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Yeah, it seems very coincidental that the symptoms only occurred following the food switch. I would probably switch her back to the old food. If you don't want to do that, consider switching to a different food with the same protein source as the old food. In the meantime, keep the itchy areas clean and apply a topical ointment. If she continues to lick, you might need to muzzle. Keep us updated! I'm curious to see what happens.

Hahaha! Same thing here!

Knee bones!

Our two boys do wonderful on green bag. Their coats are sleek and shiny without having to add anything additional in. Never really had any problem with gas. We feed about two cups per meal.

Her energy level is the same, sometimes a ittle more crazy than usual. she has started chewing at her bum area and is missing a lot of hair around the base of her tail and she is red and irritated back there. also chewing at her back legs a lot as well. The other day I spotted a flea on her and I treated her for it, havent seen any since. maybe she has a flea allergy? Ooh, based on those two things, I would suspect food allergy. Is the protein source different between the old and new foods?

When I tried switching Henry to TOTW, he had some weird reaction to the protein source (bison and venison). He started licking his paws and bum and had real itchy skin. It could likely be due to the food switch. How is she doing otherwise (poops, energy level, etc.)? If everything else seems fine, you could try a skin coat supplement like fish oil. But it might be easier to find a food that agrees better with her.

Okay, so here's where we are after the vet appointment. They did a full blood panel and urinalysis. The urine came back normal, the results of the bloodwork should be in on Monday. There's a possibility something will show on the bloodwork (thyroid, etc.) which could explain the seizures. If not, then there a few other options to consider. I could do a consult with the neurologist at Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialty and think about having additional testing done to determine if it's epilepsy or another kind of brain issue. The vet is leaning toward epilepsy because Henry is showing no other symptoms or issues that would suggest impaired brain function. Brain tumors and encephalitis usually are accompanied by other noticeable symptoms. He's also been having the seizures off and on for several years, which wouldn't really correlate with another brain issue. Unfortunately, an MRI would be the only way to definitively rule out a tumor and testing in this area is extremely expensive. There may be a possibility that I could have him tested at a discount with University of Penn Veterinary or OSU. If I don't end up doing the neurology consult, we could take a "wait and see" approach and consider medication if/when the seizures start to get closer together. He recommended starting with phenobarbital if they would increase to 3-4 times per month. He also gave me information on Keppra. Because his seizures now are still mild (i.e. they typically last under two minutes and they are never clusters), he doesn't want to put him on meds just yet due to possible side effects. We could also try a vitamin therapy (with Vitamin A, B6, Selenium, and L-Taurine/L-Tyrosine animo acids) and see if that makes a difference. Fingers crossed for something manageable and not too serious.

I'm curious, what is it that you do exactly?

If you can get him used to the movement and motion of sitting, he'll start doing it without needing to be down first. Just make sure you are luring the treat backwards from his nose, forcing him to come up gradually into a sit. If you have to, walk into him with your foot between his front paws. A lot of people make the mistake of just raising the treat upwards, which gives the dog more room to fully stand up. Use a high-value treat, and click as soon as the sit takes place. In the beginning, I couldn't get Henry to sit for anything. I had to "tuck" him, as Valerie stated. Now he'll sit all day if there's treats to be had. ETA- doggie pushups are good practice!

I do understand where this is coming from- people are doing what they think is best for their pets, which includes feeding good food. But IMHO, all the natural, grain-free, holistic, organic foods are just a passing fad. Companies like Hills, Iams, and Purina have researched and produced pet food for decades. The whole "dogs are carnivores!" idea didn't come about until the last five years or so. Even my vet (who also practices holistic therapies like acupuncture and chiropractics) admits that most of it is a marketing scheme to guilt you into paying $60-$70 per bag for dog food. The truth is that dogs are omnivores. There is nothing wrong with grain being a staple in their diet. I think I speak from some experience when I say that it is difficult to make premium foods work for greyhounds. When I first adopted Henry almost three years ago, I tried the premium food route. After trying four different high-end brands, we were still battling constant diarrhea and general intestinal upset. I thought maybe it was because of his history as a racer, he had digestive intolerance from "track food." But as it turned out, I had terrible experiences feeding premium food to my 12-week-old greyhound puppy who never raced a day in his life.

Did you have to medicate Rainey? I've been avoiding it for a few years, but now I'm wondering if it might be that time. With her it wasn't the "regular" idiopathic epilepsy, she had something going wrong in her brain, her total personality and behavior changed (and just got worse and worse). I read about complex partials where their personality changes. Sorry to hear you went through that. Henry will be 5 in December, so I'm hoping we can narrow it down and manage it.

Did you have to medicate Rainey? I've been avoiding it for a few years, but now I'm wondering if it might be that time.

Very sorry to hear that you're going through this. Best wishes for recovery.

Vet appointment is scheduled tomorrow at 10AM. I'll post once we get some more information.

Henry had another seizure yesterday He's usually only had mild grand mals in the past, but this was a partial. He was standing for the duration of it, back legs shaking, and he lost control of his bladder and peed. He's never done this before. I thought I heard that it's uncommon for dogs to have varying types of seizures. The last time he seized, it was less than a month ago. I did a little bit of reading and from what I can gather, partial seizures only affect part of the brain and are commonly attributed to brain injuries. Whereas, grand mals affect the entire braind are more often associated with epilepsy. I'm going to take him into the vet to have bloodwork and possibly an MRI. Just wondering if anyone has had experience with their dog having both types of seizures.

YAY! So happy to hear this news. Go Jack!

I'm curious, does she seem more tired? Or just overall more reluctant?

So glad that other people are having luck with green bag! I also supplement my puppy with oatmeal. It's just regular quick-cook Quakers oats. I cook it in a rice cooker- one cup of oatmeal, one and a half cups water. It helps to add just a tiny bit of butter, otherwise the oatmeal gets a cement-like texture when it cools off. I've also been putting in a little bit of honey to make it more palatable, but you can also just mix it in with the kibble. Good luck!

Our thoughts are with Nancy during this sad and difficult time.

I dont agree about the "territory" issue. Greyhounds dont understand the concept of a territory to guard, hence the reason they are terrible guard dogs. This can be attributed to their upbringing as a pack animal and moved around frequently while racing. "Territorial" doesn't necessarily equate with "guarding." I mean "territorial" in the sense that the dog is the one trying to exhibit control of their space and surroundings. The issue arises when the dog feels that they are either losing or giving up control (which, you are right, 9 times out of 10 is fear-based). However, in the OP's case, I don't think a dog who has been in a home for three years would/should be fearful. It seems like this dog is trying to assert his dominance over his belongings and his space. I'm trying to point out that the answer is not as simple as "don't touch the dog on his bed." Ideally, you want your dog to be able to share their space without feeling threatened and resorting to aggression.

The first step is to try to pinpoint what kind of aggression this was. It could've been sleep aggression, but if you're sure he was 100% awake, then it's probably a territory issue. My dogs understand that mom is allowed to do whatever she wants to do, which includes things that are sometimes unpleasant (i.e. taking away a treat or toy, touching or manipulating an area that is sore, approaching the bed while they're lying down, etc). It's definitely something that can be worked through with desensitivization. Considering this is not an isolated incident, I would definitely muzzle him if you want to do training with the bed.

Has she ever had a seizure before?

My vet talked to me about this one time, and it actually is beneficial to have the other dog there. If Mazy were to just not come home, it's likely that Max would be upset and confused for awhile. If he is there, then he is able to see her body and understand that she is gone. It's really a personal choice, but for pairs that are particularly bonded, I would advise that the other dog be present.

How is Jack doing today?