3greytjoys
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Posts posted by 3greytjoys
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Sammi
in Remembrance
I'm so very sorry for your loss of Sammi. Such a touchingly tearful tribute.
Thank you so much for being there for him when he needed you most during his golden years.
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Some things to help her - give her safe room/place in as quiet and isolated a room as you can (an inner bathroom with no windows, or a walk in closet). Many feel better when crated, with a blanket over the crate. Turn an a fan or the AC or a white noise machine as high as it will go. Keep a radio or tv on fairly loud.
Most of all, don't stress *yourself* about her being stressed out. Be calm and matter of fact, sit quietly with her and do something else - read a book or knit, something that calms you too.
Two of our hounds have a really hard time with fireworks. One girl has extremely severe anxiety and separation anxiety anyway. One boy has no SA but panics over fireworks or other extremely loud popping noises. I know you said you tried this before so it's understandable if Ruby needs a different drug. (We're careful not to mix drugs.) We give 6 mgs. of Melatonin (plain, and naturally derived) about 1 hour before fireworks begin (30 minutes minimum). Also about 1 hour before fireworks start, we close all window coverings, turn on 4-5 of our most loud fans on high speed in the same room and neighboring room. (We have several fans from Home Depot that sound like airplanes taking off.) We've had better luck with fairly loud jazz or other music instead of TV because music is more constant noise with instrumental changes. If a hound starts to look nervous like they "think" they might have heard something, we can distract them with of an interactive game, brief obedience lesson with food treat rewards, and/or chew dental treats. We act normally and happy so they don't feed off of our stressed mood. Miraculously, this recipe has been working great here for NO shaking whatsoever from any of the hounds.
If you're in a 2 story home, being farther away from the roof, downstairs rooms (away from the street) are sometimes a little more sheltered from high loud noises outside, especially if you live in a neighborhood sheltered by nearby homes.
Good luck this week...
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Your precious little Bean looks so happy to be home, and she has a nice pink color to her tongue. I'm sorry for her HGE. I hope all will settle down and both Jilly Bean and Heart will feel better in the coming days.
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I'm so sorry for your loss. Billy Jean looks like she was a very special girl who was loved by many. It's so tough to lose a family member who has been with you so long.
Godspeed Billy Jean.
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Welcome to you and your handsome new boy!!
:clap I don't know where you are located or from what state he was hauled. Many times it does take time for them to build up bowel. He may have pooped out everything before he was put on the hauler. Don't worry the first day if no poops.
Personally speaking, if you have cats (or a very small dog), I'd wait to see how he settles with them for quite a while before considering lure play.
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I am still in shock my girl is laying beside me right now. My heart has been racing all day and I cannot relax. She of course is exhausted and has been sound asleep since we got home. I love my Ruby !
Oh my gosh, I'm just seeing this now... Ruby!!! 9 miles!!! Thank heaven she's home safely!!! I hope you'll be able to relax your own racing heart very soon... Ruby needs you!!
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Not sure how long it will take the meds to work for her, but doggie diapers might help save your bedding. Some are washable, others are disposable.
I insert the inner bedding of my dog beds in a baby mattress cover (vinyl and zippered) to save all our dog beds. (I leave about 1" opening at the end of the zipper as an air escape.) The washable fabric covers go back over the outside bed for the hounds' comfort.
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I am so sorry about your loss of sweet, beautiful Mizzy. She was meant to be with you in her retirement. May your happy memories bring some comfort to your broken heart.
Godspeed Mizzy
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Ohh no, poor little Jilly Bean! Yes, many thoughts and prayers for strength are headed her way, and for the entire family. I am so sorry you are all going through this scary time.
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Welcome to GT!!
Wonderful first meeting with the boys!! I bet you will thoroughly enjoy having brothers. I've brought in female family members and had a great experiences. The boys are sometimes easier than the girls, so you'll have it made! Have fun and please share pictures when you can.
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Oh, my heart hurts for Power, and for you! We will keep Power in our prayers, and hope wonderful Dr. Couto can offer some helpful treatment for Power.
