Sundrop

Teehee! That one is great!! We normally just ask them if they "need to go outside?" and once out if they are dawdling, we say, "Go potty!" - we normally say "Go potty" while they are "going" on walks, and we reinforce when we see it outside. They seem to get it.

Also remember he is new, and likely anxious about this new chapter in his life. He doesn't know you, or what you expect of him and he's been taken away from the only life he's ever known! Having said that, I have found that letting our hounds out on a schedule works great. We are on hound #5 and we've always let them out at specific times during the day - in the morning after they eat, and about an hour later they get a walk - at lunch after their treat - after dinner - and then about an hour after dinner another walk - and finally, right before bed. We've had minimal problems with house-training - a few accidents here and there, or over-zealous marking by our newly-neutered males, but really only in the first week or so. Once they settle in and learn the schedule, we never have issues unless one is ill or something is wrong. We have also learned that every once in a while they need to go out "off the schedule" and the biggest cue is they will pace, normally near the door to go out. You'll learn your guy's signs, but I'd encourage you to set up a schedule and stick to it as much as possible. Giving him some routine will help him settle in. Already lots of advice about the food, but I wouldn't put too many mix-ins right now until you know how he'll react just to the food. We've made the mistake of adding too many "other things" too quickly (pumpkin, yogurt, Olewo carrots, plus new lunch-time treats and bed-time treats and treats for training, etc.) - it makes it difficult to pinpoint what he is reacting to with so much going on. I like to stabilize them on their food and one kind of treat (we treat at lunch & bedtime) and once we know they are okay, we can start the other things. Just what we do and has worked for all the houndies so far. Good luck!

We lost our Tilly (Tangerine Roll) @ 8.5 years old earlier this year to an extremely aggressive osteosarcoma. Her sire was Dodgem by Design, her grand-sire was Gable Dodge and her great grand-sire was Wigwam Wag. We've lost two other greyhounds to cancer (not osteo) and neither had any of these 3 in their lines. Our current boy's great grand-sire is HB's Commander. Crossing my fingers he makes it to a ripe old age!

I know I am a little late to this thread, but I read every post, hoping that River would be okay. I am so very sorry for your loss. We lost our girl two months ago to osteo and still haven't recovered enough to adopt again, so our boy is an only child. I literally just got on the floor to snuggle and tell him I love him. His 4th birthday is next month...I cannot imagine losing one so young. River was a lucky boy to have guardians who loved him so much. Godspeed, sweet River.

Yeah, we've had a couple bee hunters, too! It's pretty bad, as I just let him out after dinner (he hasn't gone out since 8:00 am) and he wouldn't go. I put his collar on and gently brought him out, basically dragged him. But he refuses to leave the deck. He is just standing at the door...and the bees aren't even out right now! They sleep pretty early, so nothing flying around at all except the birds. I walked around the yard a bit, but he is having none of it. All I can do is leave him out there until he goes. I just want him to see there aren't even any bees out right now, this is just so strange. We adopted him last May and he never liked the bees, but he is just terrified today. Carpenter bees don't even sting unless you like step on them or something, but his feet are fine. This is just heart-breaking.

Our almost-4-year-old is terrified of bees, and basically any loud/large flying insect. We have loads of carpenter bees - slow moving, big and loud - and he has decided that he will not go outside if he sees or hears a bee. I tried enticing him with his favorite treats, and I got him out on the deck, but a bee swooped by (about 15' away) and he took off like a shot. I put him on the leash and took him out front for a quick walk, as I know he needs to go - and he almost strangled himself, and almost dislocated my shoulder, trying to get away from a bee that he heard (I didn't even see it) to run back in the house. Any ideas on how to gently desensitize him? I don't want to make matters worse, but he kinda needs to be okay going outside, as we're going to have lots of bees & bugs all spring & summer.

