cleptogrey

sounds kosher to me. my initial thought when i ordered was that merial is a huge company and has plants all over the world. quality control must be the same internationally for a company that large. then....someone told me that there were fakes..... did some research on fakes and what came up was the package that is on a couple of australian sites(merial as well as petshed ect). but the info found was NOT by merial itself! so, thank you for the prompt responses. i have saved a bundle btw here is what the package looks like, http://au.merial.com/products/dogs_frontline_plus.asp different than the package on deadfleaz or petshed's site. (just went there and compared). i'm just a parinoid person

have you tried to wash the bed, take the cover off and bring it to a commercial laundromat? i did that w/ my flat costco bed, someone told me they can be washed. saved my self a bunch, it's as good as new.

i ordered frontline plus from canadian pharmamcy. i have used canadian pharms in the past, that's how i managed to keep my addisonian scottie alive. floreniff was less that 1/3 the price! so, my order came, it's from australia!! the au merial website has the same tel# as the box, yet i couldn't get thru.(when i tried to skype they said it's a cell phone ) the pic on the package matches the au site as well. so, do have any of you used this? i know merial is an internation co and there are manufacturers world wide, some one had mentioned that there are fakes out there. any words of wisdom? i would think that a pharmacy on the internet (whose creditials checked out, no complaints filed) would be legit???? (the pharmacy does have a published return policy) keep it or return it????

they love the taste of hydrocort/aloe. i use massive ammounts, costco sells it really cheap. i've seen no ill effects over the 10+ years that i have applied it to a dog.

i start w/ heavier treats that they can catch and work my way thru everything, popcorn is a real feat, the timing has to be precise on their part. but make sure your dog can target/ focus and look at you first, that's always a good first step.

well said! my male has sleep agression issues. even when he was crated at night he would start going crazy in his sleep when the dog next to him moved. why corral the bed in a x-pen? why don't you put his dog bed in a crate and protect everyone? my female shows signs of sleep agression as she isn't allowed up on the couch at night since when she is alseep and someone even turns the page of a newspaper she snaps in her sleep. she is happy on her bed next to the couch. he is happy sleeping away from everything! i do anything to avoid dog bites/fights! my dogs are the variety who prefer to sleep in their crates.

with emily who had oseto in her shoulder the very first sign was a whince at grooming the spring before she died. yet she showed no signs of limping what so ever until 6 weeks before her death. she did slow down on running,but she was 8 years old. but she hiked, walked and did the usual until my birthday oct. 29th. then she had a good hard run w/ my other grey and a lab and developed a limp. w/ a history of lyme we first treated for that, but she was in too much pain new year's eve and jan 2nd we had to let her go. she was finally xrayed on dec.17th,(a series of broken xray machines delayed the xray). strange how one remembers all the details of loosing a beloved member of the family.

when felix had giardia my vet used Metronidazole and it did take a couple of rounds to clear it up. same symptoms and the poor pup( he was only 6 months old) had the loud gurgeling, runny stool and cramps and was not able to eat. boiled beef and rice were what he lived on for quite some time until his gut settled down. then i sloooooooooooooowly introduced kibble. have you started giving your dog a non-kibble diet? if not, buy a rice cooker, cheap white rice and let that magic appliance do it's thing! it's a dog owner's best friend in the kitchen. also, he was on and off of it for a good 3 months, he would clear up and then start all over again. it took a while, but i trust my vet of 30+ years.

that's why it never phased emily, after 168 weigh-ins, she probably thought "what took them so long?"

emily used to sleep on the scale while the other dog was being tended to at the vet. but emily was as mellow as can be and NOTHING ever phased her. her attitude was, "been there, done that"

if you foster the pup all your questions will be answered. do they get along?- enough time for things to work out do you want another dog? do you feel comfortable in that situation? is it too much work? only time will tell..... remember you are not signing adoption papers, only fostering.

