Sundrop

Thanks for all the replies! I realize I am very late here - but we went on vacation not long after posting this (rafting/camping/hiking the Grand Canyon for over a week) and we were totally off-the-grid. Just now getting back to real life...the only good part was seeing the pups again! Oh...and taking a shower! I'm happy to report that Kira is doing much better - apparently, she was on "super-super-duper high alert" in the yard because she was killing chipmunks (we've found two bodies). Cute little critters, but she was getting SO excited at the thought of chasing & killing - we use the muzzle w/ poop guard when we see her getting too agitated now. Also, with her "break from the yard" while boarding, she isn't so vigilant. She loves her walks and we make it a big game - if she pulls, we change direction and happily invite her to come with us, and give lots of praise when she comes to us and walks correctly (thanks, Victoria Stilwell!) - she's walking really great on the leash now. It was funny the other day, we went on a new route and she got so excited that she kept forgetting to pee - she would squat and nothing would come out - and she would just keep looking around. I let her out back when we got home and she went right away. She's just SO excited about everything! She's even pooping on walks (twice in the last few days) - so maybe just being consistent with her and teaching her leash manners, as well as getting her used to certain routes has helped. I've also been teaching her to "wait" at the back door before she bolts out - she kept trying to go out so fast that she'd get stuck in the door because I hadn't opened it enough for her to get through. The pups have to go "down" to get collars/leashes on and "wait" until we release them to go for walks (so they don't bum-rush the door) and it seems to be helping her at the back door, too. She stills hurls herself off the deck and checks her "spots" for critters, but at least I can get the door open now! We just have such an overabundance of chipmunks and bunnies this year, it's crazy.

I'm so very sorry.

Hi all - we adopted our new girl, Kira, a couple weeks ago and so far she is doing fabulously! She's really smart and learned her name, to stay "Out" of the kitchen and "Down" in under a week. We've also worked a lot of her leash training (she had NO leash manners) and I'm proud to say that she's not pulling anymore!. Overall, she's done unbelievably well in just a little more than 2 weeks & we adore her! She has a very high prey drive - very high. On our walks, she is fully alert to everything - birds, squirrels, etc. and we never stop or encourage the behavior, we just keep on walking and ignore it, hoping our lack of excitement will rub off on her. She's okay on walks, and I'm not concerned about that. BUT - when we let her out in the backyard, she is high alert and basically patrols the yard for critters. All of our greys have done this to a certain extent, but Kira is actually ignoring going to the bathroom in lieu of patrolling and looking for animals. We have a decent-sized, fenced-in backyard, which is what she needs, as she will not "go" on leash (she was actually returned from a previous home because of this). Up until a few days ago, she was good about going out and doing her business - but recently, she's found the chipmunks are fun to chase and she is obsessed with finding them. So now, she runs out to the "squirrel" spot and checks for them, then runs along the fence and checks under the shed for anything hiding there (we've had bunnies in the past) and then along the fence again to the corner where she checks for squirrels again. Then she starts all over and does this over & over & over. This morning I put a muzzle w/ poop-guard on her, thinking this might inhibit a little - and no luck. I let her out after breakfast and she immediately started her patrol - I sat outside & watched her for 45 minutes (thought she'd get tired) and she never went to the bathroom. I eventually had to go to work and tried calling her in to no avail - I had to go get her (I had a treat handy in case she came to me so I could reward her for it). Took her on a walk later in the morning and she peed, but no pooping on leash. Any other suggestions to break this obsession? She was outside yesterday afternoon for an hour, my full lunch break, and all she did was patrol. She came inside exhausted. I can't get rid of squirrels, chipmunks or bunnies - and we don't have tons - but we're in an urban area with lots of trees, so we do have critters. It's her yard and I'm happy to let her patrol, I just want her to go to the bathroom, too!

