3greytjoys
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Off topic reply: Wow, 6 years old - that was a special cat! We replaced all our concaved plastic toilet seats with straight level wooden seats to make it easier for the cats. (They prefer the solid level seats.) Interestingly, the cats human daddy custom-made an extra wide wooden toilet seat for the cats to use as they become elderly. (Beautiful master craftsman work!) Even the teenage cats still preferred their "standard" width (store bought) wooden seats! (Figures.)
I hijacked my own thread! My dad also made my cat a stable and wider flat wooden seat that could be placed on top of the regular seat. He didn't like it! I thought for sure it would've helped but I guess it threw things off too much for him. I always wondered what would happen when he became elderly and wouldn't be able to jump or balance as well, but I never had to find out in the end. His name was Turbo. A good name for a greyhound, haha. I think I saw someone with a Turbo on here.
Anyway, just spent all afternoon in the yard, including trimming back the oleanders. They are so big. Gonna be tough to get out, but we'll do it.
We have a ramp (and/or steps). Both worked well for the elderly, but all our teens were fully mobile until their last days.
Good luck with the yard...
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Along with many other good suggestions, I second NeylasMom re: Hill's A/D critical care canned food from a vet. Also, grinding her favorite Costco cookies into food; might help to leave some larger chunks to help entice her.
Off the wall suggestions (as someone who lost a dog during an absence):
Is there any chance someone can take her back to her own home to care for her until her parent/s return, or at least retrieve a worn clothing article or blanket with parent's strong scent. (The latter may help, even if she was originally left at your house with her own bedding.)
Not sure if this would help, but maybe hearing her parent's voice on speaker phone verbally urging her to eat(?).
I know you already bought meat baby food. Just a reminder for other readers to avoid baby food with any onion or garlic spices added. A safe "meat only" baby food for dogs and cats is Gerber, Stage 2 (blue label).
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I toilet trained my cat at 6 years old! He was special though, and he always whined about having to balance on the seat to poop. He needed to have the last tiny remnant of the training tray there to paw on. But it's definitely possible to train at a later age with the right cat. I also tried with a 4-5 month old kitten who wasn't having any of it. The digging instinct was just too strong. He did end up being the most stubborn cat I've ever met.
Thanks for the tips, everyone. We will definitely be careful with chemicals if we end up having to use them to kill the yard. A friend recently reminded me that vinegar also works, which is a great non-toxic method, and probably cheaper than RoundUp, too! I had actually used vinegar on some weeds at the old house, but forgot about it. I always prefer to use home remedies (like soapy water for aphids) than more expensive chemicals or pesticides.
Off topic reply: Wow, 6 years old - that was a special cat! We replaced all our concaved plastic toilet seats with straight level wooden seats to make it easier for the cats. (They prefer the solid level seats.) Interestingly, the cats human daddy custom-made an extra widewooden toilet seat for the cats to use as they become elderly. (Beautiful master craftsman work!) Even the teenage cats still preferred their "standard" width (store bought) wooden seats! (Figures.)
kronckew: Thank you for your service, and your valuable input re: oleander danger.
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I'm very sorry that you lost your cat recently. I completely understand about toilet training kittens. I've toilet trained 9-10 kittens over the years, and it does make a big difference to begin when they are lighter weight, and younger. Our oldest kitty started training at about 7 months old, but a little older would have worked fine too (depending on the kitty's history, litter box vs. wild feral).
BTW, Round Up is a strong chemical, toxic to dogs, so limited use is safer if a hound will be in the yard.
Good luck with everything. -
Greysmom's thorough list is excellent, including checking her teeth/gums.
Just one idea to add: Hill's Prescription A/D (canned) is a high calorie "critical care" food, extremely tasty to mix a little with regular moistened high calorie kibble. (Our regular kibbles range 450-510 calories per cup.)
One of our hounds is on a medication that can't be mixed with Pepcid, but if your hound isn't limited by other meds that's a good idea to try. Since you mentioned appetite stimulants, I assume she's not on another medication that could be reducing her appetite.
