JJNg

Marking and humping behaviors are actually more likely to be due to stress, anxiety, and other social factors than dominance. Have there been any outside factors or changes to your household/routine recently that may causing Keiva to experience more stress than usual? Here are a few articles you may find helpful: What to do About Your Humping Dog Urine Marking in Dogs Dog Behavior Problems - Marking Behavior

A lot of good suggestions in this thread, but I don't think it's unrealistic to train a greyhound to sleep in a crate away from the rest of the family if that's what the owners prefer. My bedroom is very small, and I barely have enough room for my 6 dogs, and no room for a greyhound-sized crate, so my fosters sleep in a crate at the opposite end of the house. Some whine, bark, or howl initially, but I mostly just ignore it, and the majority of fosters accept that arrangement within a few days to a couple weeks. In most cases, it's not true separation anxiety, and more like an initial objection to being alone and, for some, attention seeking behavior. I make sure the crate is comfortable and familiar by feeding all their meals in it, and also leaving them in for shorter periods during the day even when I'm in the room with them or in the next room. That said, if the OP doesn't mind the dog in the bedroom, and can set up a crate in there for the cat's safety and peace of mind, then I would recommend spending more time working on the stair training. Especially since the nighttime behavior has been going on for a month and half, it may have become a habit, and it will probably take more time to change that behavior than it will to teach the dog to do stairs. If the stairs are wood and not carpeted, providing traction in the form of stair treads or runners will speed up the process and improve safety. Even dogs that are very comfortable with entire flights of steep stairs with good traction often have trouble slipping on hardwood stairs (I know this from doing home visits with my greyhounds). Another thought is exploring why Hank is waking up at 3-4:30 am every night. The dogs who are anxious about being alone usually start off whining and crying when they are first left and can carry on for quite a while. The fact that he initially settles and sleeps makes me think he doesn't truly have separation anxiety. Is he not getting enough activity and exercise during the day? Is something waking him up around that time every night (like stray or feral cats or wildlife outside)? Is he perhaps waking up because he's too cold or too hot? Dogs almost always do what they do for a reason. Trying to figure out and address that reason can be a lot more effective than just focusing on how to get rid of the unwanted behavior.

Glad to hear they have it set up so you can change the cast. Personally, I'd change it twice a week. Pressure sores can develop in a matter of days and be pretty bad by a week. If the cast covers her toes, make sure you put cotton between her toes. Sending good thoughts that all goes well with the rest of her recovery.

What are your instructions for how long she's supposed to wear the cast? I'm not a huge fan of fiberglass casts in greyhounds as they commonly cause pressure sores. I much prefer splints that can be changed a couple times a week. Unless they cut the cast so that it can be removed and re-wrapped periodically to check the leg?

Sorry to hear about Wasabi's setback. If her surgery was Oct 27th, by my count, that was only 8 weeks ago on Monday. So it would have been about 7 weeks post-op when she knocked her food bowl over. If the bone was mostly healed, as it should be by 6-8 weeks, the plate shouldn't have been bearing much of the weight of her leg. So hopefully she just tweaked it, and since it's only been a week, she may just need a little more time to recover from that. My question is, why does she keep slipping? Do you have slick floors? Does she seem to be having more trouble maneuvering now than she did for the first few weeks post-op? I do agree that an x-ray would give you the most information about what's going on in terms of the original fracture healing, how well the repair held, and whether she did any damage when she hurt it. Has she had any follow-up x-rays taken since the surgery? I had a foster who was recovering from a bad hock fracture, and he would occasionally bang the leg if he slipped or lost his balance. He'd scream for 30 sec, hold it up for a bit, but then he'd be walking on it again after 10-15 min. Regarding your other questions...I don't think your vet did anything wrong. If a fracture is internally stabilized with hardware, a splint often isn't even necessary. The foster I had was one of the worse I've seen (completely dislocated along with the broken tarsal bones), and the surgeon sent him home with only a soft bandage immediately after surgery. We kept it bandaged for 2 weeks, and then left it unwrapped once the incision was completely healed. Also, please don't second guess your decision to do the surgery. With a hock fracture, surgery is often the best way to achieve the best healing for a fully functional leg. I've seen dogs that are only splinted that don't fuse properly, and the joint is unstable and the dog is unable to put full weight on it. Unfortunately, even with everything done right, complications can occur. Hopefully, Wasabi's issue is a minor one.