Good news today - we had to take the pups to the vet (we adopted a new sister last Saturday). Finn needed some vaccinations, blood drawn for heart worm check, have his nails clipped and he'd been limping around for a few days - but would give us a low growl each time we tried to check his foot. DH finally was able to take a quick peek two days ago, whilst distributing copious amounts of treats, and saw some blood. We had the vet check his foot, too. We warned the vet and told her about the episode, so they were very calm and gentle with him, talking to him the whole time they worked on him. We asked that he get taken to the back room, as we were not sure if we were the triggers. They said he did great! Vaccinations and blood draw were fine. Pedicure was fine. He apparently had a "little freak-out" when they first picked up his foot to examine it - but they just carried on a little slower and more gently and were able to really take a good look. Turns out, he'd ripped the pad on his foot partly away from his skin AND had an infection. Poor guy! Vet did say he was very nervous, in general, much more so than our past greyhounds. So, we'll work to keep him very calm, talk or sing to him and try to work with him. I was just SO relieved that he didn't go crazy-town on the vet today!

Thanks, all! I put an upside down custard cup in and a little more water - it helped! The good thing is when one finishes, they are not encroaching on the other one at all. The new little one finishes first (she gets a little less than Finn) and she just runs right to the door to go out - she's already learned the routine! She is adjusting really well so far - she's learned the schedule to go out, and is learning breakfast & dinner times. She is really respectful of Finn while he's eating, and he is of her, as well. He scarfs down his lunch treats, and she is a bit more dainty. He just waits patiently for her to finish. I feed them a few feet apart, of course, and I am always there supervising (sitting in a chair between them during all eating events). I'll keep working on the slowing down! Finn was an absolute monster when we brought him home, lol. But once he learned his eating times, he relaxed quite a bit. I am sure she will, too.

I will also check TJ Maxx here, we have one a few miles away - thanks for the tip!

I'm so very sorry for your losses, and that Brendan had a hard time leaving you. We've had to help 3 of our greys cross the bridge - the first in a vet's office, which was a crisis brought on by ineptness at the hospital where she stayed overnight. She was terrified, in pain and fought the first injection, but was unable to stand - the entire experience was horrible, just horrible. The other two we had in-home options and they were much more peaceful. It made it a little easier - at least we knew that they weren't stressed out by a ride to the vet, by the vet, or by the procedure and could pass on their favorite beds, in their favorite spots, at home with mom & dad. The first time at home, he cried out with the first shot - but just at the needle-prick. We had to say goodbye to our sweet Deacon last April, and lost our Tilly 10 months after him this past February. I still miss them both. We had the vet come here, and the crematorium waited outside. They came in and put our babies in a little coffin, allowed us to say goodbye - we put Deacon's favorite toy with him, and Tilly got a little bouquet of early-blooming daffodils I picked from her yard. They took them both out, private cremations, and we got their ashes back the next day. All included, I believe it was about $550.

Hah, some good ideas! We mix fix with warm water - so we can't use the cookie sheet idea. My brother's dog (a lab) actually cracked his tooth on a rock they were using, so I'm leery of that! Our new girl bites the bottom of of the dish, lol. Roo -we actually bought two of those stainless ones you linked to, thinking we could put them inside the raised feeder bowl - but they didn't fit (even the small one). I really love our raised feeder - had it custom made for 3 bowls so the water is between them. It's made of a plastic material so it's easy to clean and it's a really modern, nice design - perfect height for them. It's funny that all the bowls for raised feeders are pretty standard, but none that come pre-made for slow eating?! Maybe I have a million-dollar idea?

Anyone know where I can get standard-size raised feeder, stainless steel bowls that have that donut shape in the middle to help with dogs that eat too fast? I have found only bowls that sit on the ground and none that I could "cheat" with and put in a raised feeder (all too big or too small). I have tried the gobble-stopper plastic piece that suctions to the bottom, but found that it loses suction pretty quick. I have also bought the stainless balls that go into the bowl, but haven't found them as helpful. Finn was a ravenous beast (hah!) when we first adopted him, but over the months, and especially since our Tilly passed away in February, he has slowed down to be a somewhat normal eater. However, with the addition of his little sister this past Saturday - they are both, apparently, in competition to see who can eat the fastest. It is like watching Wild Kingdom! I can get a few more gobble-stoppers knowing they will only suction for a month or two, but just amazed that I've been unable to find raised feeder stainless steel bowls with the raised middle. Certainly someone makes these?

