greymatters

It's certainly true that some hounds don't tolerate the crate well at all, BUT - you have already left Tripp in the crate on several occasions and he hasn't shown any sign of trying to escape, and his foster mom said he was crated at her house with no problems, correct? So he'll probably be just fine. As FawnFan said, if he were anxious about the crate itself you would know it by now! Based on my own experience, it's you who will be a nervous wreck worrying about him! Try to relax and remember that he's safe. The mid-day potty break will make it much easier for him, and other than that he'll most likely sleep all day. That's what my boy did when he was crated, and that's what he does now that he has the run of the house. But DH and I were absolute wrecks the first couple of times we left him .

Re the pooping on leash - are you walking him or is it more like wandering around waiting for him to go? I ask because our boy is one who seems to need to be moving in order to, um, get things moving. He will pee in our small yard but absolutely will not poop there (on leash or off), and requires a walk around the block to do so. Maybe if you walk Tripp somewhat briskly around the area where you want him to poop, it will help him to go. When he does go, praise lavishly so he knows that he's done what you wanted!! He'll get the idea .

Maybe he was just having fun . In other words, the shredded eggshell (foam, I assume) pad doesn't necessarily mean he was unduly anxious in the crate...he could have just started nesting or chewing a bit on nearby stuff and noticed how easily it came apart, and voila! A fun game to occupy his time . Our Merlin likes to nest (dig at his bedding/blankets), so all his beds have nice sturdy covers on them. He hasn't damaged any of them through the covers, but I can guarantee that uncovered foam would be toast around here! Others may chime in re crate anxiety, but fwiw Merlin was crated whenever we weren't home (i.e., for all or part of the workday) for several months. He liked his crate just fine - still does, in fact. We actually kept it for longer than we'd originally planned because he would fuss and cry if we left the house and *didn't* crate him. If we crated him with his toys and kong, he would settle down without a peep. If Tripp is not agitated when you leave and isn't really being destructive, or hurting himself trying to escape, then he'll probably do fine in his crate! It's great that he'll be getting a mid-day potty break. Congrats on your (hopefully) new boy - fingers crossed that he continues to do well with his kitty testing.

Oh no! So sorry to hear about this new worry - we're keeping good thoughts here for you and Ave.

Absolutely the cost is an issue. Also I would want to know who sponsored the study. Good point about the cost - I once went to our vet armed with a report about another drug, and his response was "interesting...of course, nobody would be able to afford it!" That said, the authors of the new study make a point of comparing omeprazole tablets (manufactured for humans) with the veterinary paste formulation used for horses, and note that (in their opinion) the paste is "inexpensive" and could easily be reformulated for dosing in dogs. As to the science, having had a chance to read the study in its entirety I must say that IMO the data are fairly compelling, even given the very small sample size. I wouldn't necessarily discount famotidine based on these results (as the authors point out, the small numbers and high variability make the apparent lack of efficacy harder to interpret), but the omeprazole effects seem impressive in any case. Also, a *very* good point about the funding sources - this is something I always look at in drug studies. FWIW, this study does not appear to have been sponsored by the manufacturers of either the omeprazole tablets (they used generic) or the veterinary paste (Gastrogard, made by Merial). The funding acknowledgment reads "The authors thank...the Comparative Gastroenterology Society, Waltham, Merck-Merial Veterinary Scholars Program, and GlaxoSmithKline for their financial support." The Merck-Merial program is a training grant for vet students, and I think the only acid-reducer that Glaxo makes these days is ranitidine (Zantac). Thanks again for bringing this up - our boy is experiencing a recurrence of his GI issues now and omeprazole is definitely something I will look into.

... I think I may have found a reference to the study in question: Omeprazole v. Famotidine. Problem is, it's a TINY study, nowhere near big enough to be conclusive, unless of course I am mistaken and the study I posted a link to is something different. Can anyone shed any more light on this? It's true that the "n" is tiny in the study that you referenced above, but it seems there have been several studies looking at this in the past 5-10 years. Here are two that might be relevant: Omeprazole also showed superior effects to famotidine in a larger study in 52 sled dogs and in another small study in 12 beagles. What caught my attention is the conclusion from the beagle study that "Twice daily administration of a suspension of omeprazole was the only regimen tested that approached the potential therapeutic efficacy for acid-related disease when assessed by criteria used for human patients." Maybe this is what greysmom's vet was referring to ? My (quick) reading of the published findings is that both drugs show efficacy, but omeprazole works better. Our boy's GI issues aren't too severe yet, and we're hoping to keep it that way. So this is definitely one of those things I will discuss with the vet at our next visit. Thanks for bringing it up again, and I hope your Merlin is feeling better soon .