Question for everyone who has had success with Olewo -- our boy had skin issues (crazy itching when we first got him). I've switched him to a unique protein, cut out grains, corn, etc. (limited ingredient food) and have done the same with treats. After finding a food and one kind of treats that make the itching almost disappear (yay!) I noticed he still had really runny poo. I have used Olewo in the past (carrots and beets) and I never noticed any differences, so I stopped using. I am trying the carrots again with our boy, but not adding any oil - he itches like mad when any fish product, so we've already been using flax oil supplements and he is fine with that. We tried adding coconut oil once and itching started again. So - I am sticking with just the carrots. He doesn't like them at all, but he still eats when I mix it all up with his food/warm water. Hah! He gets two big tablespoons morning & evening. So...how long before I can expect results? After reading so many amazing things about Olewo here, I thought results would be immediate. We used the beets previously with our girl because she developed a little weight issue after being on a few rounds of steroids, and she had some itchiness/flakiness. After going through a 5 lb bag, we saw no difference. I then bought an 11 lb bag of the carrots and used them on her, and our previous boy (who had some soft poo issues, too) and saw no difference for them, either. So we stopped buying. Trying again now - but after 2 weeks, no difference. Was really hoping he'd have firmer poo that we could scoop up a little easier - but it's still pretty bad. Thought it was a fluke with the other two dogs, but now using on a third dog and still no changes - should I just give it more time?

Hi there, interested to see if you moved forward with an ultrasound yet? We've had two hounds who lost interest in food/lost weight (one @ 13.5 and the other @ 9.5 years of age). After a lot of tests (blood work, fecal, urinalysis, etc.) and office visits, switching foods, using appetite stimulants and stomach soothing meds, x-rays, etc. - you name it, we did it -- both were diagnosed after ultrasounds on their bellies. We spent over a month with our girl (the 13.5 year old) with so many vet visits, lots of tests and many different kinds of food (we tried everything) until the vet finally suggested ultrasound. When we went through the same thing with our boy, I insisted on ultrasound much earlier in the process, and I am glad I did. Things didn't end up well in either case for us, but at least we knew what we were dealing with and we didn't have to keep taking them in, trying meds, foods, etc. It's quick, easy, non-invasive and not very expensive, and isn't like an x-ray that will dose your dog with radiation. Highly recommend it for any dog with eating/weight loss issues, especially when other tests have shown nothing. Good luck.

Congrats on your new addition! Our newest addition (we've had him 9 months now) was not good on our floors. The carpeted rooms were easy, of course, but the hardwood and tiled floors - he had a really difficult time adjusting to. We ended up getting a rubber-backed runner he could stand on while eating and it gets him to the back door - so his anxiety at dinner time was alleviated. We also got a couple area rugs upstairs for my office and our bedroom so he could get out of his beds onto the rugs and be okay. Also got a runner going out the backdoor downstairs when our girl was diagnosed with osteosarcoma a few weeks back, as she was having issues on the tile even though it's rougher tile, and our boy seems to appreciate that, too. He still sometimes has issues, and I notice that he tenses up his feet & toes when he feels any slippage, which makes matters 100x worse. Poor guy, we even were thinking of getting those non-slip toenail covers at one point. He's much better now, but he still has issues sometimes. On a side note, we'd all love to see a photo of Rory!

Thanks, Batmom! I also realized how cracked his pads are after posting these photos - he's now getting some nice, warm cleanings and paw/pad balm. I'll be keeping a close eye on that thing...

We had to use peanut butter for the first couple of weeks with one of our greys to get him to tolerate getting his teeth brushed (first on our fingers, then on the toothbrush). We then did some "testing" on which toothpastes he liked the best (turns out poultry was the big winner) and we let him lick a little off before we'd start. I always had to hold his mouth shut, though, because he tried to chew as I brushed!

I'm so very sorry about your boy, and I hope he feels better soon. Because I've now had two hounds who stopped eating, and were both diagnosed only after getting ultrasounds done on their bellies - I would encourage you to do the same. I'm not trying to scare you, but our 13.5 year old girl, who had been a good eater, started tapering down and then stopped eating. We took her in numerous times, had blood work done (2, or maybe 3, times), urine test, fecal test, full exams - she was on a plethora of "stomach" and appetite-stimulating medications, new diets, etc. After weeks of heartache, vet finally suggested ultrasound (had to go to a different vet to get it done b/c they didn't have one) and they found masses (cancer). When our 10 year old boy stopped eating, they did the obligatory blood work, exam, etc. - but I insisted on an ultrasound right away and...cancer. Again, I am not trying to scare you, but if blood work and other tests and exams find nothing, I will always insist on an ultrasound immediately. No anesthesia, non-invasive, easy, quick and not overly expensive. Good luck to you both.