doggy day care??? that could be a nightmare for her. it sounds as if she is freightened and using her defences and is reactive. i delt w/ a leash reactive welsh terrier, who became agressive after a neighbor's pit bull came barreling into my driveway where i was working w/ willie. willie chased the dog back to it's yard, gave it a good nip, he might have been bitten but with the thick coat he constantly grew it was truely a coat of armor. after that willie freaked out at any dog we saw on our walks. so off to obedience again, this time he was 9 years old and i jokingly called it reform school. the trainer who i knew had him in an intermediate class, since he was basically really well trained just scared to death and showed it via agression. down stays next to big dogs, dogs circling around his on sit or down stays, walking past and thru any and everything and learning to trust the other end of the leash. when he was first being reconditioned he did a down stay when a dog approached. he focused on me and if i remember the treats, he was rewarded. 98% of the reward was verbal. a good trainer has lots of tricks up their sleeve and a controlled environment w/ well behaved dogs can help with the reconditioning. willie lived to 14, the training worked for everything but goldens...go know but he returned back to himself and welcomed our first grey into the house at age 11.

that's a huge class. can you get an assistant or 2? i have taught for 35+ years as a visiting artist. most of them were specialty art classes where i had to deal w/ 30 kids in a class. the most successful were with teams and assistants. i made teams of 4, well balanced spreading the talent out and pairing the underdog up w/ kind sharing piers. i don't know if you can balance the groups as evenly, i had 20+ sessions w/ each class and really got to know the students well. i shuffled children around as needed and directed assistants around as well. can the teams write up assesments while the other members are working? it's more work for you providing an assesment guid line or a check list looking for clues, behaviors and responses, but that will fill the student's down time. also one can be taking pictures, visual assesment while a handler is working the dog. i have noticed in training classes over the years that it's usually the handler who DOESN'T get it, not the dog. it really sounds like way too many people. maybe cut the class time in 1/2 and have section a, section b w/ less time, smaller groups and in the end the students will really have more time since they won't have as much down time. people get bored just like dog, but they don't have the interesting smells to keep their minds occupied.

excellent advice. i immediatly thought,"this dog needs to get a job". obedience training will help the 2 of you really bond and give her some work. remember, even though greyhounds do not fit into the working dog class, they worked for a living. training, track, routine at the kennel were all part of their job description! once you bond and she opens up thru training try to see if she sparks up a little doing meet and greets and possibly therapy dog certification. There's an email that's floated around with the following description of girl hounds vs boy hounds which seems to very much reflect my personal experience: Boys: "I'm relentless in my need and desire to be in your face, on you, over you, under your feet, behind you, in front of you, next to you. You adopted me and now you will have no rest from me, ever. I may just lift my leg on everything you touch, in tribute to you, every time I think you are looking at some other dog. If you'd let me, I'd probably nurse. I will be a perpetually needy child, demanding attention, affection, and constant affirmation, no matter how old either one of us gets." *High maintenance.* Girls: "Thanks for liberating me. You go ahead and do your alpha thing, but let's just be equals in the ways that really count. Show me the ropes and I'll settle right in. Who are the players? Where's my spot? What stuff is mine? What time's dinner? Here's the rules: 1. If you wanted a clown, you should have adopted from the circus. 2. I ain't a blonde. 3. Talk to the butt, the face ain't listenin'. 4. I can out-pee almost any dog on the planet in my quest to pee last. 5. I won't lick you if you don't lick me. 6. I'll always be close by, but call me. We'll have lunch if we're both free." *Low maintenance* well said!!! i have told people who i have met who want a greyhound that the males and females are really 2 different breeds! yes, the boyz eternal babies, girlz- all business and they will make sure they get what they need!

congrats! my adoption rep likes to send a dog home near a weekend so the new dog and owners can get acquainted. my first grey came on a wednesday since i work part time and it was just fine. remember they are used to their crates and feel safe and secure in them. place your crate in the common space where your and your husband relax so your pup will get used to tv,radio and what ever. it's good to have the bed for your new pup as well. it's great that your schedules are flexable, but remember all of you need to learn to live with and with out each other. so, if you could work 1/2 days that will most likely be even more effective.throw a couple of 3/4-full days in here and there). i am sure you will want to get home a.s.a.p. to check and see how pup is doing, but don't hover. (i have never taken any time off for anything except the birth of my daughter and some major surgery. it just isn't necessary.) it's not like a new baby, even though the pup will be getting up kennel time, at an ungodly hr. so be prepared for early mornings. lee livingwood's book, greyhound for dummies and cynthia brennegan(sp?) book- my first greyhound ate it...are good starts. talk to your adoption rep and stay in touch with the group. there are lots of dog training/ownership books out there. even though you won't have a pup, go to the book store and thumb thru some dog ownership books.there is lots of info on bring home greyhounds on the internet as well. it won't hurt to give a look. good luck

