Echobelly1

Just got back from the vet, Gila has those exact scabs on her back, mostly along her spine. He also diagnosed them as a bacterial skin infection and sent me home with antibiotics and medicated shampoo. They started about a month ago, with what looked like some sap on her fur, then the fur would drop off and leave a red welt that would crust over. It started out she'd get a new one in week or so, but now more frequently, and today when I got home from work she had quite a few more, and they had spread down her sides. I panicked, called the vet and he had me bring her right in. My fears were that they might be some sort of cancer. I'm relieved it's not, but can't figure out what might have triggered it. She doesn't itch at all, but the vet insisted she must be very uncomfortable. He also said not to let them scab over, that the bacteria thrives under the scabs.

@XTRAWLD- We do use a detergent for sensitive skin. Both detergent and softener are labeled "free and clear" of perfumes. I will try the vinegar rinse, it will just take time to see if it's actually having any effect, like I said sometimes it's a couple months before another accident. We always hope she's "outgrown" the incontinence, then it happens again, always after washing the bedding.

@Time4ANap- But doesn't dog urine contain ammonia? I'm not up on my chemistry but I vaguely remember you shouldn't use it to clean up accidents as it smells similar.

Thanks all! I'll try a white vinegar rinse, can't hurt. The fabric softener we use is scent free (Downy free and clear), I don't like my clothes and bedding perfumed. I don't smell anything, but since a dogs nose is so much more sensitive, it may be nauseating for her.

@xtrawld- It's sporadic, sometimes it happens overnight, sometimes in the middle of the day. It also has happened shortly after coming in from the yard, so I don't think it has to do with her needing to go. The vet did suggest spayed female incontinence but didn't want to prescribe anything because it happened fairly rarely and the medication can have side effects. She suggested we try to find a cause and effect, such as stress, etc. Clean bedding seems to be the cause. We'll try a vinegar rinse, can't hurt!

We've had 6 year oldGila about 2 years. Occasionally she wets her bed, doesn't scoot down on it, just as she's lying there, we'll notice a large wet spot under her and urine dripping out. When we first got her, we assumed UTI, and had her tested a number of times, always negative. Sometimes she'll go months without an accident, and then have a couple in a month. We've been racking our brains to find some trigger, and have pretty much confirmed that it only happens on a clean freshly washed bed (nothing more frustrating than changing their bedding only to have it soiled almost immediately). My wife is wondering if it's something in the fabric softener that is causing it, maybe the dog is trying to mask the scent. The dogs do swap beds for the most part, I don't think she's trying to claim it as hers. It doesn't happen every time (luckily), either. All the dog beds are covered in plastic bags before the fabric covers are put on so the foam doesn't get wet if she has an accident, we got tired of replacing beds. Has anyone heard of this or can think of an explanation? I know fabric softeners have anti-bacterial properties, I'm a little worried the beds will quickly smell funky without the softener (we read not to use it on bath towels so they'd be more absorbent, and after two uses they smelled rancid). Not washing the dog's bedding isn't an option.

@JohnF- Thank you, learned a new word (crepuscular)! It makes sense, that's when my two are most active in the yard, I always thought it was because they had just had their meal.

I realize it's normal dog behavior, I just thought it was odd he never did it till the day we picked him up from doggy daycare. He had been there a number of times before, I guess there was one dog that really impressed him!

Our 4 year old male recently picked up the habit of kicking back the dirt after he pees and poops. We've had him 2 years and he only started doing this after staying at doggie day care for a few days while we were away. I guess he got in with the wrong crowd (at least he's not smoking!). Is there a way to train him to stop doing this? I know it has a lot to do with instinct and spreading his scent, but it's really unpleasant when you're walking him on leash and have to pick up after him and he turns and kicks dirt in your face. We quickly scold "NO", but he doesn't seem to get it.

A few years ago, one of our greyts developed LSS, to the point where she could hardly walk. I found this article: http://www.greyhound-data.com/dir/397/Lumbosacral_Stenosis.pdf I printed it out and brought it to my vet. She agreed to give a depo injection, even though she wasn't familiar with this treatment. She said the dosage was low, she'd given more to a cat. Three hours after the injection the dog was running around the yard. It lasted about 6 months. Each injection was slightly less effective, but we were able to keep the dog pain-free for about a year. I recommend this treatment to anyone, it doesn't do any harm and is relatively cheap.

@Batmom- Thanks for that link! I've been doing my research, but hadn't come across that one. It re-iterates everything my vet explained. This sentence convinced me to go with the fast kill: Although the “slow-kill” method should be avoided, if it is the only medically acceptable option, microfilariae should be eliminated prior to exposure to preventive doses of macrocyclic lactones.

@DofSweetPotatos- Thanks, I'll look into it, we did buy it through the vet. The problem is, we just moved to another city so no longer use that vet. This was the first visit with our new vet. Luckily I'm feeling confident with our new vet, every dog owner we've met swears by her. We were lucky she was taking new patients.

