3greytjoys

My heart aches for you, Jan. I'm shocked and saddened that Paddy has earned his wings. I can only imagine the void he left behind. After your teamwork together, I'm glad you were able to begin seeing him mature and transition into "Paddy McGreyhound". He was lucky to have landed with you. Paddy ALVIN! Mayhem made a huge impact on his global fan community during his curious, adventurous, loving and learning forty eight months in retirement. Thank you for sharing your extra special boy with us. He will be greatly missed on GT. May Paddy's bright spirit remain in your heart forever... as he lights up the heavens as founder of his newly formed "Bridge Camp (Mostly About Me) Mayhem". Surely Seamie and other camper angels are grandfathered in as priority members. Rest well special Paddy.

We take measures to keep our hounds from ingesting any wild animals, or their excrement, or walking through or swimming or drinking from wild animals' potential water sources. Too many potentially fatal diseases carried by wild animals. One example: Wild rodents can carry hantavirus (can be fatal to pets and humans). Veterinarians are warning pet parents about increases in cases of dog deaths from leptospirosis, etc. Heavy rainy weather also increases the spread of leptospirosis, giardia, and other zoonotic diseases. Here's a short (incomplete) list of diseases seen in wild animals/rodents including rabbits in North Carolina: http://epi.publichealth.nc.gov/cd/diseases/zoonotic.html

Any stair improvements with your boy? Do your stairs have open or closed back risers? Just wanted to add that if your hound experienced a slip/fall during your absence (even on flat hard surface floors), he may have hurt his spine, shoulder, hip, etc. He may have silently and stoically felt too much pain to attempt the stairs. Our case is different, but one of our senior hounds suddenly stopped walking the fully enclosed main staircase (with wall-to-wall carpet) last year. I moved downstairs the same night. Post veterinary visit, she has never been asked or attempted to walk up or down that staircase again.

You're welcome. I have several (unmarked) bright LED head-lamps (attached to stretchy straps) to use during night walks and for nail trims, etc. They can be found at general hardware stores, Amazon, or home center stores, etc. During use, please do not turn on a head-lamp for nail trims until your face/lamp is directed away from the hound's face/head. Some hounds might fear a glimpse of direct light. Begin by using a head-lamp during fun evening walks, dark yard poop pick-ups, etc. to help desensitize your boy to the light before attempting to touch him while wearing it. BTW, many newly retired Greyhounds (sight hounds) freeze when trying to adjust to neighborhood walks. Sometimes it's a sign of feeling overwhelmed with too many life changes at once, or seeing a scary object even 1/2 mile away, or an unfamiliar noise scares them. When dogs highly stress or fear something, their typical reactions are to freeze, fight, or flight (trying to bolt away from the scary object or noise). If Greyhounds freeze during walks, it often helps to carry treats, happily and gently guide the dog in a circle or two then proceed forward. Sometimes it's best to simply turn around and take the dog back home, then reevaluate the hound's overall stressors and possibly take a few steps back to reduce the dog's world until he feels more confident to willingly expand. Greyhounds are independent thinkers and are notorious for "shutting down" if feeling overwhelmed/stressed or bored. Stress is cumulative and can build from odd things like loud TV movies, vacuum cleaners, loud voices, thunderstorms, etc. Also, the concept of learning family pet obedience is completely foreign to racing Greyhounds, thus my prior comment to watch for/catch their natural actions, teach a verbal cue with rewards for those desired natural behaviors. As one who survived a life-threatening dog bite (different large breed) as a 5 year old child, I'd like to reiterate that your niece and other visitors should be separated from your dog by a baby-gate or crate, etc. Also, never let anyone place an infant baby carrier on any dog's floor level. Good luck with your behaviorist. Please let us know how things go with your boy.