I agree with Time4ANap about trying new foods/flavors frequently to entice her as much as possible.
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I'd find another food.
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Thanks for the photo. It's a bit difficult to see foxtail height from the photo. Originally, I assumed the foxtails were tall/overgrown (1ft.). Either way (short or tall), it's a balance to ensure the soil is very well saturated (3"- 4" deep), but the plant stems have had time enough time to dry before pulling. The soil might be very dry and thirsty now; beginning to water more a couple of days before pulling mimicks a rainy pattern to soften clay or other soil types.
Re: the kitten, I agree with GeorgeofNE.
I'll add that even for experienced Greyhound owners, it can be challenging to adopt a young, energetic kitten with a Greyhound. (I'm more thankful for every birthday for one of our cats - who just turned 3 YEARS old. He's just now beginning to calm down a little.)
A kitten can be challenging for any dog breed, even more so with a newly retired Greyhound. Remember, Greyhounds are hunting sighthounds, trained to chase moving lures. Best scenario is an "inside only" cat. If a cat is allowed outside, it's often important (especially early on) to keep dog inside while cat is outside, and vice versa. A common saying re: Greyhounds is "outside = game on."
Yes, there are many hounds that coexist / tolerate cats, but newly retired Greys have been used to living in racing kennel crates, they are not accustomed to being disturbed by being pounced on by a small, rambunctious, furry creature, or having potted plants, lamps, tables, home decor knocked over on them. Again, many people do adopt kittens with fine success, but I would never leave a kitten alone with a dog, and I wouldn't expect dog+cat = true love.
Also, it would be very important for an adoption group to know that you would need a cat-friendly Greyhound (lower prey drive).
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I know you wrote that it's too late to extract the foxtails. Just something to consider, sometimes it's not quite as bad when working from ground level vs. observing wide mature plants from overview.
One thought: It's VERY easy to pull foxtails from moist ground. Water lawn a couple of days, and again an hour before pulling up foxtails by their roots. (Grab a cluster of stems at ground level to pull plants straight up by hand.) They're shallow rooted, entire plants can stay intact, toss in trash can/leaf bag.
This clearing can go VERY fast when soil is moist. Single step solution. If you don't have time, you could ensure soil is watered, and consider hiring a gardener/conscientious teenager to remove foxtails by this root method. (If foxtails are already dry, wearing gloves/sleeves will help.)
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Personally, currently having three Greyhound excessive bleeders (two very healthy, plus one with hemangiosarcoma), I'm not alarmed with a 2" x 3" bruise from a known blood draw. Many non-bleeder hounds bruise some after blood draws. The blood is normally reabsorbed into the body (eventually). I would become much more concerned if I saw a full limb (leg) loading up with blood, possibly expanding to abdomen/chest and/or other limbs.
In case you didn't read a recent thread about a purple stomach, here's the link I posted for Ohio State University's Greyhound Heath and Wellness site. There are articles about excessive bleeders in the following "Articles" section. (Blood tests often result in normal ranges.)
https://greyhound.os...urces/index.cfm
Please share these OSU articles with your vet. If your hound, or another of your vet's Greyhound patients happen to be excessive bleeders, it is important for your vet to know, particularly if a hound is going in for surgery, including a dental with expected extractions.
Our vet orders Amicar (trade name for Aminocaproic Acid) before surgeries for our hounds. It's typically administed orally at home for about 5 days beginning day of (sometimes day before) surgery. Our hounds love the compounded, beef flavored, liquid form. They consider it a yummy treat.
(Amicar dosage is discussed in "Bone Cancer" article under "Treatment and Prognosis" section.)
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We order Aminocaproic Acid a few days before each surgery too. It's usually given on surgery day + 4 days after surgery.