Sounds like a couple common factors in his accidents are 1) he wasn't being closely supervised and 2) he needs to go right after he eats. When I have a new dog here, they don't leave my sight when they are out loose in the house. I use doors and baby gates to keep them in the same room with me, and if I can't pay attention to them, they go in the crate. If you can prevent as many accidents as possible, and catch them each time they need to go and take them out before they have accidents inside (and give lots of praise), they usually catch on pretty quickly. Regarding the crate, make it a good place and part of his daily routine by continuing to feed all his meals in it, and always give him a special treat when he goes in. After he finishes eating, leave him in the crate for a few extra minutes, and don't let him out unless he's calm and quiet. Gradually increase the time he stays in it until he's ok just hanging out in the crate for 20-30 min after eating. If he does whine when you put him in, or after he's been in for a while, just ignore it. Even if he doesn't particularly like the crate, as long as he's not hurting himself in it, he can learn to accept it with training. I kind of think of it like using a playpen for a child when you're too busy to directly supervise. You wouldn't stop using the playpen and let the child crawl around the house unsupervised just because they don't want to be in it and have a tantrum. Sounds like you're doing a good job with the cleaning. Enzymatic/bacteria-based cleaners (like Nature's Miracle) that actually break down the urine is necessary to completely get the smell out. A good gauge of whether you're cleaning well enough is if he repeatedly wants to go back to the same areas to pee. I use belly bands to reduce mess and clean up if I happen to not be watching closely enough and don't catch the dog until they've started to pee. But they don't serve as a training tool for all dogs. Some dogs will learn not to pee if they are wearing a belly band because they don't like the wet feeling. I've also had ones who don't hesitate to still pee even while wearing it.

If Charlie has generalized from only reacting to large boisterous dogs to now reacting to all dogs, then that would make me think something about how you're responding to his behavior around other dogs is somehow reinforcing the leash aggression. You may be right that he's responding to your anxiety on walks, and that's what's making him more reactive toward all dogs in general. Pay attention to whether you're tightening up on the leash whenever another dog comes into sight or approaches. Many people do this without even realizing it. Your anxiety is communicated through the leash tension, and that's one of the most common triggers for reactivity on leash. Can you walk at off-peak times of day when there's less chance you'll come across other dogs? Or drive him somewhere quiet to walk him? Stress increases reactivity, and if he regularly reacts toward other dogs on walks, that will keep his stress hormones high and he'll be more likely to respond aggressively. It's a vicious cycle. To try to break that cycle, I would try to aim for a period of at least 2-3 weeks where you avoid all reactive responses. This may mean only walking at odd times, walking somewhere other than your neighborhood, or not walking at all. After that period of downtime, you can start working with him using some of the methods above to desensitize him to seeing other dogs, starting at a distance where he doesn't react. I really like Turid Rugaas' methods of parallel walking and curving, but they usually require controlled situations with cooperative assistants and dogs. Consider looking into Turid Rugaas's book and DVD on Calming Signals, as well as her books on Barking and Pulling - all very applicable to the issues you're facing.

I used a GoodRx coupon to get aminocaproic acid (generic Amicar) from CVS and didn't have any problems.

It's just like "alone training", but I suspect a lot of people probably start too fast. The goal of desensitization is to never go faster than what the dog can handle, so the dog should never be stressed during the process. So the initial step may simply to step out the door and immediately return. The early steps may involve building up the time increments in seconds, not minutes. If no one will be home with the dog left behind, I'd try to find something that will keep him busy, like a stuffed kong or some other treat that takes time to consume.

Hope your boy's feeling better, and that the acupuncture helped. I agree with tbhounds that many of these cases of neck/back pain respond better with a muscle relaxer and an anti-inflammatory medication, rather than just tramadol. I've found that I usually get a better response from a steroid than a NSAID, unless it's a really mild case. I'd be careful using any OTC meds. Best to consult with your vet, and make sure your vet is aware if you do decide to give any, as they can interfere with what your vet might want to put your dog on. I'm always cautious with aspirin as it can be very rough on their stomach. And IMO, the "stronger meds" are often more effective and safer than aspirin. Btw, what breed is your dog, brit1?

