[Taste Of The Wild?]

It's not that it's a heated topic - it's that for each person who tells you the food worked great for them, you can easily find someone else who it didn't work for. We successfully fed several different kinds of TOTW, until it became unsuccessful for us. Our boy builds up an intolerance over time to various foods or additives, and needs to be switched from time to time to a new food.

 

That being said, there are plenty of people here feeding all of the various TOTW varieties without any issues. Overall, it's a very good food, although you will find some people who will trash it because it's made in Diamond's Food plants. That's a whole other issue for many. It really does depend on the individual hound and what they can or can't tolerate. TOTW is a good food, but can be too rich for many with sensitivity issues. Some varieties will work for your hound better than others.

 

Best advice is to start out with the smallest bag offered, even if it results in a little more expense than the big bag over time. If you buy the big bag up front, it never fails that your hound won't like it or can't tolerate that protein source and gets the runs - it's just a rule of greyhound life, at least in our house. We usually feed 3 or 4 small bags before we commit to buying the largest size when trying a new food. That way we know that it works, and that we aren't stuck with 25 lbs of food that has to be thrown out (shelters here won't take open bags).

 

Hope this helps at least a little. Welcome to GreyTalk, and be sure to post pics of your hound when you get a chance.

[Saying A Mostly-To-Pass-The-Time-Before-I-Get-My-Hound Hello From The]

Welcome from Central IL. Hope Cora turns out to be the best Service Dog ever!

[Pain Medication]

I have had really good results with Gabapentin 100 mg. I know it is a muscle relaxer, but we use it for pain.

Just a head's up to eliminate any confusion - Gabapentin is not a muscle relaxer. It is used for nerve related pain, neuropathy and other types of chronic pain but was originally developed as a seizure medication. It does not have the same effect as a muscle relaxer.

 

Although not my favorite source, Wikipedia has the best "plain english" explanation about how Gabapentin works.

[My Grace Girl Earned Her Angel Wings 2/18/03 - 1/19/13]

[Cabriole, 4-17-01 To 1-23-13]

Run free Cabriole.

[Part Time Aggression]

He's testing his boundaries, but also needs routine and training.

 

1. No furniture privileges when growling occurs. He needs to learn the OFF! command.

 

2. Routine, Routine, Routine. Paws get wiped here after every walk. Rocket automatically stops on the designated rug and waits to have his paws wiped.

 

3. Clicker training will help. Also search for NLIF training (Nothing in Life is Free).

 

4. Also as a precaution - he may have a minor space issue or sleep startle since he growls when you get near - no one should go near him or touch him or his bed when he is on it. Even if he looks awake - he may not be. We've had 2 bites as a result of thinking Rocket was awake because his eyes were open.

 

There are others on here who can give you better info on the actual training than I can - we lucked out and other than the sleep startle, have a hound who cooperates and seems to pickup on commands after one or two times - he is eager to learn.

[Aleeya Just Collapsed-- What To Do Next?]

Call the vet - make it clear that she has trouble with that leg anyway and describe whether she truly collapsed or just couldn't support herself on the tile floor and a bad leg. Better to make a trip in than be sorry later on that you didn't.

 

Sending good thoughts for Aleeya.

[Aleeya Just Collapsed-- What To Do Next?]

Did she puke bile, food, blood, etc? Is she hydrated?

[Online Suppliers Of Raw (Organic) Food]

My Pet Carnivore out of Indianapolis delivers one day a month in St. Louis. You have to meet the truck at the designated time and place to pickup your order. Here's a link to the delivery schedule. They also ship UPS on Mondays.

 

I have heard many good things about them from people in Indianapolis. I think the last time I posted their info, there were some GT folks in Chicago who were using them as well.

[Hailey Jane - September 28, 2004 – January 18, 2013]

What a beautiful tribute to your friend. I'm so sorry that she left so soon.

 

Run free Hailey Jane.

[Diarrhea After Monthly Revolution Application]

Thanks for the reply.

 

There still seems to be many rumors floating around about Interceptor availability. Our vet got a letter in November telling them that it would be back in the Spring. Drs Foster and Smith website has a notice that it will be back in 3-4 months. Like you, I had also heard at one point that it wasn't coming back. Wouldn't it be nice to get the real story????

 

The vet originally had us on Trifexis but changed to Revolution after discussing it further. We never actually used the Trifexis, so were able to exchange it for Revolution. We will now be checking out the other options. Thanks!

