Time4ANap

Good thoughts for Larry. Rocket had his first dental in 7 years right after he turned 10. No issues at all. I'm sure Larry will do great!

Thanks! One of the reasons I went with the "Senior" formula was that it was lower fat and not as "rich." We've never had much luck with richer foods like TOTW and others, so I'm hoping this goes well. If if doesn't, I may have to try a food that is intended for weight maintenance and hope I can strike a balance between it being rich and Rocket constantly being hungry. We've tried Salmon based foods in the past, and those are pretty much off the list as far his tolerating them. Thanks again for the reply!

Wondering if anyone here is using any of the kibble formulas made by Premium Edge. (I know it's a Diamond Product - that doesn't thrill me but isn't a deal breaker) We feel like Rocket needs a switch after being on the same kibble for many years, and maybe even a protein switch. He used to have bouncing poops most of the time unless there was a flareup of tummy issues. More recently, his output is more inconsistent and ranges from great to pudding with no rhyme or reason as to when it happens. He continues to be on Tylan for the Stress Colitis. I just picked up a small bag of the Premium Edge Senior which is lamb-based. The reviews on it were pretty good, and it is always a trial and error situation with him when trying to change kibble. I was hoping to try a couple of the Rachael Ray formulas, but the first one gave him liquid poop, so I decided to try the Premium Edge based on various reviews i found that made me think it might work for him. (Before anyone suggests it - he hates the IAMS Green Bag - BTDT) After 1 meal last night containing 1/3 of Premium Edge and 2/3 his regular kibble, his coat feels like velvet. He has soft fur anyway, but this is unbelievable. After eating his breakfast this morning his fur just keeps getting softer. If the lamb doesn't cut it, I may try a different formula of the same food. Anyone else using Premium Edge?

Definitely try the suggestion above regarding the pre-bedtime snack. Rocket had stomach issues off and on for years, and an empty tummy is most often the cause of the grass eating. Are you hearing tummy squeals either before or after he goes out? Often you will hear gurgles or squeals early in the morning / middle of the night when the tummy is empty.

Good to hear. Keep spoiling that boy!

Too many of our GT hounds and people dealing with this again. Spoil him rotten for us too.

We have had Rocket for over 7 years. He has very similar traits as your Warbie when it comes to high value treats, personal space etc. We have some basic rules to follow with him, having had him snap at and actually bite people over the years. I need to preface this by saying that he is the sweetest, most loyal dog you will ever meet. He simply has some quirks that training has done nothing for, so we learned how to deal with the quirks. In each case of a snap or bite, the human involved (myself included) did something stupid at that moment that caused it. Each time it happened, we think it was more of a sleep startle, but he does also have the resource guarding issue with certain treats. The rules we follow are: 1. His space is his space. We do not approach, lay on his beds, or pet him while laying down. He sleeps with his eyes open at times, and startling him while sleeping will result in a bite. He is not allowed on furniture. Furniture privileges are earned, not a right, Since he can;t be trusted on the furniture if a human is next to him, he shouldn't be on the furniture. 2. If he gets a treat with high value, like a Bully Stick or Bone, we let him finish it and walk away before we take it, or we trade up. There are some things that he perceives as higher value than bones, but if he is focused on a treat that he has, I'm probably not going to attempt to take it unless there's an imminent hazard like choking or splintering. I can often throw a cookie across the room to get him to leave the bone in an urgent situation. 3. When walking near his bed, I call his name or say something like "Hey Buddy," to let him know that i am near him. Again, this is to keep from startling him. 4. WE ONLY PET WHILE HE IS STANDING! - This is the big one. Visitors are advised of this every time they come in the door. There is also no hugging him, or grabbing him unexpectedly. He comes to us for pets, we don;t approach him and just start petting out of nowhere. In a household with small children, these rules may or may not be workable. The other issue that comes into play is that even though your kids may follow the rules, there could be an issue if they have friends over who don't follow the rules. The last thing you want is for this boy to be labeled aggressive, and I can tell that you are highly aware of that.. That puts a death sentence a dog if there is an incident such as a bite where Animal Control gets involved. Only you can decide if this is a workable situation. I am surprised that he is a snuggler, and that's where he is much different from Rocket. Rocket will lean on me, or lay on my feet if I am sitting, but that's it. He does not snuggle and will growl if anyone attempts it. He is not comfortable with snuggling and that's okay. He is just not a snuggler. Not every dog is. In each of the situations you describe with the bone, the human made the mistake - not the dog. He may still be very workable, but it's going to be a lifetime training situation. Training is not 3 or 4 classes and then you're done. In this situation, the training is going to come from constant reinforcement of some basic rules, and consistency in actions. If one person lets him on the sofa when no one is around, that breaks the training, and he is again a hazard when it comes to space or furniture as a resource to guard. With all of that being said, and as much as it may hurt, there is no shame in returning a hound that isn't right for the household. Anyone who says that there is, doesn't have the hound's best interest at heart. There are several people on this forum who have had to return a hound and then ended up with the perfect dog for their household and family. The "quirky" dogs also find the right homes. It doesn't hurt any less, but it is truly the right thing to do for both of you. It's obvious that you love this hound. I hope it works out for you, but if you feel that this isn't going to be workable with your plan to have children, please do yourself and the hound a favor and let the group re-home him. They can work with you to find the hound that truly is the right hound for your family. Good luck, and please let us know how it goes. There may even be someone here on GT who is the right home for your boy if he is re-homed.

http://greyhoundhealthinitiative.org/programs/

How about some ginger snaps until you can get an RX? They think they are getting a treat, but it may help calm the nausea enough to help him eat a little.

