sarabz

Some time ago I read something that stuck in my mind - to paraphrase, "whomever loves the least controls the relationship". It was talking about marriage but in reality it applies to every relationship. In this instance, it's your wife who doesn't love the dog, and since she is not willing to provide a safe, comfortable home for the dog, then the dog needs to go somewhere where he WILL have a safe, comfortable, loving home. I'm sorry you're faced with this. FWIW, we have a now 10 y.o. grey with moderate prey drive (has caught and killed birds, will chase critters outside etc) and a toddler who is just under 2. No issues with them whatsoever but we also have been very, very careful in managing their interactions and giving Bella lots of love and affection and walks and time just for her.

Teri, we adopted our girl from GFNJ and we're contemplating a second (before DH put the brakes on for some legit reasons). However, I will say that GFNJ is VERY good at helping you pick the right pooch, so if Linda Lyman suggests a pup, even if one you might not have considered, definitely listen.

I'm happy to report that a mix of Capstar (3 doses, 1 about every 6 days), 2 baths with Zodiac Oatmeal Conditioning Shampoo (kills fleas and ticks and left her coat really soft and shiny and smelling good), washing all bedding in hot water, using Zodiac powder on carpets and upholstery and finally Bravecto chewable oral med/preventative, I think our flea issue is gone. Will definitely be more vigilant in the future. Bella tolerated the Bravecto very well. I did split it into 2 doses and gave each with her meals.

Bella is 65# and she gets about 2.5 cups a day of a high protein, grain free, high calorie, high end food. She also gets an XL Kong with pumpkin, yogurt, peanut butter which adds up to another dose of calories. She still always looks for food. She gets 2- 3 walks a day, probably about a mile total most days. She is 10 and in great weight, good shape.

I'm a little concerned that you know this well enough to make this a specific comparison

Oh my goodness Tricia, I had no idea. You and Burke and Murray (and Bee Wiseman, whose name, I will have you know, is not autocorrected by my device ) are so special to me because you were among the first to welcome me to GT and our first SS. Your photos and stories of Murray and Bee Wiseman and now Holly are so wonderful. I'm so glad Murray has done so well with his treatments.

I'm in tears - that was an amazing tribute.

I've read a ton about HP in this forum and it seems to be the best value for the price. I wish I could do a more customized (read: lower premium) price for my older girl but it still might be best. I'm finding that the truly catastrophic things don't happen often but we've now been to the vet several times over the past couple of months for little things that are adding up quickly, at $200 - $300 per visit (for tests, xrays, meds, etc etc etc).

I've seen a lot of comments about good experiences with Healthy Paws. I'm trying to compare quotes for a potential new addition. POTENTIAL. That being said - 2 year old male greyhound (of course) A sample of quotes so far - $38 for Healthy Paws (80% coverage, $250 deductible, routine care essentially excluded) $72 for Trupanion ($250 deductible, routine care essentially excluded), $50 for Nationwide, formerly VPI (would also cover up to $500/year for a variety of things including $75 toward vaccinations, $120 toward routine exams, $95 toward flea/tick care, etc/$32 without this additional). Another $9/month with VPI/Nationwide would also give us accident coverage for Bella, maybe not a bad thing as she ages. But now that she has been diagnosed with lumbosacral stenosis, they may use that to exclude a lot. Could also get the routine coverage. So both dogs with some routine expenses at least partially covered for the same amount as Trupanion? Of course, all of the sites have grids "comparing" each plan to show that theirs is the best but I'm having a hard time seeing some of the details of plans. For examples, one site claims that VPI's deductible is per incident, not per year but I'm not seeing that anywhere in the quote from VPI (obviously may have changed). It's a little challenging to find out all of the details/fine print for each plan. GAH! Help appreciated

I'm so sorry.

I'm so sorry - you absolutely did your best. Heartbroken for you.

So sorry

Oh, we were using Frontline Plus

Well.... I have had pets all of my life and this is the first time I've ever had a flea problem. In the past we've used flea collars with great success but also lived in a very rural area. We now live in a suburban neighborhood with some wildlife (birds, occasional skunks, raccoons), a number of dogs in the neighborhood, and some lawn/backyard. We have been using Frontline (fipronil) which I've heard is losing it's effectiveness against fleas. That seems to be the case because Bella spent a week with 3 other dogs at my dad's house and they didn't get fleas - they're on Nexguard. Going forward, I'm definitely going to be using a flea med. I now definitely want to prevent versus clean up. Thought I'd weigh in

Well, no advice there!

I thought I'd check and see if people are still having f issues. Any more feedback on the Kirkland foods?

Thanks all! Turned out to be no big deal, one of the techs even recommended a particular pharmacy.

You should know that most groups in the US require adopters to agree to never let their hounds off leash in an unfenced area, so there are a lot of people here who will say "never, no exceptions ". Just wanted to throw that out since I don't remember seeing it specifically mentioned. That's not to say you should disregard the people saying never, just know part of where it comes from. We've had it hammered in that it is not something we can ever, ever do because of the nature of sighthounds.

Thanks all! Will ask my vet about it. I just changed vets - the previous one really pushed buying all the meds (heartworm etc) at their office and made me feel badly about not doing so (one of the many reasons I changed).

I feel like I should know the answer but I've never had a pet on monthly maintenance meds that are expensive through the vet. I could save a fair amount of money by ordering online but what's the best way to ask my vet for a prescription rather than buying through them. I would think most vets would be ok with this, right? Or maybe not since it impacts their income? Also, I've looked at a number of the threads here about prescriptions and ordering recommendations, so will really check those out. Thanks!

Beautiful tribute, I'm so sorry for your loss.

Inadequate words, but i, too, am so very sorry.

Beautiful. I'm so sorry for your loss.

I'm so sorry.

I recently had a thread on the same topic which has some good ideas from GTers. http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/313704-when-to-be-concerned-with-hind-end/?hl=hind