Hi all - I just found a weird blister-looking thing on Finn's paw. I didn't want to push on it too hard, but it doesn't seem to bother him to touch it. I've never seen anything like it - any ideas?

I am so very sorry for your loss. We just lost our girl (she was 8.5) a few days ago to osteasarcoma - it was quite a shock, as she was originally diagnosed with a muscle pull, then a stroke, then a bulging disc and finally...osteo. She was gone a week & a half later. We have adopted 5 greyhounds over the years, always having two at a time. Each time has been a totally different experience - our first boy was only with us 4.5 years and died in his sleep of a heart attack. We knew he had heart problems, but he was fine that entire day, eating normally, taking walks, etc. - then, he was just gone. I was shocked, heart-broken, angry and sad - all at the same time. We adopted again about a month & a half later because I just really needed to concentrate on something other than my sadness, ya know? Our second boy was a big, gorgeous, red boy - and he just stole my heart. He fit right in, immediately, and I was so grateful. But, we then had 3 experiences with losing our hounds to cancer -- our very first greyhound, my heart dog, the reason we even adopted the 2nd and 3rd (and now 4th and 5th) -- stopped eating over the course of a couple days. Long story short, we were told she "had" to stay overnight at the emergency vet/specialty clinic and they made a couple huge mistakes, which ended with us having to euthanize her due to paralysis and extreme pain. It was the most heart-wrenching experience you can imagine - she hated the vet and being in a cage, she was terrified, paralyzed and in agony - and we had to let her go. I vowed I would not adopt again, it was just too painful. Of course, we did - because, in the end, we love dogs and we get so much out of having them! The girl we adopted after her is the one we just lost - and a thought struck me like a lightning bolt when we knew she was leaving us... that we never would've even had her if we hadn't lost the first girl, and then adopted her. I honestly didn't think I could ever love another dog like I loved those first two - but, I did. It didn't happen immediately, but it did happen. We've learned to appreciate the differences we see in the hounds we adopt, and not compare them to the others. It hasn't even been a week since we lost our Tilly - I am not ready to adopt again because I am still mourning her. But, when we adopt again, it won't be her "replacement" - it'll just be "the next one" - it won't fill the hole in my heart where Tilly is, but I'm sure it'll help heal it a little. Good luck to you.

Having a vet check him out is definitely a good idea - we did the same thing with Deacon - just a general fitness exam w/ blood work to make sure he wasn't in pain that we didn't realize. Vet said he was in perfect health, and when he continued, I have to admit...I was probably too indulgent with him. He would whine and I would pet him - when we realized it, it was kinda too late. Anytime he got excited, nervous or even happy - he would whine. Oh, unless someone came to the door, and then it was terrifying, big, deep BARKS! And he taught his sister to bark, too. Our house wasn't quiet for years, but we definitely felt safe.

This seems to fit Finn, I think. Normally, he will growl and then look a bit confused - most often he will then jump up and leave the situation - which makes me think it is a growl and not just one of those low groans. He has never snapped or made any kind of move, just a little growl. He growled at our girl a couple of times when she got "too close" to him - and he did growl at DH the other day when he grabbed a stolen slice of pizza from his mouth, lol. DH told him to "drop it!" which he immediately did, but then growled when DH went to pick it up (he stole it off my husband's plate when he got up to use the restroom). We've only had him 8 months now, so he is really still figuring things out. We've really never had a dog like this before, it's always been very cut & dry. He's a quirky one!

Our Deacon was a whiner - drove me bonkers! Normally he just wanted attention, but he'd normally calm down a bit when he'd hear me exclaim, "Duuuuuuuuddde!! Stop it!" At first we thought he was in pain, needed to go out, needed water, etc. - but we soon realized he just wanted attention. I learned to ignore it, and give attention only when he stopped. It curbed a little, but never really stopped. Once I learned to laugh it off, it didn't bother me so much! Of course, since we lost him last Easter, I'd do anything to hear him whine a little again.