He's still with you in each and every one of those memories. Nothing wrong a memory generating a couple of tears. I always figure that there's a drought and we can use the water.

Any chance that something happened while you weren't at home that startled him or scared him? Jack hammering in the street, banging from construction or other source, attempted break-in, or something else out of the ordinary? The other possibility, I was wondering if the park has changed the type of fireworks or the path that they launch and they now hurt the ears because there is a different frequency or volume that your dog is hearing. I know those aren't solutions, but figuring out why might help with a potential solution.

Tears here - again for a dog that I never met. We have loved following Desi here on GT and feel like he's one of our own. Not knowing this was happening yesterday, I even included him in the "Boyz Trip To Vegas" in Carl's birthday post yesterday. Even though we know that the humans are the ones doing the typing here, the personality of the hounds come through, and this boy was both sweet and hilarious. My favorite Desi story was the time he walked to the Farmer's Market and was hanging out eating muffins when you found him. That just seemed so "Desi." I am so sorry that sweet boy had to leave. We will miss him. The Bridge most certainly had one wild Saturday night when Desi showed up for the party. At least, that's what I like to think happens. Run pain-free, Desi.

When Trolley stays with us she only eats dry kibble. I made the mistake of putting water on it the first time and she walked away. As I found out, she will only eat it dry. She's never had any issue from doing so.

That picture says everything we need to know about your sweet boy. What a great picture! Run pain-free, Sneakers.

I'm sorry you are going through this again. Lots of scritches and belly rubs to Zuri. Spoil him rotten.

He looks great! Glad he's making progress!

We give marrow bones but only with 100% supervision. I have them cut to about 2 inches - 2 1/2 inches wide at the butcher shop. I usually give them frozen so that they last a little longer. In our case, Rocket pretty much gets the marrow out of them, and gnaws any attached meat off of them, but doesn't really crunch down or seem to do anything risky with them. Once he's cleaned off the bone, he walks away. I also buy the Supreme Bully Sticks from Best Bully Sticks, usually when Amazon has them on sale. His teeth look great after a bully stick. Don;t give too many until know what your hound's stomach can handle. We usually on give either item about twice a week, sometimes 3 times but no more.

I'm so sorry for the loss of your handsome boy. Run pain-free, Brady. Glad you were able to send your Mom a sign. Good boy!

Boarding at the vet may be pretty stressful. Additionally, most vets who do boarding have no one onsite overnight or when the office is closed, with minimal coverage to feed and walk at other times. Check with the greyhound group in your new area. Most maintain a list of people who will board other greys. I would rather have my greyhound stay with another grey owner than have him or her sitting in a crate in an empty office building with no interaction. I'm sure there are even some people here on GreyTalk in your area who board greys, it's just a matter of them seeing your post in time. We have several other greys that stay with us, and our boy stays with them when we are away. When the hounds come into our house, you would think they already lived here when you see them get on the sofa and go to sleep, or we find them in our bed. They are much happier being in a location with other hounds. As far as flying a greyhound, avoid it unless it's for a permanent move. Your dog will still like you when you return, and they won't go through the stress of flying in a cargo hold and in some cases a quarantine facility. Good luck and have fun on your trip.

Rocket was not at all happy about the "skipping breakfast" part of his surgery and dental. I will bet you got some stinkeye over that. Paws crossed for an easy day for both of them.

A beautiful tribute for your beautiful girl. Run pain-free, Lizzie.

I always go to the bland diet when Rocket has Big D or one of his bouts of Stress Colitis. Any blood in the stool or any gelatin-looking stools? I personally think kibble can be hard on the stomach when things are off which is why I go to the bland diet for at least a few meals. We've been down this road many times with Rocket, so at the first sign of it I go into full treatment mode. Since she doesn't routinely have stomach or Big D issues, I'd give it a day or so before calling the vet unless you see some change that makes you think there's a major issue. If it continues the vet may want to give her something to help with the tummy issue.

If parasites are suspected, I would complete the round of Panacur. Panacur is typically only 3 doses given at back to back meals, then repeated a few weeks later. If there is no reason to suspect parasites, then instead I would probably be treating the diarrhea with metronidazole and a bland diet. You might also consider feeding 4 smaller meals per day if you are at home to do so instead of 2 large meals. I always had pretty good results by feeding 4 smaller meals of a bland diet instead of 2 meals. It seemed to ease the stress on Rocket's stomach. Eventually we would work back up to regular food and 2 meals a day once we had better bowel movements and no indication of blood in the stool. Rocket had munerous incidents of Stress Colitis until we got it under control with daily use of Tylan, so we've dealt with lots of metronidazole and bland feeding over the years. It is a gradual process to heal the stomach and get back to normal, but can sometimes take 1-2 weeks before everthing is back to normal. Be patient. No appetitie is normal when the stomach is upset. Just make sure that she contiues drinking. A bland diet will help. I use Evangers Canned Chicken instead of cooking / boiling chicken or ground beef as some use. I usually combine that with a small amount of over-cooked mushy white rice or pasta (double or triple the amount of water to cook it) and as the dog starts to have an appetite I add some scrambled eggs for a while. Once bowel movements are better, I will slowly add a little kibble at a time to work back to the regular diet. You can also just boil chicken or ground beef and rinse all of the grease from it to use with a bland diet if you prefer. Most people do this instead ofthe canned food I noted above, The canned food just works better for us - there is no right or wrong.

http://www.illinoishomepage.net/news/local-news/dog-flu-hits-central-illinois

Keep spoiling him rotten!