claudiav

"pretty much all greyhounds suffer from separation anxiety and it is rare to find one that didn’t" This comment is so wrong! Where do they get their dogs? That is just weird... I have a problem with groups that place SA dogs with first time adopters... does your local group have a kennel full of dogs, or do they foster them before adoption? I would ask that they NOT give you a dog that hasn't been fostered, if this is your first time. Your first experience with an adopted greyhound should NOT be with an SA dog. In addition, the group should evaluate their dogs well enough to know what is truly an SA dog, or just one that is low confidence, spook, doesn't like being alone, etc... If they don't foster the dogs before adopting, I would research and find another group in your state that DOES foster, and can place a houndie that has been correctly evaluated, that does not have SA, that doesn't mind being an only dog, and that does fine being alone for long stretches of time. There are plenty of confident dogs out there that can handle all that. They should be most concerned with placing the RIGHT dog with a first time adopter, not any dog they get, not even knowing it's true personality. In my opinion, you should not crate a greyhound for 8-9 hours straight, if that is how long you are away for work. Dog should be walked long enough in the morning to empty their bowels, and can be alone while you're at work, but i don't think they should be confined to the crate that entire time.. they should at least be free to move around, even if confined to one room. Good luck, and please let us know what happens.

Reese is my protector too... though he hasn't received the memo that Momma is a pretty tough lady who can handle herself quite well, and most people better watch out for HER bark Love those BIG BOYS that love so fully with their hearts

Hi Amy! Welcome! Where did you get Magic? I adopted 3 of my 4 houndies from Greyhound Angels in Millville... LOVED them!

i used a Halti head collar on my german shephard for 12 yrs, because he was overly protective of me and would lunge at anyone within 50 feet of me. he did very well with it his whole life. I used the Halti head collar on my boy greyhound b/c he hates non-greyhounds, and in the heat of the moment, while thrashing about like a bucking bronco, he would bite me or my girl greyhound. the head collar did not stop him from acting like a lunatic, i think it actually caused a serious neck injury from my misusing it, or being too rough in pulling his head away from the target. I stopped using it, and had him on anti inflammatories and pain killers for about three months for the neck injury. Thankfully, he fully recovered, and we are now using the No Pull Harness. Everyone here swears by it, but i don't see any difference in him, using this harness, vs his old regular harness... the main difference has been in trying to redirect his attention BEFORE he sees another dog and goes bananas... try the No Pull Harness. it may work for you. But also, you need to stop and turn around when he starts acting up. Get him to calm down, and then go back to walking. He may be too amped up and need to calm down. My grey doesn't take treats outside either. Keep the leash short and next to you. Don't let him get ahead and pull.

going out with another grey is wonderful! it will help a lot in his confidence... now you just need to train him to do his business when outside... do not let it become a habit that he does his business in the house... take him out first thing when you wake up... then feed breakfast and take him out again, for at least a half hour... he should eliminate during the second walkie, if he didn't eliminate on the first one when waking up... he needs to learn this routine... good luck!

OMG!! how cruel... i can't believe a vet agreed to do that to this poor soul... i am so sad for him...

loved and shared this story... how fantastic!!!

that's the other thing... the free insurance you get thru shelter or adoption group is garbage. my adoption group sent my pups home with free insurance, but i never considered it, because i know it's useless. i put them on my own insurance right away, a carrier that has insured my other pets and i know they are reliable and trustworthy. FREE insurance is not real insurance.

"He was what burned us on pet insurance, as he had it and they declared the whole thing a "prior issue" and wouldn't pay for any of it. So it's definitely worth asking around and finding a company that doesn't just say everything is pre-existing." The key with pet insurance is that the animal is insured from DAY 1 of adoption, and hopefully avoid any vet visits in in the first 14 days of coverage. When you insure a pet you've owned prior to getting insurance, they will require all vet records and everything the pet has been seen for prior to insurance, becomes part of the record as pre-existing condition. That's why it doesn't pay to wait until something happens to get pet insurance, or to switch insurance carriers during the life of the pet. Get the pet insured from the day of adoption, try to wait at least 2 weeks for the first vet visit, and keep the pet insured with same carrier for the duration of its life. Pet insurance is the single best investment i have made with all my pets, but especially "sensitive, thin-skinned" greyhounds. It has paid for itself ten-fold, every single year.

I'm glad to hear that... we just started Adequan shots Friday... my vet said it has a tremendous effect on her severely arthritic dog... like night and day... it helped A LOT!!! She taught me how to give the shot subcutaneously, so i can give them to her at home... the next day, she was feeling so much better!!! my girl was barking at me to go for walkies, to feed her... she was coming up to us for affection... things that she was having a hard time with beforehand... give it a try and let us know...

i bought these for front door and different length hallways... they don't slip... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005CP2RW2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

my 12.5 y/o girl is having a hard time as well... She has had increasing LS pain and we recently doubled her Gabapentin to help with the scuffing (walking on the upside of the paw, instead of righting it)... we also started cold laser and acupuncture treatments, in addition to twice weekly Adequan shots... I emailed her the article you enclosed and asked her if she thought Depo-Medrol would be better than Adequan. Here is her repsonse, although it is directly in reference to my girl: "I am SO glad that she is doing better!! I would not recommend DepoMedrol- it is a heavy duty steroid that has cartilage-destructive effects and should only be considered as a salvage last-ditch effort to buy comfort. It can also have GI side effects which would be my main concern w Leyla considering how sensitive her gut is. The Adequan is much better as it has vertebral and hip joint lubricating effects." If you've already tried the cold laser, acupuncture, Gabapentin & Tramadol, and Adequan shots, and if they have all helped as much as they can help Luke, I would try Depo-Medrol... but i didn't know that some vets refuse to give it, and i don't have a clue why... hope you can find some comfort for Luke still...