We've been using the Vetri Probiotic chews and they seem to be working really well for Merlin . As I recall, the recommendation was to start with two chews daily and then taper down to one a day for maintenance. Merlin now gets one each day after his evening meal - he *loves* it and thinks it's a special treat. Our vet also highly recommends FortiFlora, but it's rather expensive (about twice the price of the Vetri chews). My understanding is that whichever supplement you choose, it's best if it contains at least one billion CFU (colony-forming units, or live microorganisms) per dose.

In case any other Boston-area GTers have been wanting to try Nature's Domain, I thought I'd spread the word that it's finally become available at our local Costco. DH found it yesterday at the Everett location. Right now they have the salmon formula only. I gave Merlin a bit with his breakfast this morning and he seemed to love it .

Yet another vote for this approach here . This is the method that finally worked for us - we tried everything else to teach Merlin to sit but he just didn't understand what we were asking for. Pushing (gently) on his butt got us absolutely nowhere. Same with holding the treat high and scooping his back legs. Backing him into a corner, nope, just seemed to make him nervous. Then the trainer who taught our greyhound-only training course suggested teaching him to sit *up* from a down, as Rally and kudzu described - and it worked like a charm! We used the clicker method to "shape" him up into a proper sit. Now he's a sitting fool, and will (usually) plop his butt down on command, or any other time he thinks there might be a treat in it for him . As to why we wanted to teach Merlin to sit, I think 3greytjoys covered it really well! In our case, our boy is young and rather excitable so we use training as way to keep him focused and calm, and to help him learn to calm himself.

Oooh, so envious! No Nature's Domain at MA Costcos yet, AFAIK. And I've been stuffing their suggestion boxes pretty regularly to ask for it.

We're using this now and it seems to be working really well! But you can definitely get it cheaper online - I got it last time from EntirelyPets for $16. Linky

This is too funny - our Merlin covers his *pee* in the yard the exact same way . Because our yard wasn't fully fenced when we first brought him home, he got accustomed to being leash-walked for all potty breaks. As a result, he generally won't pee in the yard (and absolutely refuses to poop there ), but on the rare occasions when he does, he'll pee in the mulched garden area and then use his nose to cover the pee with dirt. We recently had a foster girl who was used to going in the yard. She'd pee, so he would of course have to pee over her spot, and then would cover the area up with dirt. Interestingly, he never covered up her poop that way. Just his own pee, and only in the yard. Outside our yard, he'll sometimes paw the ground to leave his scent but never does the "cover it up with his nose" thing. I'm curious too as to why they might do this!

Based on the methodology as described, I'd guess the greyhounds in this study were a mix of NGA and AKC. This study was a retrospective analysis of *all* canine deaths occurring at the participating vet school hospitals for which cause of death was recorded (and reported to the VMDB). Proportions would be expected to reflect the overall ratios of NGA/AKC hounds in the communities served by those vet hospitals (list here). Please correct me if I'm mistaken, but my understanding is that the overwhelming majority of (companion) greyhounds in North America are NGA hounds. If this is true, then most of the greys recorded in the VMDB, and thus reported on in this study, would have been NGA as well.

Sorry to hear that Ducky's not feeling well, Jen . For pill disguises, another vote here for cream cheese, fat-free or maybe low-fat if he can tolerate it. It's a bit messy but it's the only thing I've found that Merlin won't spit out. I make a little ball around the pill and stick it as far back in his mouth as I can - he smacks his lips and swallows it, and then I let him lick the cheesy mess off of my fingers. He loves it! Good luck - hope Ducky's feeling better soon!

You're welcome . And seriously, what is it with some vets being so dense about hooks? I'm sorry, but I really think that vets should be expected to understand the life cycles of common parasites and know that monthly Heartgard Plus will not necessarily prevent hookworm. If your boy seemed better while on the Panacur, that alone should be a pretty big clue for your vet! You may have already seen zombrie's thread about what she's gone through with her Doolin, but if not here's a link to a post there that might be helpful. Re dosing schedule, I believe you can give multiple rounds two weeks apart rather than three, and you'll want a fecal about two weeks after the last round. JMO, but I'd probably dose both dogs while you're at it, and I'd also be inclined to hold off on any food changes (unless you want to feed a homecooked bland diet for while) until you've ruled out/knocked out any parasites. Good luck!