We've been trying to pay more attention to see if we can observe a pattern - but he's kind of all over the place! DH swears that he only growls when you stop petting him and have your hand on him (like resting a hand on him while sitting next to him) - but I've had him do it while I am actively petting, so it might just be one trigger. I was sitting on the floor last night stretching a bit while watching tv and he plopped next to me, I was gently petting him, he put his head in my lap, was looking up at me and growled. Most times when he does this, he subsequently gets up and moves away. I didn't stop petting him, and he closed his eyes and went to sleep. Ended up waking up a couple minutes later and jumped up and moved - no growl, just didn't want to hang out anymore. Poor guy is kind of turned upside down since losing his sister a few days ago. Not sure how he'll handle being an only child for a bit - but I'm using this time to work on some gentle, positive reinforcement training on a few small areas. He's very food motivated, so using lots of treats and ear-scritches and he's responding like gang-busters! I was thinking I might use a high-quality treat, sit next to him and feed it to him little by little, so he sees that being close is a positive. I don't want to make him uncomfortable, but he's just so wishy-washy. I like the description of Goose above - Finn is also my special flower - haha!

Once again, thank you everyone for your help, advice and encouragement. Friday we said goodbye to our Tilly - she spent the morning in her favorite spot in the front door, we opened the door for her (we have a full glass storm door) and padded everything with blankets to keep out the cold, and she watched the happenings in her neighborhood for the last time. She still had her appetite, so she got a full bowl of rotisserie chicken and she loved it! When the vet arrived, she gently greeted her. She was our lovely, sweet girl right up until the end. The hospice service arranged for her to taken to the crematorium, and we picked a small bouquet of early-blooming daffodils and placed them in her coffin with her. One last kiss on her forehead and I said goodbye. She was brought home to us on Saturday. My heart is aching and I miss that girly so much. I know that she was in pain, and she wasn't going to get better...only worse - so I am happy we could end her suffering, but it remains one of the hardest things we have to go through. DH told me that the edema in her leg was "hard" around her knee (where they found the mass) - and when the vet administered the sedation in that leg, she cried a bit, so she likely had more feeling in that leg than we even knew. I can only pray that a cure, or preventative, is found for this awful disease in my lifetime. Thought you all might like to see a photo of our sweet girl:

Thanks, all - we'll definitely try and see how is over the coming months. He's been like this since we got him - our girl has only been ill for about a month and a half - so I don't think it's in response to that. Unfortunately, we have to say goodbye to our girl tomorrow...so Finn will be an only child until my heart heals enough to adopt again. Lots of time to work with him one-on-one, which I think he can only benefit from. We'll pay attention to his triggers with this - I know a few times, we've been petting him and he falls asleep - so we just assumed it was sleep startle. Other times, though, he is wide awake - a couple times looking up at us, and not with the big "crazy eyes" (as well called them with our first boy, hah!). That's why the issue has been so confounding, it's not all the time - and it's when he comes into our space. He's kind of nudge like that.

We actually ended up calling the hospice vet not long after I posted this...we are saying goodbye to her tomorrow at noon. We both took the day off from work and we're just trying to process this. We know in our hearts that she will not get any better, only worse little by little - if she had a chance to recover, I'd continue fighting - but I don't want her in misery. Our hearts are breaking, but it's the right choice for her. Again, thanks to all.

