ShebasMom

Kaja and Potter look like fuzzy greyhounds. Adorable all!

Sheba will be 12 in January. My vet, too, recommended the Dasuquin Advanced, which requires a prescription, and I had her on it for a while but later on decided to just order the Dasuquin with MSM soft chews joint health large dog supplement through Chewy.com instead because it's easier and less expensive. She also gets GlycoFlex joint support and Pet Tabs daily and is on Tramadol for arthritis. So far, she's doing quite well. I see no reason for you to change unless you want to.

As long as the dog park is empty of other dogs, it would be fine to take yours, but as new dogs arrive, best to leave.

I'm sure others will pipe in, but you're asking for trouble going to a dog park. Yours might stay by your side, but other greyhounds might want to run and chase and yours could join in the fun but it all could turn nasty in a heartbeat. A greyhound-only gathering in a private fenced area (all muzzled for safety) would be a great way to meet other hounds and have a play date.

Watch out for hair balls!

Others more knowledgeable than I will reply, but she probably wants to be near you, not downstairs, so keep working at stair-climbing.

I have Embrace Pet Insurance, $500 deductible and 80% reimbursement over the $500 for accident or illness and prescriptions and there are options available for $250, $400, and $650 (or thereabouts) reimbursement coverage for wellness exams and procedures (vaccinations, dental cleaning and extraction, nail trimming, fecal check). Maximum of $5,000/year. Various options are available. Not inexpensive, though.

If you have an Aldi grocery store in your area, pure pumpkin puree in my Florida city is only 79 cents per 15-1/2 ounce can and much more so at Publix and Winn-Dixie (not sure about Target or Walmart because don't shop there).

Chain link fence? Now that one made me laugh!

That is so cool!

Something similar happened to me years ago but with a happier outcome. The bone got stuck way down in my great Dane's throat but the vet successfully operated and removed the bone. Never again did I give my dogs a bone..

Sheba had great teeth when I got her at 22 months. Lucky me. Had really good luck with her teeth year to year and didn't start vet dentals until she was about 7. Now at 11 years old she gets dentals every year but still has all her teeth and doing well. She didn't like the Oravet chews but loves the large Virbac C.E.T. Hextra Premium Chews and gets one every day after breakfast. She also loves the regular Greenies and gets one every day after her dinner. I don't brush her teeth, but I put an additive to her water bowl twice a day. She also gets a bully stick every so often.

I saw that one yesterday, too. Laughed out loud because oh so true.

I used to have the septic tank disposal thing when I had a Great Dane but it didn't work very well. Too much poop. Scratched that and now use a 5-gallon lidded can with a plastic bag liner and keep it outside. I use biodegradable poop bags to pick up the poop real time (I don't let it sit because I, too, have a small yard) and on garbage pickup day put it in my regular trash. Granted the plastic bag liner in the can isn't biodegradable so rather counterproductive on that end. Guess I could just put the biodegradable bags directly into the can with no liner--just thought of that lol. Never heard of a magnetic chip dog door. I don't have cats so no issue there and have never had another animal come inside through mine. My dog door (a Magnadoor brand) is installed on the enclosed porch wall so I don't use one in the slider. In hindsight I should have had the installer raise the door up about 6-10 inches (or even more) so it's easier Sheba to get through it because she has to crouch down and as she is now 11 years old I worry it will become more difficult. Sheba's dog door opens to the side yard only so no access to the fenced-in front yard or back yard pool because there are gates at both ends.

That is so wonderful!

I'm very sorry for your sudden loss. Vaya con Dios, Iker.

Stay away from letting her run with other dogs, large or small. Early on I took Sheba to the large-dog dog park because my first greyhound was fine there, no issues. But Sheba chased other large dogs and was bitten twice by dogs that didn't like being chased. Both were only nips, but greyhound skin is thin with hardly any fur or fat for protection, so the nips required vet visits resulting in wound care and sutures, which added up quickly cost-wise. She also ran along the fence line between the small and large dog areas, chasing the small dogs back and forth, which got other large dogs excited to join in and that, too, led to issues. We no longer go to the dog park for good reason.

Good you trashed the long line. I keep Sheba on a short 4-foot lead. Early on when she was new to me, I let her ahead of me on a 6-foot lead and she took off after a squirrel. I flew out of my shoes and landed on the ground, she was loose, and I had a broken arm. Luckily I caught up with her (glad it wasn't a broken leg!).

Sheba bit my 2-1/2-year-old great-niece on her face near her eyebrow. Fortunately the damage was not major. Totally my fault as I hadn't had Sheba all that long, I wasn't watching closely enough, and we were in a strange environment. I'd turned my back for a moment, and my niece approached Sheba while she was on her dog bed. I didn't see it happen but assume it was a space or startle issue or resource-guarding. Total supervision, separate spaces when not supervised, set up the rules, even a muzzle at times are necessary, especially early on. To this day, Sheba has space issues but fortunately we have no youngsters at the house. I still caution guests to leave her alone when she's on her dog bed/ As I said earlier, it wasn't Sheba's fault, it was mine.

Besides kibble, Sheba gets some canned chicken broth, cut green beans, pure pumpkin, and a bit of Pedigree ground beef or chicken. Not because she's a picky eater, she isn't, but because it's what she's eaten since I got her in 2009 and I don't want to change it if she likes it. Sometimes I bake some chicken liver treats but not that often.

The intent of your questions was to be able to discourage your partner from adopting a greyhound because of the cat issue, but you probably should have addressed it a different way. Some folks took it as your wanting to lie to the adoption group and get the greyhound anyway. Please don't take it personally. I'm glad you are thinking about both animals' safety and quality of life.

Oh my, I'm so very sorry for your loss. I lost my sweet girl Windy suddenly like that when she was young and I'd only had her for 16 months. It's never easy to lose a beloved pet but so suddenly like that makes it even harder. My thoughts are with you and your son.

I had a very similar experience in 2009 and feel your sadness and pain. My tears are flowing right now for you.

I guess I have a really small hand, because I'm able to give Sheba any non-flavorful-chewable Rx by simply opening her mouth and shoving the pill down. No gagging or spitting it back up, either. Used to do it with my other large breeds, too.

Perhaps wet the hound down, too? Damp dog with fans should stay cool for a while.