Ohio State University's Greyhound Heath and Wellness site discusses excessive bleeding in the following "Articles" section. (Blood tests often result in normal ranges.)
https://greyhound.osu.edu/resources/freeresources/index.cfm
(Amicar/Aminocaproic Acid dosage is discussed in "Bone Cancer" article under "Treatment and Prognosis" section.)
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Yes, I do believe Greyhounds are easily bruised.
Also, several of our Greyhounds are excessive bleeders. It often happens during and/or after surgery. A few weeks ago one hound started subcutaneous bleeding (under skin) at home (no surgery within months). We think it was caused by her medication, Rimadyl (known to cause bleeding in some dogs). We stopped Rimadyl immediately, and vet called in a prescription to our compounding pharmacy for Amicar (trade name for Aminocaproic Acid). (Compounded liquid form is cheapest and works quickly, approx. $32. for 5-day supply). Bleeding stopped and she was 100% back to normal within a few days.
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Welcome to Greytalk, and congratulations on your new home!
Not seeing the property it's hard to say. My guess: A fence within a fence to keep a dog far away from Oleanders (+dropped flowers) might work.
Dogs do not know what is poisonous. It's up to humans to keep them safely away from toxins.
Unfortunately, checking a dog for foxtails after work every day will not help enough. Foxtails can burrow deeply into a nasal passage, ear, mouth, paw pad, etc. very quickly. Foxtails are horrible! They are carried by the wind so a fence within a fence (particularly an open wire fence) would not help.
Personally, I would not risk a dog repeatedly going into a yard with many foxtails. I'd find a way to prioritize making the yard safe before making a commitment to any dog. Although not every foxtail surgery is this expensive, a very difficult foxtail surgery can cost thousands, if the surgeon can find the foxtail to remove it before it penetrates an organ, possibly killing the dog.
Might be possible to use a bagged mower to suck up plant material as it's cut down, or use a leaf/debris vacuum to suck up debris, then remove from property for disposal.
Once foxtails are removed, might help to cover roots with solid plastic material to kill them off. Later when finances allow, if you want a lawn, start over with fresh top soil/seed, or roll sod, or install a realistic artificial turf (if you'd like to avoid on-going expense and time of mowing, watering, weeding etc.).
A free call to a professional landscape company (and maybe a veterinarian) to discuss NON-toxic options to kill roots of foxtails/weeds could be most helpful in this planning stage.
Good luck with everything!
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Thanks so much for your replies. Approximately two weeks of recovery is great news, and faster than expected. Hopefully, a successful amputation will eliminate a painful limp from a fracture/tumor.
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If he's a bleeder or his clotting factor isn't good, he may need to have Amicar (aminocaproeic acid, I don't think I spelled that right) administered. Most vets don't carry it so you will have to call around.
One of our Greyhounds is an excessive bleeder. It often happens after surgery; however, a few weeks ago, it happened subcutaneously (under skin) at home (no surgery within months). We think it was caused by her medication, Rimadyl (known to cause bleeding in some dogs). We stopped Rimadyl immediately, and vet called in prescription to our compounding pharmacy for Amicar, trade name for Aminocaproic Acid (liquid form is cheapest, approx. $32. for 5-day supply). Bleeding stopped and she was 100% back to normal within a few days.
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Considering the blood amount, hopefully no tumor.
I didn't see any mention of reduced appetite from possible loss of scenting ability, but regardless, if it happens to be a severe case of nasal mites, I'd be very surprised if Interceptor is strong enough to eliminate the problem.
One of our hounds required a month of repeated, direct intra-nasal treatments of LIQUID Ivermectin to completely rid her severe case of nasal mites. Easy treatment that worked WONDERS! She was treated almost five years ago. No recurrences, and thankfully we treated her before nasal mites spread to our other hounds.
Her most severe symptoms (that I recall):
Sneezing and reverse sneezing
Drippy nose
Lack of appetite (from not being able to smell food well).