This Greyhound most likely feels threatened, and is trying to communicate his extreme discomfort in all of these situations. Greyhounds are a highly sensitive breed. They need respectful, protected treatment from humans to even begin to slowly trust humans in a new home/family environment. Some hounds have had a more difficult history than others (possible previous injuries, emotional or medical struggles, etc.). BTW, a long duration with heavy infestation of hookworms can cause internal pain/discomfort. Every dog (and human) deserves their own personal bubble space in which to live comfortably without fear of being bumped, stepped on, rolled over, etc. Try to catch and reward his natural behaviors: e.g., teach a "bed" cue by watching for him to walk towards his dog bed, then toss treats on his bed praising with "good bed". Later, when he gets underfoot in the kitchen or too close to humans' foot path or furniture, happily cue (+ reward) him to "go to (his) bed", so he can watch humans from a safe distance. One of our hounds took me two years to earn his trust in me. He was also extremely wary of having paws handled, minor injuries inspected, etc. I snapped a photo to enlarge on a computer screen to inspect minor wounds more closely. His ears were very sensitive to touch, so we were careful to avoid pressing against them when taking a collar or muzzle on/off. Nail trims were done while he was standing up in a different room. One person fed non-stop treats through his muzzle while I trimmed nails (lit with a head-lamp to avoid cutting a quick). That hound's thick, cushy dog beds were placed in a protected FAR corner, away from all human foot traffic paths, in all the rooms we use most. No one was allowed near his dog beds, as these were considered his "dog safe space zones". The golden dog rule: "Let resting dogs lie undisturbed". This is especially important for recently retired racing Greyhounds; they've never had their resting spaces intruded upon. We waited for our hound to stand up and walk away from his bed before even attempting to pet him. This respectful human behavior allowed our hound to understand that he had a safe place in his own home, and he could trust humans to leave him alone until he was standing up and ready for attention. We use baby-gates to help keep all our hounds safely separated and protected from visitors. Growls should not be scolded. Dogs growl as their communication warning that they are feeling threatened. If scolded for a growl, they quickly learn to skip a growl and go directly to a bite to get their serious point across. Humans should respect a dog's growl by backing away from the dog. If human needs to retrieve an unsafe item (bone, toy, etc.) from the dog, try the following distraction techniques: 1.) Go to another room, shake a treat bag, or drop a scoop of kibble in dog's bowl, or start an electric can opener, or squeak a favorite toy while happily calling the dog to you. When dog arrives, offer a high value meat treats, toy etc. Someone can quickly retrieve the unsafe item the dog left behind. 2.) If dog doesn't budge from the original room, toss a path of meat treats out of dog's reach, just far enough so dog has to stand up and walk away from the unsafe item (to go eat the special meat treats). 3.) Another option: If you can follow through with a real walk, etc., get a leash and happily call dog to go for a walk, or car ride, or whatever excites the dog most. Once you remove the unsafe item from dog's reach (including if hes standing up on hind legs), be careful to avoid giving him any overly prized resource that he's likely to protect (no bones or rawhide, etc.). Teach "leave it" and "drop it" cues with low value items. Above all, please do NOT dominately challenge a dog. Dominance has been decades long proven to increase aggression, and/or create aggression where there was no previous aggression in dogs. Any training with Greyhounds should be using positive reward-based techniques. No physical force/manipulations. (Run fast and far away from any so called dog trainers who follow Cesar M.) When leash walking dogs, safest walking position is with dog's right shoulder next to human's left thigh (if in USA since pedestrians walk against traffic -- this position keeps dogs farthest away from street and cars). Keep leash short enough so dog is not tempted to walk in front of human, or criss-cross in front of human. Leash should be held short but with slack, so dog does not feel constant neck pressure from leash. It's fine to give dog longer leash when stopping to sniff or eliminate. All that said, if you're not willing or able to hire a professional certified animal behaviorist (using only reward-based methods), I'd agree with others to seriously consider returning this Greyhound to his adoption group. Honestly, considering your limited information posted, a Greyhound might not be a best or most tolerant breed for your family. I wish you a speedy recovery. Racing Greyhounds are reared so differently than pet dog breeds, Greys are not for everyone. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Considering my teenage Greyhounds' sensitive systems, I would not risk feeding raw meats. (The oldest is age 15.) Have you thought about safely cooking the raw meat (without any toxic spices)? If interested, the following professional veterinary organizations discourage feeding raw meat to dogs. Dangerous organisms in raw meat that are shed in dogs' stools can survive for weeks or longer in the environment. 1. American Veterinary Medical Association 2. The American Animal Hospital Association 3. American College of Veterinary Nutritionists 4. National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians 5. U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention 6. U.S. Food and Drug Administration Etc...

Although I haven't studied salmon oil mercury levels in dogs, I'd agree with the nutritionist on both counts. Saturated fats also cause pancreatitis in dogs. The American Heart Association and other medical organizations discourage coconut oil because it's a saturated fat. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Encyclopedia/Heart-and-Stroke-Encyclopedia_UCM_445084_ContentIndex.jsp?title=cooking%20oils

Oh, that's sweet about Charley watching neighboring dogs pass by his house. I'm so glad you captured that photo. It's a lovely memorial of him. I'm so glad Skyler is still part of your family. I hope she'll be able to adjust okay without Charley. Positive thoughts for your entire family during this difficult transition.