opps...sorry

felix came to me pristine, not a scratch, ding, dent...he was hand raised. as he learned to run and pick up speed (even w/ short nails) he began getting c shaped scabs/now scars on the knee portion of his hind leg- that's where the scars are right??? it's as everyone said, DEWCLAWS. he burns up calories galore when running, i add rice or a baked potato to his food. last fall i was totally embarassed, his true foster mom (who raised him starting at 5 days)saw him after a week of running at the beach. skin and bones and muscles and he was chowing down big time.with in 2 weeks at our next meeting w/ foster mom felix was almost back to his usual sleek build. they gain and loose weight easily, i personally perfer a thinner dog- so does my vet.

ditto, a complaint w/ a compliment included works wonders.

emily used to catch doves in our yard, the only clue i had was a circle of feathers( )- it looked like a satanic ritual felix caught his first bird at 9 weeks. i was trying to figure out what kind of toy he was running around w/ a grayish brown thing w/ a red end- he ate the head the annie attack: plucks them clean and leaves me bodies scattered around the yard. she also zapped on while being boarded, a red ecluctus parrot i am waiting to find a dead squirrel, but we seem to have some pretty clever and nible squirrels they still are jumping from tree to tree!

am i the only person who does not sleep w/ their dogs? sounds like at least one of them will share your bed. give it a try and just remember to talk to your parents, they are human and will help you figure things out if you ask(speaking as a parent of a daughter w/ a dog- who will be staying here for a month and a half).

felix can be a royal pain in bed. this winter was hell, he was cold even w/ a coat and blankets and he learned how to open the gate to the bedrooms. yes, we are gated in! there is a hallway and 2 steps leading up to the living/dining room where the dog beds are located. we could not keep him out of bed and i refuse to sleep w/ the door closed.so i ended up setting up the crate again( and putting a dog bed and 3 blankets in it. covered it w/ a wool blanket and kept him crated w/ a down vet on to make sure he was warm. it was a couple of nights of moaning(he is pretty verbal) and he "got it".after 2 months of crating and he is able to hang on one of the dog beds in the living room and we changed the latch on the gate.felix was crying at the gate when we first changed the latch and still hadn't set up the crate. when we do let felix in bed(in the morning)it's 77lbs of dead weight on top of me and he refuses to move. so, i would say 2 or 3 nights and have a plant spray at your side, just incase.

You may not have changed the food, but that doesn't mean Canidae didn't. They can change the food 30% and not have disclose it. If they make a "major" change they have six months to change the bags. They reformulated their food several years ago and did no advertising to let people know. People noticed when their dogs got diarrhea. They lost a lot of business. Your dogs may have picked up worms or giardia when they were out and about too. i agree, sound logical to me. so, what's wrong w/ rice???? also, just talk to your vet he might have a few tricks up his sleeve.

see your vet.

i would try rice and 25% either chopped meat or ground turkey or ground chicken for a week and see if things settle down. my dogs can not tolerate any of the fish based foods, but you said he has been on it for a while. it's possible that he needs a round of flagyl to clear things up. how are his stools? that wasn't mentioned. i would also add probiotics and digestive enzymes to his rice and meat, it can't hurt. forti-flora is excellent, but i have also had success w/ probiotics from the vitamin shoppe. cut out anything except the rice and one souce of protien and see if things clear up, then very slowly add food. if he is still gassy w/ plain rice then call your vet.

felix is a talker as well and VERY OUTGOING. the yodell helloooooo and occasional festive talking is o.k. but the annoying let me in, let me out, play w/ me, can't get the toy....and so on had to be controlled. from the initial post the other talking hound does not sound like a case of s.a. i would never mention a shaker can for a timid or anxious dog.