We've had Finn for almost a year and he hates our hardwood floors. We have a large area rug in our main living room, but as soon as he would hit an area without a rug, he would tense up his feet and try to run as fast as he could - which, of course, caused more slipping. We didn't want a lot of runners and small rugs everywhere, either - but we did find a rubber-backed runner to put in the area where he eats (which also leads to the door outside) so he wasn't stressed while eating. He was also refusing to go outside and adding that runner helped with that, too, as I think he was scared of slipping. When our girl developed osteo this past winter, we also put a runner on our tiled floor downstairs that leads outside because we were terrified she would slip. I thought it would only be temporary, but it has given Finn increased confidence on that floor, too - so we kept it. He still will not come to my side of the bed because we have hardwoods in our bedroom and no dog beds on my side - he tries to walk & stand on the beds when he gets up in the morning. He has shown some random fearfulness, as well, especially since we lost our 2nd hound this past February. We always intended on adopting again, and I imagine some of those issues will dissipate - but in the meantime, we are just very gentle with him and never punish. We use A LOT of treats to entice him to do things, which works most of the time. Your pup may very well be better and more confident with another dog in the house. Not sure how much you get out and exercise/socialize - but that might help, as well.

Thanks again, all - racindog, you are absolutely correct - we would want/need our vet practice to help show us how to properly restrain him to avoid injury to any of us or to damage our bond with him. Honestly 98% of the time, this guy is a big, goofy, friendly, loving guy. He adores people - more than any other grey we've owned - he will bounce up to any person he sees - old, young, kids, in a stroller, in a wheelchair, etc. - he just wants pets. I think he'd be a great therapy dog because he just loves people so much and when we've met people out on our walks on bikes, skateboards, wagons, walkers, etc. - he is curious, but not freaked out. We are being extra mellow with him during this time. I am trying to gently touch that leg as much as possible - and today he even let me pick it up to look at it! I did it really quickly and praised him lots, but he didn't seem to mind. We will always take precautions, and we will let our vet staff know of this episode and the need to be calm & cautious always. I think his vaccination & nail appointment in 2 weeks will be a really good test. What are your opinions on us being with him while they are doing these vaccinations, blood draw & nail clipping? We have the option of having it done in the exam room with us, or they can take him to the back room. I wonder if he'd be better without us there, but on the other hand, having us there if he has a relatively decent experience might be good? What do you all think?

Yep, it was me who asked on the site. I have *always* wanted a cow dog - I'm surprised that Olay hasn't been snapped up already, she's been there for awhile? DH is pretty against adopting before our trip, though I hate seeing Finn so sad. Mind if we chat on FB? Would Tracy be another volunteer who might be able to offer more in-depth info? I feel like I am always bugging Kimberly - she is fab, but I know she is SO busy and deals with so much there, would love to have the inside scoop on some of the girls.

I want one now so badly it hurts my heart! But, we are on vacation for a week in a month, and we didn't want to adopt and then have to board a few weeks later when she is only starting to settle in. We have had some hounds who would've been fine with this, but also have had a couple who would've probably had a meltdown and we do not want that. Let me know if you get a girl who has cuddle potential (my girls have both been cuddlers and I miss it so very much). Seriously, if there is one you think is confident enough to get boarded for a week with no issues, I would adopt again next weekend.

I am honestly not sure how we would even be able to restrain him the way he was jumping, lunging and wrestling around. We both tried restraining, with collar and leash and he was jumping - unless we pin him the ground, which I do not want to do with a fearful animal, I am not sure how we would coordinate it. My husband was standing over him, with leash secured to the ground (he was stepping on it) and holding onto the front of his body and he was kicking and jerking his leg away from me. I think we need some training in how it's even physically possible when he is like this. We have had to restrain a previous Grey to cut nails, but he we just scream and try to jerk his feet away - so we held his feet down (eventually we just started taking them to the vet for trims, because we were scared to injure him while he was squirming) - but this reaction was way more than squirming or just pulling away, and not sure how I'd get a gauze pad on him and wrap the leg, as I need two hands to do it. Logistically, I don't see how it's possible without 3 people...gonna call the vet on Monday, too. I am wondering if a mild sedative, or Xanax would be helpful?