Coming in a bit late to this, and have just scanned through the other replies, but why start with a walk around the block? That may be too much. How do they do in separate rooms of the house? Are they so inseparable that they are *always* together, or do they voluntarily hang out in separate rooms sometimes? Can you feed one in one room with the door closed or baby-gated, while you do some obedience exercises with the other, and then swap out? If they're already fine separated within the home, you could start with just walking one out the door, maybe around the yard, and come right back. But if they aren't comfortable even being separated inside the house, that's where you need to start. I'm assuming you live alone since you mentioned a webcam to monitor the one left behind. So no one to stay and watch and distract the other dog?

I hope that's one lesson the vet learned... It's pretty standard to do a bandage change 3-4 days after surgery for any dog, but for greyhounds I do the initial bandage change no more than 2-3 days later, and then twice weekly thereafter.

A decrease in night vision can be one of the first signs of progressive retinal atrophy (PRA). The early changes in the retina can be pretty subtle, and a regular vet may not recognize them. Especially if you notice any signs of her vision continuing to decline, it may be worthwhile to consider a consult with a vet ophthalmologist.

I find that new fosters who are newly retired from the track, and have just recently been spayed or neutered, often need more food for the first month or two than what they'll end up needing after they settle in. 4 cups is probably a good starting amount, but don't be afraid to increase it if he's not gaining weight. I'm currently fostering a female who raced at 55 lbs, but I think she should probably be closer to 60 lbs. I've been feeding her 4-5 cups/day (divided into 2 meals) for almost a month, and she still needs to gain another pound or two. My previous foster was a male who raced at 69 lbs, but came to me at 57 lbs, after having had a rough recovery from his neuter a couple weeks prior. I fed him 6-7 cups/day, divided into 3 meals. I don't like feeding much more than 2-2.5 cups per meal. I only had him for a week, and his adopter continued to feed 5-6 cups/day. When I saw him back 3 weeks later, he was up to 67 lbs and looked a lot better. Btw, I feed Kirkland Chicken & Rice, which is comparable to Iams "Green Bag" in terms of calories. The Kirkland is 393 kcal/cup, and Iams is 379 kcal/cup. My older greyhounds all eat between 2.5 to 3.5 cups/day.

Were any bandage changes done between the day of surgery and day 8?

While it wouldn't hurt to do the von Willebrand test or check the buccal mucosal bleeding time (the test where the nick the gum and time how long it takes to clot), neither test will tell you if she's a greyhound 'bleeder'. As others have said, the greyhounds who end up needing Amicar usually have completely normal clotting panels. So unless you've had strange bleeding problems in the past, there's really no reason to spend the money. The good thing is that the majority of greyhounds that need Amicar do fine even if it's not started until post-op, at the very first sign of excess bruising or bleeding. So as long as you have some on hand or know of a source where you can get it quickly, you might consider only using it if there's a sign she needs it. The vast majority of retired racers are spayed and neutered without Amicar, and it's also not routine to use it for all dental extractions. I've only had one case where I prescribed Amicar after a dental with extractions, and that was for a greyhound who was still bleeding some from a couple of the sites 4-5 hours after the procedure (most extraction sites clot and stop actively bleeding before the dog wakes up from anesthesia although there may still be a small amount of bloody drool for a couple days). I had the owner get the Amicar from the pharmacy on her way to pick up the dog and start it that evening. Regarding isoflurane vs sevoflurane, when I was in school, I was taught that there really isn't much of a difference in safety profile. Sevo just has a faster response time, so you can adjust depth of anesthesia more quickly, and they go down and wake up faster. But as long as the patient is monitored closely, sevo isn't any safer. I still use iso at my clinic because that's what we have the equipment for, and the cost difference.