Lack of normal scenting ability
Some specks of blood (but not with every sneeze)
This was my resource for diagnosing and learning treatment for her:
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/121603.htm&word=nasal%2cmites
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I remember Glider from the Keystone Greyhounds website! We're from Western PA, so I occasionally check their website. He's darling. There is a book I like by Shirlee Kalstone (How to Housebreak Your Dog in 7 Days) with a lot of helpful information. It's actually more like a long pamphlet, you can read it in a few sittings. I also added my two cents about housebreaking in this thread. I had a really difficult experience with my greyhound puppy, so I did a ton of research on housebreaking. A few really important things to remember.
- Take him out after he eats (mine usually have to go about twenty minutes afterwards) and after naps
- At first, take him out as often as necessary, once he becomes accustomed to going outside, he will prefer it
- Try not to give him too much freedom when he's not supervised- either by crating him or confining him
- Reward good behavior, do not punish the bad unless you catch him in the act
- Clean the soiled area with an enzyme-based cleaner to prevent him from returning to that spot
Above are great tips.
Here is the second part of that original thread noted above (with different responses). http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/286496-need-advice-on-potty-training/
- Take him out after he eats (mine usually have to go about twenty minutes afterwards) and after naps
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We also have a Greyhound with hemangiosarcoma. (As mentioned, aggressive blood cancer caused by direct sun.) Surgeon couldn't get clear margins around subcutaneous mass, so this cancer continues to travel through blood vessels damaging the body.
Light colored dogs are considered at greatest risk, but so many Greys have thin fur, bare thighs, or bare abdomen that sunscreen could help those hounds too.
I believe every year that Greyhounds are protected from direct sun improve their chances of avoiding sun related cancers. Since greyhounds are temperature sensitive anyway, it often works well to let them have outside time in early morning or later evening anyway. (Sun exposure from about 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM is most damaging.)
"Epi-Pet Sunscreen" is the only "FDA approved" sunscreen for dogs.
30+ SPF, includes coat conditioner.
Dries quickly (not greasy).
Dispenser distributes from all angles (including upside down for belly/groin).
Water resistant. (Tested effective for 80 minutes in water.)
Reapply every 2 (to 4?) hours.
Per manufacturer: Spray sunscreen directly on dog including belly/groin. Do not spray face directly. To treat face/muzzle, spray into human's hand first, then rub sunscreen on muzzle, nose, and ears.
Non-toxic to dog if dog licks product.
http://www.epi-pet.com/sunscreen.aspx
Also sold at Amazon, etc.
(Not for use on cats.)
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Does anyone know the average time for full recovery from a toe amputation (front outside digit)?
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This link may help re: SLO (includes photos):
http://www.grassmere-animal-hospital.com/SLO.htm
Hopefully, others with personal SLO experience will chime in too.
One of our hounds yanked off most of his dew claw during a play outing (not SLO). Very painful with profuse bleeding. E-vet finished cutting it off deeply into the quick next to leg. Sent us home with antibiotics. It healed well and dew claw grew back fine, after many months. (Great lesson to ensure our cars are equipped with a pet first aid kit.)
He has lost toenails here and there but nothing too serious. I keep "Clotisol" (veterinary blood suspension agent) for these minor bleeding wounds. Available at www.entirelypets.com
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I would try a different tactic. Reward the positive behavior instead of scolding the negative. Contrary to popular belief, scolding a dog when he goes inside the house only creates fear and teaches the dog to go when and where you're not looking. When you take him outside, slip a treat in his mouth immediately after he finishes going. It's gotta be right then- if you give the treat when he returns, he'll associate the treat with coming inside. My 9-month-old greyhound is very motivated by affection and praise. If your boy is the same way, throw him a mini party everytime he goes where you want him to. Make it a really big deal. Pet him, tell him he's a good boy. And also, make sure you completely saturate the area in the house with an enzyme-based cleaner like Nature's Miracle. No amount of training can stop dogs from returning to a spot that smells familiar. Good luck to you, and try to stay optimistic. Housetraining is really frustrating.
Excellent tips above!