We adopted Finn last May, and he is a big sweet guy. He's pretty hard headed about certain things, and seems to "forget" things he has learned, but in the end, he's a goofy, sweet boy. We have noticed that he can get a little growly when we go into his space - so we respect his space. He has never minded if we stand and pet/play - or if we sit near him, but about 25% of the time, he will growl (no snapping, biting, etc.) a little growl if we sit on his bed. So, we just don't do that. Our first boy was space aggressive, so we quickly learned to respect his space! BUT - Finn will regularly plop himself down next to us when we are on the floor - mostly while we are petting our girl (who is currently dealing with osteasarcoma, so we are cuddling with her a lot). He will start cuddling up to us, and sometimes we respond, sometimes we do not. Again, maybe 10% of the times he does this, he will then growl. It was a little surprising the first time he did this, as we'd had him for a couple of months and he seemed very interested in cuddling and being close to us (with or without our girl present). He often plops down on our feet when we are sitting and he is seeking attention - and even this has drawn a growl or two (sometimes when we ignore him, sometimes when we pet him). So - should we just not let him sit/lie next to us at all? We don't want to scold him, as we know it is a warning that we should respect - but we aren't clear regarding the best way to deal with this. Not allow him to be close to us? Move him if he growls and he has come to us? What do you think? He actually growled a little at me two nights ago - I was lying down with our girl, he came behind me and laid down - not even touching me and no response from me - and within about 5 minutes he did a little growl - but also jumped up and walked away. The growls have never escalated to anything else, no snapping, no biting or biting moves, etc. and it is normally just one low, quick growl. We've always learned quickly about space issues with our greys, but he's tough to figure out.

Our newest adoptee, Finn, is sensitive about his ears, too. In fact, he had to be muzzled at the vet when they cleaned his ears because he was not happy about it. DH gives him big old ear rubs, and he seems to really love it - but he has yelped a few times (he can be a bit rough). I give very gentle ear rubs, and check his ears periodically just to make sure I don't see any redness or irritation. He has also displayed signs of allergies, which is why the vet was checking/cleaning his ears. Maybe that's it? Not sure - we just have to warn the vet that he doesn't like it.

Thanks again, everyone. Tilly is still very interested in eating - and it has been really difficult to judge her pain levels. Dr Couto suggested she might have a peripheral nerve sheath tumor (instead of her initial stroke diagnosis) - which would explain the paralysis/lameness in her leg (which happened a month before the OSA diagnosis). Since she has no apparent feeling in that leg, might that be helping her deal with the pain? Just not sure. Last night was a bad night - DH and I take turns sleeping with her downstairs, as there no stairs to get outside and we can separate her from our boy (who seems has no concept of Physics!). She was up every 20-30 minutes - trying to stand or panting. When she goes to stand, we always help her - as we do not want her to fall or get her leg twisted up (since it is totally lame). We tried getting her outside, flipping her over, offering water, etc. and she just didn't settle down. This morning is much the same. I moved her to the middle floor, as she loves when we open the front door (we have a full glass storm door) and put a bed in front so she can watch things happening in the neighborhood. She keeps popping up, standing up, panting, etc. I assume these are signs of pain... She had a night like this a few nights ago - but it seemed to be in response to the treats we gave her before bed that just upset her tummy. After a very sleepless night and a lot of peeing & pooping,she settled down and slept once I got up to work (I work from home, so I can set up anywhere in the house). Today, that's not happening. Honestly, I think I've been in denial a bit with her diagnosis - since it presented itself so oddly and she has seemed pretty okay other than dragging that useless leg around, I started wondering if she truly has osteo. I started feeling some anxiety about it - like she could have something else totally and we aren't doing anything - I think partly because she seems "okay" and partly because osteo was her fourth diagnosis. We don't want to prolong her suffering and have always said we would let her go once we saw signs that she was truly unhappy...but I think I am in denial of that, too.

We have never had pet insurance, but after losing our boy last year to cancer - after a lot of testing, then an expensive surgery and some expensive medications and now we also have a girl with osteosarcoma, I am seriously considering it. DH thinks we are better off just for things as they come up rather than shelling out monthly payments. I see his argument - our boy Deacon had never experienced any medical issues for five years, so we probably did come out financially better just paying for the testing, surgery, etc. I am actually pulling the numbers together for some analysis! I wanted to ask - I see many do not recommend VPI, which is a shame, because I get a tiny discount thru work and they will take payments out of my check. I see a lot of positives for Healthy Paws, and I have seen mentions of Embrace, Trupanion and ASPCA. My question is - do the policies pay for specialists (e.g., oncologist or neurologist) AND do they pay our for testing such as MRIs? Also, do they cover any routine wellness like heart worm and flea/tick prevention or annual exams?