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Positive thoughts for Tessa, and thank you for being aware of her dental needs.
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Welcome to GT Starr511 and UpperHandAndy
Hope you enjoy your new hounds as much as we do!!
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I'd watch the fissures/cracks daily to ensure they don't increase in size. I agree with others, cleaning and then dressing with ointment would likely help heal more rapidly. If that pad becomes warm/hot to the touch, an infection could be brewing inside. If ever in doubt, a quick call to your vet's office wouldn't hurt.
If that injury were on my hounds, I'd let them out for potty breaks, but I'd hold off walking for exercise for several days or until they heal up. Easy to make worse which would keep them from the fun exercise even longer.
Good luck for Vanille's speedy recovery.
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Thank you for the update. Positive thoughts for Pogo's speedy recovery.
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Welcome to GT!
Congratulations on your new adoption of your new brindly boy, Andy! Wishing you many wonderful years together.
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She's lovely. Prayers for her speedy recovery, back on her paws doing zoomies in no time.
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Congratulations on her successful "down"!!
The leash is fine, or better if there is a closed door or anything else to block off the doorway. A couple of chairs or box to block off the area. Eventually, it will click in her brain. Keep practicing for very brief sessions in other locations with high value treats. Keep it happy and fun for her. Give the command then wait to give her time to THINK. If she doesn't "get it" soon, quit that session so she doesn't get frustrated. Try again several hours later or the next day. If she wants the treat she'll eventually figure out / understand what you're asking of her.
Great job!!!
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p.s. He is just starting to learn his new name and we are very excited! Although, getting him to wait at the door to let us go first is quite a challenge.
Colleen
It's great that you are working to teach him "wait." That's very important in retired life. Greyhounds can learn to "wait" but it often takes more time than you'd think. Racing Greyhounds are taught to bolt as fast as they can out of track box doors/gates for races. Retired pets being taught to "wait" at a door or gate goes against their previous training. Similar to a "come" recall, I'd never trust "wait" as a 100% sure thing, especially when getting out of a car or any non-fenced area. Some people place a portable "ex-pen" (exercise pen) in a U-shape surrounding their front door (either inside or outside) to create a safety zone so their hound doesn't escape by accident. (Our hounds are behind a baby-gate in a separate room whenever the front door is opened.)
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Hi, my name is Lauren, and I'm a first-time dog owner!All this and he is probably just hot?!
Bernie is my first dog ever, and the last time Justin owned a dog was when he was a little kid. So, both of us are actually still learning. We will still head to the vet soon regarding the Clomipramine.
It never hurts to ask! Even though it sounds like this is probably a non-issue.
Your response cracked me up! Thanks for the laugh!
I agree, it's always better to ask than to ignore something that might seem off to you. Thank you for watching out for Bernie's health. Sounds like you're a being a good Greyhound mom.
You never know, your thread might help other readers. It's great for all of us to be able to ask for other opinions and share experiences. There are a lot of Greyhound years of experience under GT member's belts.
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I'm so sorry for your loss of sweet Fern.
Godspeed Fern.
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I'm watching this thread with interest. After watching your video that's exactly what Pretty Girl has been doing as of late. She has the early symptoms of LP and also arthritis/possible LS so I don't know if it's related to one or the other (or both or neither!). She just started the panting thing within the last couple of months. It doesn't seem to have anything to do with the heat as we have central air and she'll sometimes start panting after being inside for hours at a steady temp. But it did start overall once the weather started getting warmer.
I brought it up to the vet but he didn't have much to say about it. And it doesn't seem to bother PG too much, either. She doesn't seem agitated when she does it and she'll just start up for a while and stop after a few minutes, sometimes without even moving.
Other symptoms of LP (laryngeal paralysis) are rougher voice, deeper harsh heavy panting, taking deep breaths (trying to take in more oxygen), deepening bark, gagging/coughing more as they lose control of one or both laryngeal flaps, etc. From OP's answers to my original questions. I would doubt Bernie has this problem. It could be very early stage but LP is progressive so would become more apparent over a long time (possibly years) if he had it. LP is one of many things that worsen in heat, and is almost unmistakable after heavy exercise. LP dogs really need to stay very cool, especially in advanced stages.