After seeing this, I went back to read your previous thread - can I ask whether you ever got through a full course of panacur? As mentioned by others in your last thread, this really does sound like hookworm (or another parasite, but since we've dealt with hooks here I tend to suspect them first). Especially since your other pup seems to be showing similar symptoms? The bloody diarrhea and refusal to eat or drink are the two major symptoms our boy showed when he was suffering from a severe hookworm infestation. I should note that he'd had at least two negative fecal floats in the weeks prior to the one that finally showed hooks. For some reason, our vet seemed surprised by this, but apparently it's not at all uncommon. The metronidazole is effective against bacteria and giardia but does nothing for worms, and monthly heartworm preventatives aren't enough to stop an acute infestation of GI worms. In any case, although you should of course talk with your vet, you do NOT need a prescription for Panacur and there's no need to use the liquid formulation. You can buy the granules (either Panacur C or Safe-Guard) at pet stores, vet's offices, or any online pet pharmacy. These are simply sprinkled onto food and they seem quite palatable to my boy, though you will need to get him to eat something to dose him. If worms are the culprit, he should start feeling better in a few days.

I'm so glad to hear that you've found the cause of your boy's misery and that it's treatable! (Though I'm surprised that your vet didn't check this first, especially since Doolin had hookworms before .) Hooks are nasty little buggers, and unfortunately are tough to get rid of completely. Our boy also had them shortly after coming home and went through multiple rounds of treatment. The life cycle is many weeks long, and the larvae can "encyst" in muscle or other tissue and hang out there, in a dormant state, for quite a while. Eventually they "wake up" and migrate to the gut, where they wreak their havoc. De-worming meds only kill the worms that are present in the GI tract at the time of treatment, so multiple rounds of panacur (or whatever you're using) are usually a good idea. Some people (we are in this group now) end up giving a round of de-wormer every few months to prevent recurrence. In any case, your Doolin should be feeling better pretty quickly once those nasties are killed off - best of luck to you both!

Thanks very much!

Oooh, I'm green with envy - but very glad to hear that others' pups are doing well on Nature's Domain. I've been wanting to try it since reading about it last year but our local Costco doesn't stock it. And the staff there had never heard of it, couldn't find it in their system, and couldn't tell us anything about when/whether they might carry it in future. Any MA peeps know of a Costco here that is currently stocking ND? CT folks - would you mind sharing the locations where you've found it? Might have to pick some up on one of our trips through ...

We've taken Merlin on several road trips in the past year and have stayed in hotels two or three times with no problems. We always take his bed and his crate along and crate him if we leave the room (and put the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door). As mentioned above, some hotels will not allow you to leave a dog in the room unattended, others will allow it as long as the dog is quiet, and some require that unattended dogs be crated. If we're staying just one night in a hotel we generally don't leave him alone, though we have gone out for a family brunch and he was fine in the hotel room for a couple of hours. We have also rented a vacation house for a longer period and he was fine being crated while we went out for dinner, etc. Re hotels specifically, lots of good advice here already! IMO the best thing is to research accommodations carefully ahead of time to see what the pet policies are at a specific property - one starting point for this is dogfriendly.com. Although a given hotel chain might have a general pet policy, specifics vary at individual locations so be sure to speak directly with the property where you'll be staying. The biggest issues we've run into are "pet-friendly" hotels with exorbitant nightly pet fees and size limits - e.g., some won't accept any dogs over 50lbs (this one really annoys me). Some don't allow pets on the beds/furniture, but even if they do you might bring a blanket or sheet for your dog to lie on (I wouldn't want my dog on those bedspreads anyway ). For the rest, when traveling we try to keep as many things constant as possible: his regular food, treats, and toys come with us, meals are at roughly the same times (even if that means he eats at a rest area on the interstate), we stop frequently for breaks when driving, etc. So far we've only traveled all together (me, DH, and pup), but if there were only one human I would absolutely take an extra set of car keys so you can leave the engine/AC running if necessary. Cell phone number on ID tags is a must, and I'd strongly suggest microchipping if you haven't already. In general, if your pup doesn't have special issues at home then he/she should be just fine traveling with you! We had to travel unexpectedly just a couple of weeks after we got Merlin and were quite worried about how he'd do - when we called our adoption group for advice the director said "Well, he's a greyhound, he'll go where you go!" Spot on, as usual .

So, one other thought - you indicated that you took his crate down around the time this started and that the crate used to be in the bedroom where he's now spending lots of time. Is it possible that he's retreating to that room in response to the crate disappearing? I mention this because when we took Merlin's crate down, he also hadn't been going in it much at all for a couple of weeks and we figured he didn't need it anymore. We also left a bed in the spot where the crate had been, and for the next few weeks he spent a LOT of time in that bed, way more time than he'd previously been spending in the crate or in that room in general. We wondered if he was sort of "claiming" his safe spot? ETA that of course, as you say he could just have decided to hate the living room .