Just to add (for what it's worth): It's my understanding that Nature's Miracle was sold some time ago, and the formulation changed. The "original" Nature's Miracle formulation is sold under the name "Petastic".
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I'm sorry this happened... Others are giving excellent advice about leaving dogs alone when on their bed, etc.
Tails are a private part on dogs. That body part is not normally touched/pet/handled by a human. If handled, it's often for an unpleasant rectal thermometer, anal gland expression, rectal exam etc... Not fun.
Agree: "Your dog has only been with you for 9 months so while she is not "new", it still may not be enough time to build up the trust..."
My beloved "heart boy" is touch sensitive. I allowed a couple of years to slowly build our trusted relationship. We have a wonderful deep trust now. I've always been very respectful of him on his dog bed (his personal "safe zone"). He stands for injury inspections, and we muzzle him before doing nail clipping, or nursing an injury (same with all our hounds). (If nail clipping, he's standing and gets treats through his muzzle as distraction.) He gets muzzled during veterinary exams, for shots, etc.
If we need to thoroughly examine a cut/wound injury, I take photos to "zoom in" on a computer screen, taking more time to inspect. (Future tip: Paw pads often show up well when wet.)
Good luck with your decision.
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We're not located in your region; however, the following LP group is for owners of dogs (all breeds) with Laryngeal Paralysis, including other Greyhound owners: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/LP/
This LP group may be another source to ask for a surgeon referral in your area. Sounds like you are aware that a specially trained Board certified surgeon is desirable.
For you or other readers, I'm sure you're aware of OSU's recommendation of Aminocaproic Acid (trade name: Amicar) to help prevent excessive bleeding in Greyhounds (typically, day of and post surgery). Good to ask for a prescription called to pharmacy about one week prior to surgery. (Pharmacy might not have drug in stock, thus, allows time to receive/compound order.) Compounded liquid form (from compounding pharmacy) is usually a fraction of dry tablet cost (in U.S.). Shelf life after being compounded into liquid is typically one month. Beef flavor tastes like yummy treat to hounds.
Amicar dosage example is listed on OSU's Greyhound Health and Wellness site. See Treatment and Prognosis section in this article: https://greyhound.osu.edu/resources/freeresources/bonecancer/index.cfm
Good luck with Andy. One of our girls was diagnosed with fairly advanced LP almost 2 years ago. She is doing quite well with care to keep her cool, and relaxed.
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Good to stop allowing her on human furniture for now (and probably for at least 6 months or so). Her reaction of acting as if she's keeping intruders off "her" sofa is not uncommon, (same thing with the bone), especially for a new hound in a new home. Actually, calling the hound off the sofa with treats is fine, good if you're calling her into another room for a treat. (You are rewarding her for getting "off" the sofa.) That is a much safer method than risking a snap or bite from physical handling. Please know these things happen with many dogs, and most are successfully worked through.
I'd suggest humans leave her alone whenever she is lying down on her bed, etc. "Let sleeping dogs lie" (even if they're awake).
Better to wait for her to approach humans on her own whenever SHE feels ready for attention. Similar to a cat who becomes over stimulated by petting, the hound may feel an overdose of stimulation (human petting and attention) too.
Quietly hand feeding her full meals for a few days while human is sitting on the floor (looking away from dog = no direct eye contact) often helps shy/fearful dogs bond with humans.
Here is a good article about canine Calming Signals:
http://www.canis.no/rugaas/onearticle.php?artid=1
Please take a look at the Questions and Answers section (in link above) for fear aggression too.
Only your hound knows if she were mistreated in her past... If she happened to be mistreated by a male, that may be why she's more apprehensive and fear reactive towards you. Your calm patience will go a long way in helping her build trust towards humans. I imagine you'll be amazed at her progress this time next year.
Just my opinion, these dogs are the ones who are the MOST rewarding because they can blossom so well over time.
Good luck with her.
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I completely agree with both replies, above.