Thanks for the continued advice - we always have lots of treats on hand, and I will but some peanut butter for the stool guard on his muzzle (the thought of this cracks me up!). During quiet times, I have been lightly petting his legs and feet to see his reaction - last night I was gently petting the front side of the hurt leg and got no reaction at all. I tried to gently pull the foot up so I could see the wound and his eyes got round and in he glared at me and then growled - so he is definitely protecting the wound. Got zero reaction with his other feet, toes, legs and tried this while standing and lying down. Seems it is less about the area of his body and more about injury guarding. We have had his nails trimmed (at the vet) - I remember they did tell us they had to muzzle him for something, and he has only been to the vet a couple of times, so it must've been for that. I will ask them to muzzle on any procedure - in fact, he is getting his rabies vaccination and heartworm testing, as well as nail trim at the end of the month. I will ask them to be very calm and report back to me on how he handled each procedure to see if it is mainly injury-induced, or anything painful (i.e., shots, blood draws, etc.). What do you all think of the peanut butter trick at the vet? I thought maybe I could slather peanut butter and freeze it, so when we get there it'll be slightly thawed. Or just do the muzzle with nothing and see how he is? Will also work on handling his legs and feet more, maybe even wrapping his legs when nothing is wrong with an Ace wrap just to get him used to it. Thanks again, honestly this has been so helpful. I now know he is just a very perceptive and sensitive guy who is somewhat insecure. Will work on trust building and be extra cautious and calm when dealing with any injury.

Thank you all so very much. He really has had a stressful few weeks, which is why I put an end to trying to treat him. When we both got home, I watched him carefully - no limping, no licking, holding his paw up, etc. He is happy to let me pet him and I gave him a good butt rub, I went down a little further on that leg and no response other than his normal happiness with a bum-scratch. Will keep an eye on him this weekend and he will go to the vet if he needs to. We did notice on a recent vet visit that he freaked out when the vet lifted his foot to look at a little growth he had. She wasn't touching it, just lifted his paw and he was not happy - growled and struggled to get away. She ended up lying on the floor to get a look (she is awesome). He lets us touch his feet though, and doesn't seem to mind - it was just the foot with the growth that bothered him. We definitely wouldn't attempt any of this while he is laying down - we kept him standing, but in addition to the melt-down, he was jerking his leg away and trying to bolt. We have he him almost a year and this is his first injury. He did growl when we would handle the little growth on his foot, I can't remember what the vet called it, but she said it normally wasn't painful. He would let look at it, and I would touch it lightly, as I was trying to desensitize him and we wouldn't growl - but I would literally just pass over it. He is just breaking my heart. I just want him to be healthy and happy and enjoy his retirement. Maybe once we adopt again some of his issues will lessen...

Wanted to add, my husband doesn't think he "bit" him, but rather hit him with his teeth as he was lunging and then tried to get the heck away from him. So in the fight-or-flight, we think he was "flight" and was just scared. He's chillin' now, his old happy self again. On a side note, anyone know a greyhound-savvy behaviorist in the Charlotte area?

I think I've posted more about our current boy than our other 4 greyhounds combined! He's a quirky guy, but we love him dearly and we are super concerned. Tonight before his walk I went out to take out some recycling and he came with and decided to do some zoomies. He was running around the yard, happy as can be. He ran back up the deck to go inside and I noticed he was holding his back paw up - I took a look, and sure enough, he had sliced some skin clear off. It wasn't gushing blood, it was about the size of a small fingernail, maybe a little smaller. We got him inside and my husband ran upstairs to get a non-stick gauze pad, anti-bacterial gel and vet wrap while I got a clean towel wet with warm water - just to hold it on the wound to get the blood and hopefully clean it a bit. When DH came downstairs, he went to put the warm towel on and there was snarling and a bite. It was through a pair of jeans & didn't break the skin (it's bruised now) - but we were just in shock. I suggested we put his muzzle on - which he let us do and we tried to remain calm, though we were both shaken. Each time we got near the leg he lunged, snarled and bit at us. I have to say, I have never experienced dog aggression like this before and I was very nervous - for us and for him. I knew he was hurt, and obviously scared, but it was pretty bad. We eventually gave up because DH was losing his cool. DH went for a run, I went to the gym and we turned the radio on for Finn so he could just relax and be alone. He was happy as can be when we got home. We haven't gone near the wound, just looked at it from afar. It's not bleeding, and it doesn't look bad, just some missing skin - so painful, I am sure - but we've seen nicks like this before. We do, however, want to make sure it stays clean and heals - but I am at a loss. He's our 5th greyhound and we've had injuries much more serious than this with nary a growl. This was full-on biting, lunging, snarling, growling, barking and panic to get away from us - even when we were only touching the other side of his leg (the non-hurt side). What can we do now to help him through this? To show him we don't want to hurt him and to ease his fear? This is so out of character for him, and we've never dealt with this - so I want to make sure we don't screw up and make things worse. Any suggestions?