[Dogs Sick On Food. Opinions?]

Since they are a small company it's important that you let them know about this incident. They will also want the production codes from the bag if you have them. Small companies take this kind of thing seriously. The bag could have been improperly stored along the way and spoiled, or there could be a much larger issue. Either way, they will want to check into it.

 

Due to all of the recalls that were happening for a while, I now cut out the production codes on the bag when I empty it and staple the receipt to it. If there is a recall well after the bag is gone, I have a record of it in case we have related medical issues.

[Diarrhea After Monthly Revolution Application]

We recently switched Rocket to Revolution at the Vet's suggestion. He used to be on both Interceptor and Frontline Plus. We will go back to that combination once Interceptor is available again. We will discuss a change to something else for the interim period at the next vet visit.

 

We have detected a pattern of diarrhea after each application. Up until now we thought we had a food issue, but have gone back over it and the timing is in line with the Revolution application. Anyone else had this issue? Diarrhea is listed as one of the potential side effects in a small percentage of dogs.

 

Just curious if anyone else has seen this side effect.

 

 

[Amf Nisan Turbo 1/15 2004 - 1/19/2013]

Run pain-free Dreamy.

[Nutro Dog Food--Anyone Have Sick Dog ?]

There was one type of this brand of food that was part of the recall of numerous major pet food brands that were all manufactured in the Diamond Pet Food plant in Gaston SC in April 2012. There seem to be numerous "rumors" on sites but not much in the way of evidence that has sparked a recall.

 

Here's a link to all of the 2012 Pet Food Recalls. http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/SafetyHealth/RecallsWithdrawals/default.htm

 

(Link function does not appear to be working properly in Chrome - you may have to cut an paste it into your browser.)

[A Sunbeam From Hot Rod]

[Please Welcome Zhivaya]

If only he would settle in......

Congratulations!

[Peggy]

Welcome home Peggy!!!!!

[Moto Hot Rod]

I am stunned and in tears. We never got to meet him, but felt like he was one of our own. I am so sorry that he had to leave.

 

Run pain-free mah brudder from anudder mudder.

[It's Astro's Turn To Travel To The Bridge]

I'm so sorry for the sudden loss of your Astro.

Run free Astro.

[My Heart Dog Bella Is At The Rainbow Bridge - 01/12/2013]

i'm very sorry for your loss of Bella.

 

Run free sweet girl.

[Few Question...bad Breath, Bones]

Raw turkey necks are very effective at cleaning teeth. Some people give beef bones, some don't. Bones must be supervised at all times and you should have something of even higher value ready to trade up if you need to take the bone away. Some hounds are very possessive of bones when they get them. Best to have worked on the "drop it" command first.

 

There are several types of toothpaste with various flavors in the pet store. Never use human toothpaste.

 

There are water additives that clean teeth and freshen breath in the same section with the dog toothpaste. These work fairly well.

[New Night Barking/rooing.]

Is he wearing Pajamas or a coat? You might try that if you haven't.

 

Rocket sleeps through the night with minimal movement / activity when wearing PJ's or a coat because he's nice and warm. On nights when he doesn't have PJ's or a coat on, he will wake up and pace, walk, shift positions, dig etc until he finds a warm spot.

[Help Length Of Time To Treat Sa, Afraid My Dog Would Be Happier In Ano]

Just curious if she was able to come and go freely to the crate when you tried leaving her out. Sometimes the crate is a safe space, and leaving the door open so the hound can come and go at will can help. Other with SA hounds will chime in.

 

Rocket used to whine and howl when we were gone until we let him have the run of the house, then he was fine. Even after 4 years we still have the crate setup with the door open. He mostly uses it to tan when when the sun comes around to that window now, but it's there if he wants to go in for any reason.

 

Good luck.

[Blood In Stool; No Parasites]

Try soaking the kibble in warm water for a while before serving so that it is softer. If his insides are irritated, hard kibble will irritate it more. We deal with this off and on with Rocket.

 

Also, we have never had a test be positive for parasites or worms, but have had several times where de-worming resolved a similar issue. Positive tests are either luck and perfect timing, or a major problem where you can't help but have a positive test.

 

There is no harm in de-worming if the issue continues, even if you don't have a positive test. Panacur will also help soothe the tummy in some cases.