Good to see that Bernie's video looks quite normal for any warm hound during summer. Looks like he has a thick fur coat too, so he's likely warmer than humans anyway.
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I just watched your video. Thank you for posting it. Honestly, I think he's just warm. He looks fine to me. That doesn't look like any serious throat/breathing/partial obstruction issue at all. All our hounds do that panting frequently. Our hounds avoid their dog beds when it's too hot. They like cooler places to lie down when they're too warm. Last night, one hound stayed downstairs to sleep because it was too hot upstairs. That was a first for her, but it was nothing to worry about. Just too warm. Hopefully, Bernie is just fine.
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Wait, I just thought of something else: Is this potentially a stress thing?
Remember, he did this a lot last October when we first got him when he was living with brand new people and in a brand new place. He was under stress at that time.
I've been unemployed for about two weeks now. (I have a second interview with a company tomorrow, though, so I hope something can work out!) I have noticed that he tends to whine a lot more when I leave, and when I come back inside the house. I think he's gotten spoiled with me being in the house more often than when I worked. There has been a change in his routine with my unemployment, plus his separation anxiety seems to be more heightened when I leave. And, the panting issue is now back.
Hmmmmm
I assume you don't have another dog to compare Bernie's panting. We have a severe SA hound who pants like the world is about to end when she gets stressed (which is whenever I leave her sight, or if I am thinking of leaving). My guess is the timing of Bernie's panting last night is unlikely due to stress, unless Bernie was expecting you to leave right after you returned from your walk(?).
It really sounds heat related, especially since your evening walk was that hot. It's normal for hounds to lie down when they get home, and their bodies are still hot so they need to continue panting to cool down. It would be good if you're able to continue walking during coolest times of day. It may help a lot during summer weather to rinse Bernie's paws with cool water after your walk. (That helps our hounds cool off faster.)
This morning, our seniors cut their own walk short (on grass in a shady park) with temps only in the mid-high 60's. It was already getting hot by the time I finished walking the last shift of hounds. The youngest (3 y.o.) was panting hard with short, shallow breaths. (That's normal for her when she gets too warm.) Our younger hounds survive okay up to 70-72 degrees, but begin to pant like there is no tomorrow and meltdown if near 73-74 degrees. We walk in the shade but even if shade temperature is low 70's, thermometer in the sun can easily reach the 90's. (Sidewalks/pavement can retain fairly high heat long after the sun revolves off of it.)
:clap 
Hi, my name is Lauren, and I'm a first-time dog owner!
What Anxiety Med To Try Next ?
in Health and Medical discussion
Posted
Since everyone else has covered medication, and krissn333's suggestion is often good "medicine"...
We know dogs are "pack" animals by nature. IMHO, I believe this is stronger in retired racing Greyhounds than other dog breeds. Before Greys are adopted into "forever homes" they have been with a full pack of Greyhounds every day since birth, throughout racing training, and during their racing career. It's quite remarkable that most Greyhounds transition into home/family life as well as they do. I don't know Ruby's age or how long you've worked with her SA, but I echo the suggestion to consider bringing in a confident hound on a trial basis, if possible. Some hounds (especially SA hounds) truly benefit from not being an only dog. (Many times older hounds are easier to transition, more confident, independent, and mellow. There are many middle-aged and senior hounds available that are SO EASY to incorporate into a home.)
Just one SA example: Even though our own severe separation anxiety hound's attachment object is a human (me), I do believe she would be much worse without at least one other confident, relaxed hound in the house. She is often guided by our other hounds and she is most comfortable being the omega dog (last for everything). She would absolutely be a lost wreck without a "leader" to follow (in the absence of a human during the day). Important for her comfort: Another hound, environmental and human familiarity, routine, and humans who understand fear/anxiety driven behavior.
Thank you for your devotion to Ruby and for being willing to help her.