positive thoughts and prayers. At least your sweet boy is in the best possible hands.

Glad Eddie seems to be doing much better! Wow, that does sound scary, and seems Eddie was in painful discomfort. What a relief the quick fix worked for him! I'm not a veterinarian, but in general, before I'd give our hounds long-term medication (even over the counter), I'd try to address the root cause of the problem. Either diagnosing an internal cause (like parasites/worms) or possibly finding a more agreeable food that doesn't cause him to be gassy. Completely different issue, but we've given 1/2 dose (10 mg) of Pepcid to hounds to prevent early morning vomiting of bright yellow stomach bile, but we were able to eliminate that need by feeding a small bedtime kibble snack to hold all the hounds over until breakfast. BTW, you sound like a wonderful animal mom to me! I'm sure others will add their experiences/ideas. Good luck, and hopefully that won't happen again.

Agreed. Any abrupt change from track food combined with a haul + two new home environments (+ different water sources) is enough stress for a Greyhound to have loose stools. Some dog food companies recommend a slow one month food transition. (Practically impossible with newly retiring Greyhounds.) Adding some plain cooked rice (white is easiest to digest) to kibble often helps firm up our new hounds' stools, unless they are struggling from giardia or hookworms, etc. If you decide to eventually change foods due to your hound's system not adjusting well to his current Nature's Domain, there are many other healthy alternatives. Personally, I'm not a fan of Iams' ingredients, but before buying Iams, please read the ingredient review in link below (particularly 2nd, 3rd and 4th ingredient details): http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/iams-proactive-health-adult/

Glad you posted about this subject. As others mentioned, most of our Greyhounds have less fur than many other dog breeds, particularly on the underside and thighs. Many healthy Greys are known for bald thighs. There are some pet Greyhound contests for best bare butt. Personally, I'm not a fan of the Furminator for Greyhounds. They are very hard and sharp on Greyhound's sensitive, thin skin (which can cause skin redness). It's very easy to press down too hard with such a hard tool. (Sharpness can be tested on human's skin.) Just my opinion that Furminator works better on other breeds with a thick undercoat, tough skin, and a thicker fat layer. (BTW, Greys healthy "pet" weight is seeing last two ribs, so they shouldn't have this extra fat layer.) My preference is a soft Oster - Equine Finishing Brush (made for horses). Greyhounds love the soft feel of this brush (bristles are about 1 1/2 inches long). Gently pulls off dead fur without causing skin irritation/dandruff, and leaves fur shiny. Great ergonomic design in-hand, and larger brush size does the job with fewer strokes. Here's a soft Oster brush similar to ours with natural bristle brushes (ours has a blue handle, 5+ years old): http://www.amazon.com/Oster-Equine-Finishing-Bristle-Natural/dp/B000TZ5AME/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1360199200&sr=8-3&keywords=oster+horse+brush Misty is absolutely gorgeous! Love that priceless last photo of her preciousness!

Oh gosh, my heart was sinking (just seeing this now). I'm so sorry poor Diamond has been struggling so much! (You too!) What a relief that she's becoming more mobile, and glad her appetite is beginning to return. Agreed that tripe usually tops all. (Gerber's second stage, meat only baby food is another vet recommended fixture on our shelf as a "go to" for a rare, non-eating dog or cat. That specific baby food has no harmful spices for dogs like garlic and/or onion.) Thank you for taking such great care of your special girl! Positive thoughts for her improvement...

Thanks Cleptogrey for mentioning the warm temperature concerns. Excellent points as we're approaching warmer weather months. Being January in Washington, my comment re: water in car is for all year, but especially considering a (rare) possibility of Ace suddenly becoming overly stressed from excitement causing overheating during an extended car ride (i.e., if he needs to be transported some distance for medical test/treatment). Also, we were told not to travel with our advanced LP hound to higher elevations/over high mountain passes. If that is required for medical treatment, please discuss your travel route with your vet. Agreed, dry dog treats should be avoided. Until finding an alternative, you might soak Ace's dog cookies in water, or offer soaked kibble as treats. If giving pills, soft "Pill Pockets" work well (beef flavor is favored here). We buy "capsule" size and custom wrap each pill. (More product for same money as tablet size.) Please let us know how it goes with Ace. He looks like such a sweetheart love bug from his videos!

Welcome to GT! We're so glad you've joined, and shared your story! Great first official photos of your handsome new boy, Rudy! He sounds like a wonderful match for your family. We'll look forward to adoption photos, and learning more about him soon!

Beautifully written about Gus, FluffyDuff. Yes, Gus' 40+ page thread in Greyhound Amber Alert speaks volumes. I believe it was about 8 months that Gus had been on the run in Texas. Gus' story will continue to give us hope for many Greyhounds still missing. We could all honor Gus' memory most by helping other missing Greyhounds find their way home.

