Time4ANap

Leave the crate in place with the door open once you start letting him have the run of the house. He can go back to it if he needs a safe place when alone. We used to crate Rocket EVERY time we went out, and it became apparent that he was really not happy in there. We are lucky and have a dog that doesn't bother anything, and the most he does when alone is relocate his bed or fling a few stuffies around in the air. Sometimes we find him in the crate sunbathing when we come home, but now we only "crate" him if someone has to come in like a plumber or the furnace guy, and that's more about them accidentally letting him out than him needing to be crated. It just takes time. Congratulations on your new pup!

What a gorgeous girl. We are very sorry for your loss.

We are so sorry for your loss. She was a beautiful girl.

The caffeine is a stimulant - so it could very well have the same effect on Norm. Twice in a week seems like too much to instantly rule out something medical. Rocket will hold it for hours and hours if crated, and even when loose in the house. If Norm is usually good about going out, I think I would have a fecal test run just to rule out worms or other nasties (but I am also paranoid that way). Our vet will test a sample without having to make an appointment, and i'm assuming that most vets will ldo that. Hope Norm is feeling better soon. I love the name Norm for a greyhound....

We have been dealing with MAJOR itching for the last 2 months with Rocket. In our case, it seems to be allergens, and I guess we will confirm it soon because they are calling for frost here this weekend. No amount of bendaryl or ointments would stop the itching, so we ended up at the vet 3 times so far. About half of the other dogs in our neighborhood are suffering with the same thing, so we are pretty sure it's allergy related. Prednisolone, an antihistamine, an antibiotic and a steroid spray later, we sort of have it under control. Prior to RX meds, we tried Benadryl, NeoSporing, itch Ointments, Anti Itch Bath products, Apple Cider Vinegar on the itchy spots - with each thing only giving 2 or 3 hours relief. If he is doing that much licking and scratching, vet visit is the way to go if the over the counter treatments aren't working. If the skin is broken at all, you might need an antibiotic to prevent an infection as well. Hope your pup is better soon.

This thread is never going to die, is it?

The amount really depends on the food. Usually the instructions on the food that go by the dog's weight are a close guide, but you will still have to adjust the amount over time to what works to maintain your dog's weight and health. Genericaly saying x amount of cups is useless, because it depends on the calorie count of the food and many other factors. You may have to currently feed 6 cups, but on a different food the amount might be 4 cups for the same dog. We wet it to make it slide down easier. Rocket is more of an inhaler than a chewer - and if it's left dry he tends to choke on a piece or two. Avoiding walks or running prior to and after a meal will help to prevent bloat as well. We usually allow 45 mins to an hour on both sides of a meal to avoid activity.

Sending good thoughts for that cute little girl.

I had to do this for the first time recently with Rocket due to his allergies. I found the easiest way was to place one hand under his mouth and wrap the thumb aound the top of his nose to keep him from moving around. Almost as quick as you wrap your hand around, have the drops ready to go in using the other hand. I found that by guiding his head (nose) toward the ceiling slightly, and holding the drops straight up and down that they dropped right into the eye. After a couple times he figured out what I was doing, and I was actually able to get both drops into his eyes in under 5 seconds. I also realized that you really need to guide the nose toward the ceiling to get the correct angle for the drops to go in. If the pup is looking straight ahead, the drops will roll off of the eye and go to the floor. We keep the drops by the back door where he gets his paws wiped after being outside. By incorporating the eye drops into the paw wiping routine, he is already standing still and we don't have to chase him around the house to get them in. Don't forget the treat afterward. It will make the next time easier.

Rocket has developed very bad allergies this year - scratching until you could see that his skin was pink under his fur, and causing some scabs in places that really itch. He hasn't had these symptoms until this year, so we are hoping that this is a one-time deal due to the drought here and the blooms of ragweed that we haven't had in the past. Benadryl had virtually no effect. Vet put him on Chlorpheniramine - 12 mg (three 4mg pills) twice a day (so thats 24mg total daily) and Prednisolone, in addition to an antibiotic for the places that were scabbed. He is 75 lbs. The combination of the two has worked well, but we also found that he needed a weekly bath and we have to wipe paws when he comes back in, and at least once a day we wipe down his face and neck with a wet washcloth. The bath product that worked for him is called Bobbies Itchy Dog Shampoo. We are in the process of tapering off the Pred now, so hopefully we can eliminate that when this dose is finished. Hope your pup is better soon.

This is GreyTalk. This is a standard topic - not an odd topic.... In this house we have the Early Morning Poop - right after breakfast, The mid-day walk poop (or two), and the after dinner walk poop (or two). Apparently we have a Super Pooper..... Most likely the frequency depends on the pup's diet and metabolism - sounds like it is normal for your dog to go once a day. If he's not in any obvious distress and no other issues, I wouldn't be overly concerned.