This is what I've been thinking about our own experience. After about 6 months with us, Merlin discovered the futon couch in our guest room upstairs. We had been keeping the door to that room closed due to ongoing renovations, but after the new windows were installed we opened it, and he went straight for that couch and never looked back! Shortly after this we also took his crate down for good, after gradually giving him access to more and more of the house when we were gone, using baby gates, etc. He has never even tried to get on any of our other furniture - he seems to view the living room couch, our bed, etc. as our space. He has comfy beds of his own in various rooms throughout our house, but that futon couch in our guest room is absolutely his favorite spot now, and that's where he spends most of his "down-time" whether we're home or not. We try not to take it personally and figure that's just him being an independent houndie who likes to have his own (quiet) space. Makes those times, like right now, when he chooses to snooze in the living room with me instead of upstairs by himself even sweeter .

Hi chimni - welcome to GT! Doggfather, thank you very much for posting this info and for providing a link to the clinical description. In all of the reading I've done about retired racers in the year since we adopted our boy, I don't recall ever having heard of this condition before. As always, the knowledge and experience shared by folks like you is much appreciated! To the OP, let me say that I personally would be inclined to take these words rather seriously. If this apparently rapid weight loss is what you observed, then before you start worrying about what or how much you're feeding, you might want to rule out a medical issue first. This is good news! But I did notice that the symptoms of "subacute exertional rhabdomyolysis" (on the site Doggfather linked) are considerably more subtle, and that recovery requires both time and treatment. And not to be an alarmist, but it also appears that the subacute form can progress to the more serious forms, e.g. with subsequent strenuous exercise...so it may be worth discussing with your vet just to be sure? As for exercise regimes, a couple of things: first, you said your girl is not right off the track, but had been in foster care for 8 months prior to coming home with you. Can you find out from her foster family how much, and what kind of, exercise she'd been getting? This might help you figure out how to devise a good plan for her and whether you need to build up her stamina, etc. Secondly, I agree with others here that 4 minutes of full-out sprinting seems like a LOT, and if your dog has been off-track for months she might not be well-conditioned for running at this point. Of course your girl wants to run - it's what she's built for and what she knows! But just for reference, my boy, who's 3 and ridiculously energetic, walks anywhere from 3-5 miles per day in good weather and at least 2 miles per day in bad. In the fenced field, he might play and "run" (er, gambol?) around for 15-30 minutes, but sprinting is limited to 2-3 bursts of 30-45 seconds each. He would go longer if we let him, but that's more than enough to wear him out, at least for that day . Lastly, on food and worms: 5-6 cups per day seems like a lot of kibble (any kind of kibble) for a 60 lb pup. My active 75 lb boy eats about 4 cups of kibble per day (his is ~25% protein), plus a couple spoonfuls of add-ins and a few treats. If your girl is not gaining weight on 5-6 cups/day, I'd definitely do a fecal to check for intestinal parasites. You can't always tell from the poop . As an aside - my Merlin has the same reaction to freshly fallen snow, and always wants to run in it even when leashed. I too have wondered if the feel of it under his paws reminds him of sand at the track!!

Yes, I believe this is the antibiotic that's been tried - the generic name is azithromycin. I'm pretty sure I read about it here in another corn thread several months back. As someone said upthread, it's thought that corns may be viral so it's hard to know how an antibiotic would help, BUT - this particular antibiotic has shown some efficacy in treating canine oral papillomas ("puppy warts", see linky), which are definitely viral in origin. One possible explanation for its efficacy against COPV is that there's also an underlying bacterial component that either contributes to the lesion itself or prevents the immune system from fighting the virus. The down-side to azithromycin is that apparently it's really expensive . ETA that I'm sorry your girl is suffering from this blasted thing - hope the procedure is a huge success and that she feels better soon!

Just wanted to clarify that these are two distinct classes of antibiotics. Doxycycline is a tetracycline antibiotic, amoxicillin (like ampicillin, penicillin) is a beta-lactam antibiotic. They are generally not used interchangeably. I think that amoxicillin is what's usually given for lepto, but I would want to run the lepto test so you know for sure what you're dealing with. I don't know anything about valley fever except that it's a fungal, not bacterial, disease. I would think that would need to be treated with an antimycotic (antifungal) rather than an antibiotic ...another reason why you might want to do more testing to be sure. Hope your boy feels better soon!