@ 2greyhoundMINI- I asked the vet how she could get heart worm even though she's gotten the meds religiously. She said she doesn't recommend Revolution because it's a topical that's absorbed through the skin, and dogs skin can absorb differently. She prefers oral meds. I've also seen some articles on-line suggesting heart worms may be developing a resistance to the drugs.

Unfortunately, Gila's second heart worm test came out positive. The vet recommends the fast kill method, she feels it's more effective than the slow kill, and she'll be hospitalized for two days so they can watch her for complications. She said the slow kill is popular with rescue groups because it is much cheaper and they don't have the resources for the fast kill. Gila starts a course of doxycycline first before they start the heart worm injections. Poor girl.

Our greyt popped about 3 or 4 stitches last summer. The vet said just to let them heal on their own. He even said to let the dog lick them to keep it clean. I was surprised, but they healed fine, just took a little longer than the stitched area.

Thanks for your advice! The vet said she didn't want to discuss treatment options until she does another test. I just want to go to her office prepared with questions in case this tests shows positive, too. Some of the articles on-line were really scaring me, but again, most of them were older, when arsenic was part of the treatment. If it comes to it, it won't be difficult keeping Gila quiet, her favorite place is still a dark corner of the bedroom.

Our 4 year old Gila's heart worm test just came back positive. The vet did a snap test, and I'm bringing her back tomorrow to do another test (this time on an empty stomach). She's been on Revolution monthly for the two years we've had her, and her test last year came back negative. I was just wondering if anyone here has dealt with the treatment for heart worm in a greyt. I'm concerned as she has so little body fat, and what I've read about the treatment sounds almost as bad as the parasite. She's just starting to come out of her shell, and I'm afraid this will set her back. Of course, if she does have heart worm, we don't have a choice.

Showing much improvement! As soon as he starts barking and getting over-excited, I use the "down" command, he goes and lies down and gets loads of praise. It's me that needs the training!

You're right, I've got to up my training with him. I've been doing all the above, just not consistently. A large dog jumping and barking at you in a small house sometimes tries my patience, even if he is jumping for joy! He was especially wild yesterday, which I chalk up to a break in routine (wife had the day off), cooler weather (in the mid-70's!), and a Christmas "dog treat" that turned out to be loaded with sugar. Have a safe and happy Holiday everyone! Treats all around!

Our 4 year old male, Hadji, has recently taken to barking, jumping, and snapping at us when he's excited because he thinks he's going for a walk (sometimes he is, sometimes he isn't). We've tried freezing, but that makes him try harder. We make him lie down, but as soon as he settled and we make a slight move, he's up and at it again. Lately as soon as he starts, I put him outside, where at least I don't have to listen to him, and hope he catches on that barking means being put out by yourself (not his favorite thing). As soon as I let him back in, he starts barking again. What should I be doing to break this behavior?

I haven't noticed that Gila drinks an inordinate amount of water, certainly not as much as her brother. She's also much less active. Nothing out of the ordinary seems to be going on. She's always good about letting us know when she needs to go out. I agree that she's licking to try to keep clean, I was just surprised that she would drink her own urine. It just seems to drip out slowly, not like she can't hold it and has an accident.

Our 4 year old female, Gila, may be suffering from urinary incontinence, I'm not sure. Occasionally, maybe a couple times a month we've noticed her licking her privates for quite a while, and notice a large wet spot on her bed. At first we thought the wet spot was from all the licking, but I made her get up once, and she was definitely dripping. I posted here, and was told she probably had a UTI, so the next morning we were off to the vet. No UTI. The odd thing is, it doesn't smell like urine, it's completely clear with no odor. I didn't think a dog would drink their own urine, either. Neither she nor her brother seem to mind sleeping on the wet spot till I get the dog laundry done (again). In the past, none of my dogs would go near a urine stained bed. The most recent time it happened, she got sick and was throwing up that night and the next morning. Can urine ingestion do that? We couldn't think of anything else different in her diet. I've noticed Proin being recommended for urinary incontinence, but the side effects seem worse than the problem. She doesn't really seem uncomfortable, and it happens so rarely I really don't want to medicate her. Any suggestions and advice would be appreciated!

We had a similar situation with our Gila recently, a tear in the skin on her front paw a couple of inches long. We rushed her to the vet, who, to our amazement, suggested we just let it be. I argued that she would keep licking it and make it worse, he said that was unlikely, she'll actually keep it clean. It's the bandages that the dog will try to get off. I suggested stitches or staples, he said no, the skin was pretty thin there, and they probably wouldn't hold, and the dog would try to pull them out. He explained that the new feeling among many vets, is let the dog take care of it, and everyone will be better off. We left the office with just a shot of antibiotics. He was right, Gila licked it occasionally, but not obsessively, and the would healed very quickly.

Gila does this, and she sometimes whines when she lies down. I can't tell if it hurts or not. She did break a rear leg at the track and needed it re-set, so it's possible.

I used to give frozen marrow bones regularly, they were a great treat on the hot nights we have here (Southern FL) and kept him occupied for a while. I heard they were good for keeping the teeth clean, that's always a plus. Then I noticed Ali had broken off a canine tooth chewing the bone. No more bones for my dogs.