I don't believe in coaxing healthy dogs to eat. I just give it to them, and if they don't finish after 20-30 min, or after all the other dogs are done, I take it away. The vast majority of healthy dogs will eat what they need, as long as the food is made available. Coaxing the dog to eat and making a big deal out of mealtimes will actually stress some dogs and make them less likely to eat. Trying lots of different foods and mixing in extras will often create a picky eater.

Another good, comprehensive article about SLO, including pics: http://www.grassmere-animal-hospital.com/SLO.htm

Has your vet considered the possibility of stroke? Greyhounds are more prone than other breeds. Any protein in his urine? Has his blood pressure been checked? Consider doing a consult with Dr. Couto: http://coutovetconsultants.com/

Were the margins clean, and how wide were they? Soft tissue sarcomas have a fairly low potential for metastasis, although they are more likely to recur locally. As others have mentioned, some may not come back, or it may be a long time before it does. With a low mitotic index, and if margins were clean and wide, it would be very reasonable to watch and see if it comes back. But tumors that recur are often more aggressive on the next go round. If you want to do more to try to prevent regrowth, or if there are incomplete margins, standard adjunctive therapy is to follow surgery with radiation. An alternate protocol is to do local injections of a chemo drug called 5FU in the area where the tumor was removed. Dr. Couto has had a lot of experience and excellent results with this treatment, but unfortunately nothing is published so most oncologists aren't familiar with it. My whippet had a soft tissue sarcoma on the outside of his elbow last year, and after he had surgery to remove it, we did the 5FU injections. Dr. Couto consulted with my local oncologist to provide the details of the protocol. Dr. Couto's unpublished results using local 5FU injections had equal, if not better, results than the traditional approach of radiation. He told me that if it was his own dog, he would do 5FU rather than radiation. An additional plus is that 5FU is much less expensive.

I'd have to respectfully disagree with this. A grade 2 murmur *can be* normal for many greyhounds, but that doesn't mean all grade 2 murmurs are normal. The only way to know for sure is with an echo, which I'm glad the OP had done. Also, it's not true that nothing can be done about it. If an echo reveals underlying heart disease that is causing the murmur, there are often options for treatment, depending on what the abnormality is.

Have your boys been around smaller dogs and/or puppies before? What's the temperament of the puppy? I brought a 4.5-month-old whippet puppy into a pack of 3 greyhounds, another whippet, and a whippet mix last year, and the process went very smoothly. The puppy was (and still is) very respectful of the greyhounds, and they tolerated her puppy antics much better than I thought they would. I'd suggest muzzling the greyhounds for initial introductions, and for yard time, until you're confident they'll be ok. Make sure all direct interactions are closely supervised. Don't let the puppy pester the adults too much, but it's ok to let the adults correct the puppy as long as they don't overboard.

Convenia is a good broad-spectrum antibiotic. I mostly use it in cats and small dogs, but mostly because of cost. As others have mentioned, it gets very expensive for larger dogs, but I've had some owners who still elected to go with the one-time injection rather than having to struggle with pills every day. I've only seen good results with it, and haven't had any patients (either dogs or cats) develop digestive problems after getting it.

Does your vet not give a price break when you buy the whole box? Maybe call and double check the price, just in case the person who took your call gave the wrong info. I find it odd that a clinic would only sell it by the pill. We sell it by the individual tablet too, but the box is significantly less expensive than buying 6 single doses. Explain the situation to your vet and ask if they will price match. You may need to talk to the vet directly, and not the receptionist. Keep in mind that if you buy heartworm preventatives from your vet, most of the manufacturers will guarantee their product and pay for treatment if the dog ever comes up positive for heartworms or intestinal worms. You don't get that benefit when you buy online. Also, purchasing from your vet will help them keep other prices down and support local business - similar to why people are encouraged to shop at local small businesses, instead of national chains. Of course, I do understand the need to save money and look for alternatives if your vets' prices aren't reasonable.

Lepto risk depends on location and lifestyle. We don't tend to see lepto in my area, and I don't vaccinate for it unless the dog is at risk of exposure - such as hiking, access to property with streams, ponds, or other bodies of water, etc. Talk to your vet about your dog's risk level. I found this interesting lepto risk assessment calculator: http://www.leptoinfo.com/risk_assessment.html