He seems to be doing better now - we borrowed our neighbor's dog for two days while he was at work, and Finn was very happy she was here. I also took him on a nice ride out - we went through the drive thru and he got part of a yummy biscuit and we went to Home Depot and he got to meet lots of people (he's very outgoing). Not sure if that "re-set" him or the visit from our neighbor - but he seems better now. Thanks for all the tips! He won't be an only dog for much longer.

Great advice here, but I'd also encourage you to enlist the kids you see to "help you train your new greyhound" - that's how we approach it when we see kids out on our walks. We've only had one that truly disliked kids, he just didn't like quick movements, loud noises and the general inconsistencies with kids - but he learned to tolerate them. We do not have kids, and our niece & nephew are both teenagers now - but we do have kids in the neighborhood and we walk our dogs twice a day. We normally see the kids, and then they'll run at us, so we very nicely ask them to slow down or stop, and then we ask, "Maybe you can help us? Our new dog has never met kids before, so he might be a bit scared of you. Maybe you could stand to his side and hold your hand out so he can sniff you? He might not want to be petted, but you'd be doing us a big favor by letting him sniff you so we can see how he'll be!" The kids always seem to love it, and it gives us a nice gauge as to how the pups will be around kids. Our only danger with our current boy is that he'll knock them over trying to get more pets.

Thanks for all the input - we haven't taken him too far away and back again, maybe 30 minutes on walks. I'll take him someplace this afternoon in the car to get away for longer to see if this helps - my neighbor also said we could bring him over there to hang out with his dog, so maybe that will help "re-set" him. They very well could've disturbed a nest of something, as they did work in all of our big, old trees. He was at the vet about a month ago for a check-up, but not so far about the issues he is having now. I wasn't sure if it was behavioral or medical - or both. This morning he has been a little better, only one "frantic" episode where he ran to each window & door that lasted about 5 minutes. Other than that, he's been pretty mellow just sleeping on the floor (between two beds, of course) in my office. Not a super hot day today, so perfect for a ride to go grab some lunch together. Guess he's just a sensitive, perceptive guy. Just want him to be okay.

Our first boy, Keota, was diagnosed with a grade 4 murmur on his first vet visit after we adopted him @ 4.5 years old. We had his teeth cleaned right away, they were really gray & discolored (vet thought it was from early antibiotic use) and he was fine. His murmur got much worse, and oscillated between 5 & 6 (depending on the vet). We took him to NCSU for a complete workup from a cardiologist, because our local vet had him on SO many meds with so many diagnoses: grade VI heart murmur, high blood pressure, enlarged heart, leaky valve (I can't remember everything, honestly). I think that was the only echocardiogram he ever had (I might be forgetting, it was a few years ago) and we did have his teeth cleaned one more time before we lost him @ 8.5 years old to a likely heart attack (died in his sleep) - but he was monitored very closely due to his heart issues. Every vet we ever saw marked his murmur as "severe" - including the cardiologist at NCSU and a local cardiologist we worked with later when they set up shop here. Do you know what grade they are assigning his murmur? It's kind of useless to say it is "more distinct" without giving you an indication of where it was as opposed to now. If we are talking grade 5 or 6, then yeah, I would have the echo and probably an exam from a cardiologist to ensure he doesn't have anything else going on. It really depends on the severity, though. Our girl, Tilly, was diagnosed with a slight murmur years ago - I think they said grade 2 - but never had an echo and had her teeth cleaned twice with no issues at all.

