Time4ANap

Definitely muzzle her. She is still curious about everything in her new world. The last thing you want is to come home and find that she has ingested something and choked on it, or ingested a medication that kills her. If anyone in the family uses an inhaler or takes prescription or OTC medications, those items need to be locked up, as do household cleaners and chemicals. Using the muzzle is part of responsible pet ownership. Your other option is to crate her while you are out. Racing greyhounds are used to being crated, and while many of them grow out of their crates once retired, that privilege comes with being able to be trusted while alone. Your girl hasn't reached that level of trust or training yet.

Run free handsome Sunny.

Rocket is currently eating the grain-free Turkey and Potato version. He has become less enthusiastic about it in the last 10 days or so, but is still eating it. It seems to work well for him, We have tried 2 of the other Rachael Ray blends (not grain free) and had squirting diarrhea on both within 12 hours of eating. It really is about what works for your dog. One of the things to watch for is that the bag sizes of the various Rachael Ray food are different depending on where you buy them. Bags sold at WalMart and grocery stores are smaller by up to several pounds on the larger sizes, yet are often the same price as Amazon and other online outlets where you get 3 more lbs of food for the same price. So far the best deal on most foods continues to be Amazon Prime, Chewy.com or Wag.com depending on what we are buying. Amazon has recently had coupon deals with several dollars off on a purchase of Rachael Ray foods.

Rocket has Stress Colitis and has had it for years. After trying everything possible in the way of food, only certain snacks, etc, the vet finally put him on Tylan Capsules with each meal. He has been good for several years, although we are currently having an episode or 2 of Big D while trying to find a new food that works for him. His old food ran it's course after a few years, and I don't know if there were changes to the food, or changes in him, but it no longer works. Everything medically checks out okay. Tylan and finding the right food were the only things that worked at all. Tylan is bought in powder form and you have to fill the capsules. It is too bitter to put directly on food. Definitely get your vet's opinion before using it, and have them calculate the dosage.

Check out the responses in this thread. http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/318376-over-this-heat/ I have used the wet towel and a fan for Rocket in the past. The only thing you need to be careful of is that the towel will hold heat in once it warms up, so rotate it out a few times.

The only hypoallergenic food that I know is Purina HA. Rocket was on it for a while when they were trying to get to the bottom of his stomach issues. He hated it. It was sort of like puffed styrofoam. I think it was a prescription at the time and pretty expensive as I recall. I could only get it through the vet's office, as none of the mail order places carried it, but that was 4 or 5 years ago. I just did a quick search and saw it on a couple of the usual pet supply websites..

When I first met Truman he was moving his X-pen across the building at Dewey. He wants to be where the action is! He wasn't going to let any lousy X-pen contain him when there was something better going on elsewhere. Love that boy!

Oratene has a water additive that's pretty good, as well as a gel that you can apply. https://www.amazon.com/Pet-King-Brands-BV10400-V-Oratene/dp/B002B8O23K As far as chews, raw turkey necks will accomplish much the same and you can count it as part of her food for the day. You can also try bully sticks to get that chewing action. I give Rocket a bully stick about twice a week to keep his teeth clean. Some people give them more often, but since he has a sensitive stomach I give them less frequently.

With a spook, the answer is NEVER. (Caps for emphasis - not yelling) Especially being in a downtown or suburban area. The least little thing can spook a hound at anytime, and a spooky hound is about 10 times more likely to spook over something you don't expect. If you group has play events in a secured area for off leash dogs, then it may be fine, but many greyhounds can clear a 6 foot fence when spooked, or may run and slam into the fence if they don't see it. Most people here think dog parks are a bad idea anyway due to the thin skin of a greyhound and the chance for injury during normal dog play from nipping or from a nail digging into skin. Your hound will do fine with regular walks, car rides and every day activities. Off leash running is fine once in a while if the setting is completely secured, no chance of it becoming unsecured, no other dogs around, or if there are other dogs then everyone should be muzzled for safety. Greyhound play often involves nipping, so a dog park incident could be blown out of proportion rapidly if a nip turns into a bite or a skin tear. The last thing you want is to have your dog accused of being vicious from normal play. If the other dogs aren't muzzled. you dog cannot defend herself if necessary in a situation that escalates. The only time we've routinely gone to dog parks is during travel when we need an area to stretch legs and have a potty break. Even then, we usually keep the leash on, do what is necessary and leave. We have a number of dog parks near our house, but I won't use them if other dogs are there, and will leave if other dogs arrive while we are using them. Good luck with your new hound. Be sure to post some pictures when you can. I know there are some other people on GreyTalk in your immediate area, so maybe they can help you with a play date or point you to nearby greyhound activities.

I'm so sorry for your loss. Run pain-free, Lady.

Congratulations on adopting your new girl! She needs to be taught the "off" command. Being on the furniture is a privilege, not a right. Telling her to get "off' as soon as she growls or bares teeth is the best way to handle it. Dogs can be threatened by a stare down.She probably took it as a threat. A stare-down sounds like something from the Cesar Milan School of BS, She will continue to test the waters as she gets more comfortable. There are several trainers on the site who will most likely respond and give you some pointers for introducing her to training and earning privileges. In the meantime you might want to look up NLIF Training - Nothing in Life is Free. It's a good way to let them know that they need to privileges like being on the sofa, or treats.