Thank you for posting these valuable videos for Ace's benefit and for others. I'm not a vet, but laryngeal paralysis sounds and looks just like what Ace is experiencing. I would urge you to continue searching for a qualified surgical veterinarian to diagnose Ace and decide how best to proceed with his care. If your vet has trouble finding a referral for you soon, it might help to call a couple of the largest, most well-respected animal hospitals in the largest nearby city. They would likely know vets in surrounding counties experienced with LP surgeries. If it happens to be LP, if left untreated too long, LP is a progressive disease that can eventually cause a dog to suffer full suffocation from paralyzed throat flaps blocking oxygen intake. An LP breathing crisis is a horrific experience for a dog (and their humans), especially if they can't get emergency veterinary help immediately. To answer your questions: Seems many LP cases progress slowly over years, but signs are often missed. We believe one of our hounds arrived with some signs of LP (seen during strenuous exercise at age 6-7), but signs progressed to become more apparent (particularly to vet during a hot summer visit) the following year. Careful management has offered success for 4-5 years. Our other hound's symptoms didn't begin to become noticeable about age 9.5-10 (including nerve related sensitivity in rear legs). One hound was deemed (by board certified surgeon) to not be a candidate for surgery; however, surgery is being considered for the other hound. Again, both of our LP hounds still breathe freely and very quietly when in their familiar environment at rest. BTW, it's helpful to carry large water bottles in car if needed to help cool a Greyhound (if overheating) during a ride. Please remember no collars on a hound with upper airway breathing trouble. Please use a harness instead. Positive thoughts for Ace. (PM if needed.)

I've had experience with daily "reverse sneezing" with a little clear discharge that did not come on suddenly. One of our Greyhounds arrived into retirement with it. I finally diagnosed it as "nasal mites" about 6 months later. Treated successfully per Merck Veterinary Manual (on-line). Local vets were not familiar with it since it's uncommon in the area. That poor hound was miserable during those early months. If no pawing at nostrils, I'd assume it's not a foreign body (seed, etc.) Maybe others will offer more help...

Our hearts ache so deeply for you. Gus was truly one of the most fortunate Greyhounds ever to have finally found his way to you to share the best years of his life. You were a Godsend for your boy, who found an amazing second chance in your loving family. Godspeed Gus in warmly wrapped angel wings...

If Ace is diagnosed with LP, you might be interested in this devoted canine LP group (includes successful tie-back surgery cases): http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/LP/

We currently have two senior Greyhounds with Laryngeal Paralysis (aka: roaring disease in horses). One recently experienced a life-threatening severe LP breathing crisis + overheating in extreme panic. (Desperate to breathe oxygen, frantic panting sounded like a loud, speeding freight train, eyes buldging, body trembling, purple gums (dark red from overheating + blue from lack of oxygen). Excessive heavy panting while struggling to breathe increases swelling in throat, blocking airway faster.) This requires immediate emergency veterinary attention. When breathing normally, neither of our LP hounds sound as distressed as Ace's breathing does at rest. One of our hounds has had advanced LP for several years, so that makes me think if Ace has LP, his may be much more advanced. You might not see a dramatic gum color difference unless Ace goes into a breathing crisis, which hopefully he can avoid. I'm glad you are seeking veterinary help quickly. The videos of his condition sound serious to me. Please keep Ace's environment very calm, cool, no strenuous exercise, reduce excitement, use harness if walking (no collar), wet kibble in raised bowl, and above all be careful to keep him free of stress. Try to take him in as close as possible to his scheduled surgery time and pick him up as soon as vet will allow after recovery. If he stresses going to vet, maybe vet could recommend an oral sedative to offer him before the vet visit. Please take a look at the symptoms in this Laryngeal Paralysis link: http://cvm.msu.edu/hospital/clinical-research/golpp-study-group/living-with-golpp

L.P. is what came to my mind too. If you suspect L.P. after reading Feemandvm's link, please remember that careful management is very important. Heavy panting creates inflammation in the throat which makes it more difficult for the dog to breathe. If the dog can't get enough oxygen, dog begins to panic. Two of our senior hounds (non-related) have this progressive condition. One senior was diagnosed with advanced L.P. at 9 y.o. (2.5 years ago), and is doing very well with management. (No running, no collar/s, harness preferred, walks only during cool conditions, remains calm, no stress, water softened kibble, etc.) Our other senior hound was diagnosed during a severe respiratory crisis (survived with medical care). Only the second senior has nerve damage in the rear legs. (Another condition sometimes seen in some (not all) L.P. patients.)

Daisy is gorgeous. I'm so very sorry that you and Daisy are having to endure this difficult diagnosis, especially when Daisy is so young. Unfortunately, cancer is seen at any age (human or animal). Understandably, every dog and every medical case is different, but I'll share our story... One of our Greyhounds was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma in mid 2010. The tumor mass was removed; however, vet could not get clear margins due to it's location (leg). It did not appear to have invaded bone at time of surgery, but we were told it will continue to invade the body. We did not treat with chemo due to other medical issues, and age. We are amazed and delighted every day that our hound is still with us 2.5 years later, and living a comfortable, relatively high quality of life. Every day is a gift. Positive thoughts are with you and Daisy for chemotherapy to help fight her hemangiosarcoma. Please remember to share the names of anything Daisy is ingesting with her oncologist. Even herbal treatments can have drug interactions with certain prescribed medications. Separate note: If you're interested, Costco supplies large, thick Kirkland dog beds that are wonderful for Greyhounds, usually only $18.00 to 19.00. Also, if you have wall-to-wall carpets, please disregard the following: If Daisy will be walking on hard surface floors, I'd suggest adding cheap runner rugs. Unless the rugs are manufactured with a rubber underside, any area rug should be secured with a rubber rug gripper mat underneath (available at Home Depot or other home stores). Greyhounds can easily slip and seriously injure themselves on hard floors. Daisy is very fortunate to have been adopted into your loving family. Thank you for taking such good care of her.

I'm sorry to read Mille was having scary bleeding problems. Sending lots of positive thoughts for Millie during her surgery today.

Great personality, lovely brindle girl with an irresistible face, who could ask for more! Congratulations on your new family member!