Just to add to this, you probably don't need to crate him,but just have a crate available for him to come and go as he pleases. It is kind of a safe spot. We keep the crate open 24/7, and even though Rocket is never really "crated" anymore, we do find him in there from time to time.

Welcome from the cornfields of Illinois!

Make sure you specify Precise Foundation if that's the one you decide to try. We had some people just ask for Precise, and they ended up with the wrong product from the Precise line being shipped. The bags look a little different at the moment - 40 lb bag has some red printing on it and has 4lbs more included as a bonus - so don't let that throw you.

We've been through the "better" foods with Rocket. After a few months on each one we would go through the symptoms you describe no matter what the protein source was. Most of them were just too rich, no matter what the main ingredients were. We switched to Precise Foundation which is highly digestible. We switched based on the experience of the boarding facility we use, which boards only greyhounds. They use this as the house food, and will also switch a boarder to it when they are having stomach problems using their own food. It has been the best food we found so far for Rocket, and we are very happy with it. It can be a little hard to find, but any Pet Food Store or Feed Store using a major distributor can order it in. It's also available online. They also have a line called Sensicare if you need an even lower fat content. You will get lots of suggestions for food here, but it boils down to what ends up working for your dog. For every food that someone suggests, you will often have someone else post saying that one didn't work for them - it really is trial and error and takes some time. We are going through the whole scratching and licking thing here at the moment with seasonal allergies. We have no reason to suspect the food, but you do need to consider it when you see symptoms like that. Hope your pup is better soon.

Same here.

We are so sorry for your sudden loss. Wabi was very special to the GT family.

Make sure you are giving him good "targets." We bought a couple of traffic cones and walked Rocket by them when he first came. (The taller the better - you can get them at Home Depot or a hardware store for 8-15 dollars each depending on the height.) He wouldn't go on leash either, and it was 25 below zero out - fun times. He needs things to lift his legs against while on a leash. Our boy also loves tall clumps of grass - although we do keep him away from shrubs and trees in people's yards when on walks. Trees in the right of way or median are fair game.

We will sometimes use a cold wet towel on Rocket if he seems to be overheated. We also have a cooling jacket made out of towel material. You need to be careful though, and change it or re-wet it with COLD water as it warms up. You don't want to trap the heat in under the towel. We only do this if he doesn't seem to be cooling down enough on his own once inside the house in the AC.

My Pet Carnivore will ship them. They also deliver to several states in a radius of indianapolis on specific delivery days where you meet the truck at a dropoff point at a specific time. It's very good company to deal with.

Maybe it was a left foot......

Wonder what she did with them?

Funny that you posted this this afternoon. About an hour before your post I decided to try apple cider vinegar after we heard from a friend who has "been there done that" with every dog illness and remedy over the years. I mixed 1/2 apple cider vinegar and half water into a new spray bottle and sprayed him down after our walk. I let him air dry after that. He did scratch a few more times, but it appears to have helped tremendously, as he has been sound asleep for the last 90 minutes and hasn't gotten up to scratch. That's about the longest he's slept without having an itch in a few days. He's going to get sprayed down again after our evening walk. The concentration is a little stronger than the mix you suggested, and I will probably mix a weaker solution tomorrow after these intitial treatments if it continues to work for him. He does smell kind of like pickles though. Thanks for the post.

Dear rocket my lub uze make sure u work that hooman system. Dontz let them get away with treating your owies with nuttin less than 2 cookies per drop and tell daddyman more scoops of ice cream is suppose to help clear up the itchies faster your girl lexie Lexie mah lub I wuz up all night scratching. Daddyman sez itz da ragweed all over our development. Momma and Daddyman tried to help, but nothin' worked. Then today after mah walkie, da horror of all horrors. I gotz anudder baff. Da 2nd one dis week! it did help, but I think I needz anudder cookie. Lubs, Yur Rocketman

Rocket seems a bit better today. When he woke up yesterday, his eyes were puffy around the edges - he has eyeliner markings so it was very obvious. Took him to the vet - no fleas or mites, just allergies and he had a couple of small scabs from scratching. Vet put him on Hydroxyzine and an antibiotic, as well as some eye drops for 5 days. The allergy med makes him sleepy, but he does seem a litttle better, and the eye drops cleared up his puffiness with the first drops that were put in. We are wiping paws, legs etc, and using a washcloth on him when he comes in. He's not thrilled about water, so he has compromised and will let us use a washcloth for a cookie. It also costs a cookie to put eye drops in. He knows how to work the system.