I'm very sorry for your loss. Run-free, sweet Ruby.

Run free, Nikki.

Thud! Rocket says "Don't look, Lexie."

Fantastic! Congratulations!

Rocket has had stomach problems off and on forever. I just had to do another food switch, and ended up trying Rachael Ray Nutrish Zero Grain Turkey and Potato. Within one meal, we went from blowout diarrhea on a lamb based food to solid, firm poops ever since. I was never really into the grain free thing, but so far it has worked for him. You can buy small bags at most grocery stores or WalMart to give it a try. I've found the best deal so far is through Amazon Prime as the bags are bigger for the same price that the stores charge. http://nutrish.rachaelray.com/dog/dry-food/zero-grain-turkey-and-potato

We moved here from Central IL. I am not a fan of living here but moved for DW's job. As far as greyhounds, they adjust. We don't usually walk after about 6:30 AM in the hot months, and quick potty breaks in the back yard happen rather than going out and sniffing around the yard for a half hour. Other than that, greyhound entertainment is done inside in the AC, and we regularly take car rides to nowhere in the air conditioned car. Once the sun goes down, Rocket still does his racing run around the back yard even though the temps are often in the 90's or still over 100 once it;s dark. We did a late walk this morning which was at about 8:30. It was already 99 degrees. A late walk consists of riding in the air conditioned van to a spot with shade trees. We walk for about 5-8 minutes under the trees, then make a cooling-off loop through our housing development in the van with the AC blasting. Not that he's spoiled.

It's not unusual if her mouth is sensitive. Try some canned food. Normally they can't resist it and it will be soft enough that it won't cause pain.

I'm guessing it's the stress of the last few days and all of the changes in his life. A bland diet for a couple days will help. As others said, boiled chicken or boiled ground beef along with some overcooked mushy rice or pasta will go easier on the tummy than kibble. (Pasta is better than rice, but whichever you do, use about 3-4 times the water and way over cook it. Make sure that you rinse the chicken or beef to remove the grease. In place of cooking, I usually use canned Evanger's Organic Chicken as part of a bland diet. It can be used for a few feedings by itself, but isn't enough calories to maintain feeding for long periods. It is very easy on the stomach. If you use the search box on the site for "bland diet" you will find all kinds of info that worked for others. Scrambled eggs, oatmeal, toast - you will find all kinds of things that work. It may take some rial and error with a new hound. You should be doing your first well-vet visit soon anyway, so make sure you take a stool sample to the vet to be checked. Normally you take one from that day, but if you have to collect it the night before, you can refrigerate it in an airtight container if necessary. (Yeah - welcome to life with greyhounds - it does get better) If this continues for more than a couple days, I would make your vet visit sooner rather than later. You may need some Metronidazole to help with the diarrhea. Also watch for signs of dehydration if the diarrhea continues.

The Preventic collar is also okay for greyhounds. We put one on Rocket if he is going to be in area where the tick problem is prevalent. Have had no problems with them.

Good to hear he's on a harness already. Most groups send dogs off with a new martingale collar and leash. He is definitely living in an environment where a harness is a must. Can't wait to see pictures of this sweet boy! There is a cheap product called a Tick Key that makes tick removal really easy. We keep one in Rocket's travel bag. You can find it on Amazon and most pet stores.

He is most likely spooked or frightened by the city noises and activity. Remember, he's never seen anything like this before. The first order of business TODAY is to get a harness on him that clips in at least 2 places, or if it only has one leash connection, add a good carabiner so that the connection to the leash is doubled. That pulling back and forth is him trying to get out of the leash and get away. He is spooked by the noise and activity. In a city like that, he will be gone, and it's a good bet that he will be hit by a vehicle - he doesn't know to look for traffic. You also must keep a death grip on the leash at all times. Keep the loop wrapped around your hand several times, and don't ever get complacent or comfortable thinking that he won't bolt away. We've had Rocket for seven years. Even though I know he will not intentionally bolt away, all it takes for him to start trying to get away is for his collar or leash hardware to tap something metal like a street sign. The metal noise freaks him out and I have a dog trying to get out of there on my hands when that happens, even after 7 years. It is going to take some time for him to acclimate to those noises. Others will chime in on desensitizing him and how to work on training him in this environment, but you must have him double secured in a harness before taking him out in that. A leash and martingale collar are not going to cut it. Good luck. It takes time, but we have had dogs on here that lived in Manhattan and other major cities with no issues. Hopefully their humans will be able to help you with some good advice.

I am so sorry to see this. I've loved following Maverick's adventures here on GT. Run pain-free, Maverick.

That was a perfect tribute. The picture with the mirror says everything about her personality. Thank you for sharing this, Jan.

I had to use the liquid once and Rocket is not one to be pilled or have something squirted down his throat. I used 2 of his biggest vices to get him to take the liquid. Bread and cheese. I bought a package of Kings Hawaiian Rolls, and a can of squirt cheese (from the crackers and cookie area of the store) to make him a cheese sandwich. I used a syringe to inject the roll with the dose of liquid Panacur. He came to me for over a week after he no longer needed it wanting his cheese sandwich.