Time4ANap

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

One more thing - don't be swayed by the various reviews of kibble and feel that you have to go buy the most expensive stuff for your dog. Here's the rule - the best kibble for your dog is the one that your dog does well on. Probably 50% or more of the owners on here feed Iams Green Bag. Dog's coats are shiny and smooth, stools bounce on impact with the ground, and it just works. As you read online, there many detractors of IAMS because it's a big corporation. Rocket has a sensitive stomach and sometimes has stress colitis. We've switched foods more times than I care to count, and most recently the food that worked for him was a Purina food. I was one of those people who wouldn't consider a Purina product prior to this, but someone else here with a stress colitis suffering hound had used the particular food successfully and I tried it with great results. Rocket has since been diagnosed with some early stage kidney issues, and is doing beautifully on a special kidney diet, ironically also made by Purina. So, never say never when it comes to what you feed your dog. Again, the food that works for them is the best kibble you can feed. Also, Rocket says there are no calories in ice cream or french fries. . edited typo

It's really easy to overfeed since every kibble is different and we routinely get guilted into giving our dogs the "better" food instead of what may actually work for them. When cutting back, I usually cut back by 1/4 cup at a time until I reach what seems to be the best amount for the dog. This process will take several weeks. As others have said, start with the feeding guidelines on the bag and adjust from there. Every kibble is different and between KCal count, fat content, protein etc, it will put weight on your dog differently with each brand. Rocket was about 75 lbs after racing. 9 years later he is 85 lbs and a little overweight, but at 12 going on 13, we tend to let him eat when he wants since he often skips meals as part of his "I'm a senior dog and I will do what I want" campaign. The vet isn't concerned about his weight, but we have adjusted his food down a little in the past few weeks when his vet visit indicated a 2 lb gain since the previous visit. This gain is more from inactivity than food, since it;s now 110 degrees in Phoenix and multiple walks a day aren't feasible again until late November.

Could the hooks be causing several symptoms of PLE? I have a feeling that the vet would need to do some more tests for a complete picture of the intestines before deciding if it's just the hooks or PLE also. Is the protein level dangerously low at this point or just a little low? If just a little low, I think I'd keep monitoring it after deworming treatments to see if it gets better before ordering more tests. If dangerously low, or there's no improvement after deworming then the vet may need to test further and prescribe a course of action to treat that first. This boy is in good hands with you!

I'm very sorry for your loss. Those broodies are put here to steal our hearts. Run pain-free, Bakin.

I'm so sorry. Nixon was one of our favorite hounds here for many years. Run-free, Nixon.

Where in South Florida? I will let Mark (GT Member Beachbum1) know about your post. He can give you the info for the oncology group that he used when Taylor had osteosarcoma. Taylor had wonderful care from an oncology practice that had multiple locations in Florida.

Run-free, Sky.

He's simply still adjusting. His world has been turned upside down I'm assuming that at 10 years old he had another family that he somehow lost before being adopted to you. That's a very hard adjustment. Try leaving a radio or TV on for some background noise, It may make him more comfortable with being alone until he adjusts to his new surroundings and routine. Good luck and thank you for taking in a senior boy.

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

Run free, Calvin.

That's great news about the wound. Sort of goes with the "someone stepped on someone else" theory. Hope your boy comes out of anesthesia shortly and feels better soon.

With blood coming out of his ear, I would ask the vet's opinion based on the trauma they find to the skin. Jagged like a bite or bites occurred, or a split, more like a blunt trauma indicating a fall. Even if it was a scuffle, it could have been one of those where someone stepped on someone and got a reaction. The typical soft muzzles for long snouts are for very short use only, not something that can be left on all day since the dog can't drink with it on. We use one for vet exams or maybe a quick bath, but pretty much nothing else. Sounds like you are actually more in control of the situation than you think you are, as your details are well written and thought out. Might be time for a webcam or a Nest cam monitoring the main area they hang out in during the day so you can see what's going on. Otherwise, crating would be the other option, but not one I would want to go back to either. Good luck.

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

I'm very sorry for your sudden loss. Run-free, Barkley.

Run-free, Selena.

Sounds like you are right to have them follow up on it. Perhaps its too soon to use a brush on it if the dentist decided not to remove it for some reason and it needs to heal?? You'll only know by asking them, so taking him back in is the right thing to do. Feel better soon, Charlie.

A negative fecal only means that particular stool was negative. A dog recently off the track quite possibly has worms, even though she has been dewormed by the adoption group. It sometimes takes multiple tries to get the worms during their hatching cycle. A black stool needs to be taken seriously. I would go ahead and de-worm again even if the test is negative. You may also need a couple weeks of Flagyl (Metronidazole) to help heal the stomach. To start, you might want to fast for a meal or two and then go to a bland diet. Fasting may or may not be needed. There are those here in favor of it, and others who are not. Definitely start a bland diet though. Feed a combination of boiled and rinsed hamburger or chicken along with mushy overcooked rice or pasta until the stools return to normal. You may want to divide this into 4 smaller meals per day instead of 2 large ones to make them easier on the tummy. Some people add oatmeal or other ingredients as well, so you will get several suggestions for bland food. When cooking the chicken or beef, be sure to rinse it after cooking to get all of the grease out of it. Cook the pasta or rice in lots of extra water and make it mushy so it's easier to digest. After a few days you might want to add something like scrambled eggs to give it some variety and more protein. I have also used Evanger's Dog Food, plain canned chicken (no other ingredients in it) for a bland diet. It;s very digestible and requires no cooking. Just add rice or pasta as above. So, get another vet appt ASAP and ask about de-worming and metronidazole, and get the bland diet started. It's not a quick fix, but with a little time and patience your pup should be fine.

Thanks for picking up on the fact that I totally forgot to suggest that, even though I've done the same for Rocket. Glad you thought of it.

The symptoms you're describing could be several things so it's difficult to say. He needs to be checked by a vet for an accurate diagnosis and you want to make sure he doesn't become dehydrated due to this inability to keep water down. Doesn't sound like you need an E-Vet visit, but I would call your vet in the morning and get him in ASAP.

Welcome back. Photobucket is no longer a good option as they want 400 bucks a year to be able to post pictures to third party sites. Flickr or Imgur as well as some others still allow you to post photos to third party sites, they just operate a little differently than Photobucket. The basics are the same here using the image link or BBCode link they provide to you when you store your photos on their sites. YouTube is the easiest option for Videos. Posting the YouTube link in your post will display the video within your post.

As posted above, all of that is pretty normal. You may find he won't want food until the morning. I had to put a leash on Rocket to get him outside after his dental. I asked if he wanted to go outside and he was so confused that he ran into the guest room and peed.

That "deal" is always there. i think we've just gotten used to that as the price and don't really see it as a deal any more. It does make it easy to order I break the tablets into quarters (they are scored) and put them along with a little kibble in Rocket's Kong Wobbler. He gets that around lunch time and eventually will empty the Kong when he is told that he's had all the treats he is going to get for the day.

2nd the Springtime Joint Health but we use the chewables. Rocket thinks they are treats. They also have an Advanced Joint Health (or some similar name) but we found that one upsets his stomach.

Paddy is on our "greyhound refrigerator of fame" (we don't have room for a "wall of fame"). I laugh every morning as i open the refrigerator to that picture of him with his bottle of Paddy Irish Whiskey. That picture sums up everything about that boy that anyone needs to know. I hope you're having a toast to him today with his brand. I hope he and Allie are spinning in circles together up there.