Also, good to have a fecal test done to ensure he's clear of parasites. If he has runny stools, he probably can't "hold it" as long as he normally would. If fecal result is clear, brand of kibble can make a difference in firm stools. (One that works well to firm up stools is California Natural, Lamb and Rice.)
Greyhounds are extremely sensitive dogs. They learn things better with positive training rather than negative punishment. Punishment destroys the "trust" relationship between dog and owner. If trust is damaged, it takes a ton of happy, positive, encouraging behavior to rebuild trust (and calm, relaxed behavior).
I'm not sure how long Case is left alone during day, but some hounds (especially new hounds) need to relieve themselves every 4-6 hours during the day. Some people arrange to come home at lunch to let their dogs outside (if they don't have a dog door to a securely fenced yard), or they arrange for a dog walker or neighbor to take the dog outside mid day.
Another possibility is anxiety. If a dog is anxious, they cannot physically hold urine and bowel as long as they can when not stressed. You can search "separation anxiety" if you think that may be part of your situation.
Newly retired racing Greyhounds have never had to learn to "ask" to be let outside. Someone has always appeared to let kennel hounds out on a regular schedule (about every 4 hours during day). Considering a newly adopted hound, "signs" of needing to go outside is something humans need to watch closely to figure out.
Some examples of "signs" (or lack thereof) to watch:
After resting (or playing), hound stands up, maybe stretches, maybe walks over to water bowl for a drink, may just return to bed (but still needs to potty).
Hound might approach human (as if looking for petting), but human misinterprets hound's "need to go potty" behavior as hound wanting attention.
Hound walks over to "stand" next to human ("waiting" until human gets message).
If lucky, hound walks near door, might stare towards door or human. (Don't count on this one.)
Hound pacing, or circling, and/or sniffing floor is an alert to rush hound outside, pronto!
Example of potty break timing:
When they wake up.
Within 15 minutes after eating breakfast.
Before humans leave the house.
Immediately when humans get home.
Within 15 minutes after dinner.
Just before going to sleep at night.
Even though our hounds have scheduled potty outings at least 6 times a day, I taught them to ring a bell (hung on the door knob) if they need to go outside to potty before their regular potty break. (Initially, I rang bell every time door opened for their potty break. Later, they did "touch" training with yummy treat rewards + reward of door opening.) It's an excellent clear communication between dog and human, but the human **must respond immediately** to open the door when the dog rings the bell!
Good luck with your boy, and try to be patient. Thank you for asking for help from GTers.
Good luck with everything.
Bringing Home My First Greyhound; Tips And Advice, Please?
in Training and Behavior discussion
Posted
Great advice from everyone. In addition to quote above: When taking dog walks directly from your home, IF you have a choice to turn left or right, good to "start" walks on the more quiet / less busy road. Greyhounds are such creatures of habit; if your hound escapes, hopefully she will automatically run in the direction of her usual walks (away from traffic). Every second counts if a hound escapes.
An ex-pen placed in a U-shape around an outside fence gate and/or house door leading to a non-fenced area is an excellent secondary safety/dog catch zone. Many hounds escape if wind pushes a gate open, or a person forgets to "lock" a gate (without a secondary visual reminder).
When your girl arrives, immediately begin practicing calling her name to come to you: "(Katie) come," then reward her immediately with yummy treats and happy praise. Please try hard not to say "come" for anything that isn't wonderfully fun! The goal is for her to be excited to come towards you every time she is called. Even years later, no matter how well she responds to "come," please understand this is never a guarantee that she will come to you if she's outside, but it's the most important word she will learn. ("Wait" or "stay" is the second.)
Everyone has their own ID collar preferences, but our favorite is a reflective collar with embroidered ID that can be seen from afar with car headlights (or a flashlight if searching for a loose dog at night). Here is an example (not a good photo) but black text against white reflective material is easiest to read phone # from afar. http://www.fancyk9s.com/collar/identification
Above all enjoy your new girl! Greyhounds are the best ever!