I hope Arhcer settles down with time... my boy is NUTS about non-greys, squirrels, and bunnies... he does the "bucking bronco" as well and even bites me, or my girl, out of sheer excitement/adrenaline... i used a head collar for a while, but he was still uncontrollable, and hurt his neck that way... it took several months of Gabapentin & Tramadol, and harness walking, to heal... now i just tug on his permanent id collar, when i see him alerting, even before i see what has his attention... if i catch him BEFORE he goes berserk, i can stop him in his tracks... otherwise, i stop, stand in front of him and block all sight to whatever has his attention, until it passes... he was a chow hound when he first came home with me, but now, two yrs later, he is no longer motivated by food, and outdoors, especially, no treat will draw his attention away from those infidel doggies/squirrels/bunnies... so i block him, distract him, change route... and because i'm afraid of reinjuring his neck, he always wears a harness, though i am not a fan of them... can't wait to hear about Archer's adventures and see his pictures/videos.... he is absolutely stunning!!!! enjoy him... i'm so glad you could not pass the opportunity to give him a home... i was worried you would not get another houndie after loosing Hester... he was a magnificent pup, but i'm sure he would have wanted you to give another pup a wonderful home and life...

oohhhhh..... he's a heartbreaker!! look forward to many adventures with Archer...

i had Remy's corn surgically removed, and although i cannot remember how long it took to heal, i remember very well that it did nothing to keep the corn from coming back... i learned how to hull them as i was not inclined to keep paying $75/corn to have vet remove them every 4 weeks... nothing worked to stop them from coming back...

i'm so sorry Mover is so scared... I would hate to give up the kitten i rescued... i hope he gets over it in time... my pup has been afraid and hiding out in the bedroom for some time... i try to coax him out but he just doesn't want to come out... other times, he comes out and something in the living room will scare him and he goes back to the bedroom again... i don't know what's got him spooked... i am being patient and hoping he'll get back to his happy-go-lucky self... keeping the stress down... i hope Mover gets over his fear too... it's sad to watch and not be able to comfort them...

must also be a helicopter parent who doesn't believe a kid should be reprimanded EVER... those kids turn out brilliant!

all my pups (and cat) know I'm the leader, and not thru fear... to me, it's not about negative or positive reinforcement... it's about respecting the leader of the pack... and not thru violence, just telling them that behavior is not allowed... that's all... when i say "HEY!" they drop whatever they're doing and look to me...

if you get a younger pup, he/she might liven up Auggie. Take Auggie to meet the possible addition and see how they interact together. I brought my first grey to the kennel to pick out his new sibling, but he was so happy-go-lucky, that he loved every one of them... so the one that came home with us was the one that chose me... most recently, i adopted a 4 yr old, who just wanted to play and play all day... but my 12 yr old girl is not exactly his playmate... so he plays and runs around the yard by himself... but when i had playdates with other young pups he was in heaven to be able to play with them... if you have the ability to adopt another, i say DO IT!!!!

my Reese does this too, during sleep.... he's dreaming... i let him dream... he stops eventually...

mine do that with something they don't want anymore... whether it's burying it or pushing it away, that's what they do with their snout when they don't want it anymore...

My boy does not like NONgreyhounds and will try to attack any and all dogs we see on our walks. Trainer said he is protecting me, because when someone else is walking him, he doesn't do this. In his excitement, he always tries to bit me, but i have learned to keep my arm fully stretched out to the side, so he won't make contact... this after 3 painful bites on my thighs and butt, and black and blues for good...

OMG!! that's almost a complete split, upside down! you go Taylor! and i agree 110% on pet insurance.... every one of my dogs has had, and will always have pet insurance... my cat didn't need it for 14 yrs... now, he needs it, but it's too late... so i've already spent over $1,500 out of pocket....

might have to get the XL dog door for giant breeds... that way, it's low enough for the dwarfs, and tall enough for the giant that's what i have... a human can easily get thru our dog door, but someone would have to know about it to come in that way... i didn't want too high a rise b/c i had a sick senior grey at the time, and i didn't want him to get scared by the rise, or to hurt himself trying to hunch down to squeeze out... we also built a deck on the outside, to make sure they have enough room when they get out the door, before going down the ramp (replaced stairs for same senior houndie)...

that brought tears to my eyes... happy tears... i can't believe the improvement!!!