Hi there, nope, no pain meds. He's running around like crazy - to all the windows & doors, so I really don't think it's pain. Will pay attention to that, though, and see if we see any signs of pain. I just opened the windows since it's about 70 here today, and he is frantic again. I stood outside for about 10 minutes just to listen, and I did hear some work being done close by. I got in my car to check it out, and about a mile away, there are some big trucks parked on the side of the rode, on a bridge going over a stream. I am not sure what they are doing, but it's the only "abnormal" sound outside. Not sure if it is work on the bridge, or doing something with the stream. Somewhat abnormal, but not really loud and nothing that is jarring noise, like explosions, pops, cracks or anything. I even have two white noise machines on (I sleep with one due to tinnitus). In the last 5 minutes, he has gone up and down the stairs (we live in a split level house) probably 20 times, standing at the windows and doors (none of those are open) and then running to the next one. Then he comes back to me and stands here, close to my side, then he starts all over again. I've never witnessed anything like it.

Thanks, all. We do have bunnies that occasionally like to camp in our backyard - we have a 6' privacy fence, so nothing else can really get in. Squirrels, maybe a cat or two - but nothing else. He actually saw a bunny a couple weeks back and we watched him - he half-hardheartedly ran after it and then stopped and walked the other way, lol. No new dogs in he neighborhood that I can hear - we do have a few sad "outdoor" dogs (breaks my heart) that bark and whine, but it's actually really quiet these days. The same couple that bark here & there. We've been outside together quite a few times this weekend, but he is also terrified of bees - so as soon as he sees the carpenter bees out back, he wants nothing to do with the great outdoors, haha! I was wondering about the loud, weird noises + the loss of his big sister might've triggered this, as well. We are definitely going to adopt again, but were waiting until after our vacation in mid-May. Didn't want to adopt, try to acclimate and then leave for a week. He doesn't seem to love being an only child, and he was a bit agitated for a week or so after Tilly died - but this episode is much, much worse. Literally, any noise he hears outside - a car down slam, a truck drive by, a dog barking, etc. - he jumps up and runs to the window. I'm trying to keep the TV on (but I work from home, so I can't leave it on all the time because it is too distracting) and I'm not coddling him - I'm just so worried. Our next door neighbor has a dog and they are good friends (not a grey) - I wonder if we should borrow her for a bit and see if it helps. Definitely worth a try! I will also look for the Rescue Remedy - I was going to Whole Foods later this week anyway, I'll just go tonight and see if that might help him get over this. I will also look into the Adaptil collar - never heard of these before!

Last Friday, we had workers here doing some major pruning on our trees. All morning, they were in the front of our house - sawing, pruning, talking loudly, dropping big branches, mulching the limbs they removed, etc., and Finn didn't seem to even notice their presence. By the afternoon, they were in the backyard and for whatever reason, he became very agitated. He was up & down, pacing, panting, nose dripping, etc. He would not sit still - same noises, equipment, workers, etc. - but he somehow got triggered. As soon as they were done, we took him outside and he ran around, sniffed, etc. - but never really calmed down much. We took him on an extended walk, and even took him through the front yard so he could sniff, look around, etc. We thought a longer walk would tire him out, but - he was agitated all night. The problem now is that it is now Monday afternoon and he is STILL agitated. He is pacing, looking around the house frantically, jumping up at any noise, running to the windows to look out, etc. He calmed down last night, and he slept okay, but even as I type this, he is pacing - upstairs, downstairs, back up, going to the windows, etc. He's cries a bit here & there - and he even refused his treats this afternoon (lunch snack). I honestly cannot figure this out. I understand the noises were unfamiliar - but they haven't been here since around 3:00 last Friday. There are just normal noises today (I work from home) - people out mowing, cars driving by, etc. - nothing that he hasn't heard a thousand times before. Weather is normal - sunny day here, no thunder, etc. I'm really getting concerned, as this is really odd behavior that we haven't experienced before. We had one greyhound who had panic attacks during thunderstorms, but 2-3 hours after the last noise, she would calm down. Also had a boy who was afraid of fireworks - but again, he'd calm down soon after they were over. But three days later and Finn is on full alert - pacing, panting, nose dripping, crying - and will not settle down. Anyone experienced this before? He's never been a particularly nervous dog, and we've had him for a year and he's never acted like this. We did lose our other grey back on February 5, but that's over two months ago. I'm just very confused and very concerned for him.