I'm so deeply sorry for your shockingly heartbreaking loss of Cindy. She was clearly a very special girl, and was fortunate to have had her last year and a half feeling so well loved. Thank you for sharing your lovely memorial with us. May her spirit remain forever close at heart.

Just a thought: I wonder if Honor might have had some pain medication still working in his system which might have masked some of his pain during the vet's physical exam. Great news that his X-ray was clear! Yea!

The increased size of nodules must have been very difficult news to hear. I'm so sorry. You and Taylor have already been through so much together. Your devoted loving support will help him more than ever now. Wishing you and Taylor as much comfortable time as possible.

//Charley by Craig Brewer, on Flickr I'm so sorry for your heartbreaking loss of Charley. What a huge void he must have left after being part of your family for 12 years. I especially love this photo of Charley. Do you recall what caught his interest outside of the window? I enjoyed seeing your photos of Charley and Brandee. Do you still have Skye? Our heartfelt thoughts are with you. May Charley's spirit remain close in your heart.

Agree re: fecal test for worms. One of our hounds suffers from a loud tummy if she doesn't eat enough during the day or night. If she goes too long between meals, she's less likely to eat the next meal because of now empty and upset tummy. We keep yummy canned meat dog food as a special meal emergency back-up, which she usually devours since it's a rare treat. Typically, our hounds eat breakfast, dinner, and a small portion of dinner at bedtime. Sometimes they need a mid-day snack too. Please try to avoid allowing your hound to eat grass. Grass blades and/or sharp grass seeds or foxtails can cause problems moving through a dog's system. Also, most landscape grasses are treated with toxic chemical weed killers, insecticides, fertilizers, etc. Good luck with Lily.

I wondered about LP too but early onset would be more difficult for GoingGrey to recognize. (BTW, the vet in the video grabbing and pulling that poor Labrador's collar from the side was choking him further by cutting off his paralyzed airway! One of the worst things for LP dogs is wearing a collar, or having any other pressure on their throat from clothing or petting etc.) GoingGrey: In addition to taking a video of Jammer during a coughing episode for your vet to see, it could be very helpful for us to see also. I've had two Greyhounds with LP and each one presented symptoms slightly differently. Laryngeal paralysis was the diagnosis to which I referred in post #4 above. ETA: Dark red (or purplish) gums/tongue can also be a sign of increasing temperature while trying to breathe in oxygen during an LP flare up. Bluish gums/tongue are a lack of oxygen emergency.

Since you mentioned apples, I'll just add to please be careful to avoid offering apple seeds, which are toxic to dogs. Not sure of your time zone, but a call to your vet before closing time could help. Please mention her overnight restlessness to your vet; her tramadol and/or gabapentin may need to be adjusted. Positive healing thoughts for Katie Bugs.

If he's avoiding all his beds, he is clearly uncomfortable. I would take him in for X-rays ASAP. I do not walk hounds who are limping in pain, as that usually exacerbates their problems. IME, limps require rest. Considering his excessive exercise for a recently adopted 7 year old senior, It could be over usage or many other treatable possibilities. Please try not to assume osteo. until you have proof. If it happens to be osteo., he would need more complete pain medications ASAP. Honor is in our positive healing thoughts.

Congratulations on your long awaited adoption of Shiloh! Best wishes for a long, happy life together. ETA: How to post a picture: http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/121707-how-to-post-a-picture/

to GreyTalk! Congratulations on your recent adoption of Vesper Lynd! Dark brindles are beautiful. Wishing you many happy, healthy years together. ETA: How to post a picture: http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/121707-how-to-post-a-picture/

Our Greyhound was successfully treated for a heavy nasal mite infestation upon retirement almost ten years ago. The ivermectin treatments worked very well, and no side effects were noticed. Previously, she had been miserable from the nasal mite infestation, which also damaged her sense of smell, which negatively affected her interest in food. Ivermectin was a welcome treatment which resulted in her full recovery.

Great relief!

I'd vote earthworms from your photos also. Interestingly, CA has had so much rain this winter that earthworms are climbing up to higher ground to avoid drowning. They're finding their own way into homes through cracks in doorways, etc.

Thanks for your promising update. Please don't hesitate to post questions. Retired racing Greyhounds are different from other breeds -- all questions are good questions. Many people experience similar situations, so your posts could help other readers too. Please let us know how it goes with the other dog. Good luck!