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So sorry you are going through this... When you say "not herself," do you mean that she's restless/agitated/pacing/panting on Tramadol? A lot of greys are sensitive to opiate-based pain meds. It can dilate their pupils and make them appear almost like they're drunk. If that's the case, you can ask your vet to give you another medication, like Valium or Xanax, to combat the feels of restlessness. If she's just sleepy and more or less "out of it," I wouldn't decrease her dose without consulting a vet who has had firsthand experience treating dogs with osteo. OSA is so unbelievably painful. Humans who have experienced it say that it's THE most painful cancer you can have. If you're going with the palliative option, you really have to stay ahead of the pain... even if it means that they don't really act themselves anymore.

Woo!

Sam's Club!

Same. I have one who naturally has good teeth (Henry) and one with naturally bad (Truman). They both get brushed daily + water additive + dental chewies. I use Dental Fresh as a water additive. I can get the big daddy gallon jug of Dental Fresh on Amazon for cheap.

I second everything that's already been recommended. For us, these were the high points... Definitely make sure you give Amicar for several days pre-amp to help control the bleeding. Stock up on pain meds to include Gabapentin (nerve pain), something opiate-based like Tramadol (acute pain), and Rimadyl (NSAID). If your dog has a history of opiate sensitivity (lots of greyhounds do), let the vet know, as they may want to prescribe something like Valium to counteract any unmanageable feelings of agitation and restlessness. The amount of medication he'll be on post-surgery will be staggering. My boy was on three different pain meds, in addition to meds for anti-nausea, anti-diarrhea, an antibiotic, a probiotic, etc. Do yourself a favor and buy one of those Medi-Minder containers to divide up the pills ahead of time. I also found it helpful to have two gel-type ice packs in the freezer. For the first week or so, we did cold compress every 4-6 hours and therapeutic massage to combat the swelling. Made a huge difference. Section off a room or a space for your dog to recover that's away from any other pets and potential disturbances. We set up a makeshift "hospital room" for Henry in our living room, which included a kid's sized inflatable air mattress with bumpers. The incision did seep for the first few days, so I had a steady stream of clean linens at the ready. As the others have said, the first two weeks were the worst. I lived in the living room so I could restrict his activity and pain levels. And lastly, try to get as mentally prepared as possible. I found it really helpful to look at photos and videos of greyhounds post-amp... It's a really a gruesome surgery. A gnarly incision, lots of fluid retention, and black and blue bruising. The dog's movements are completely different, a little strange-looking. Some will develop abscesses and infections. Even though it was very hard seeing *my dog* that way, knowing what to expect made things a little easier. Good luck! Keep us updated!

Spider bites seem to be becoming more and more common, and they always pop up on the wrist. My guy had one that was gnarly- made him completely lame and caused the wrist to swell to the size of a tangerine. If this happened very suddenly with your girl, I'm inclined to say insect bite, in which case you can treat with Benedryl and warm compress. Get to the vet ASAP, though. Limping + greyhounds in the same sentance is not good... not something you want to wait and see with.

They can still drink with the stool guard on. They just need a large enough bowl that's fairly full. They have to be able to dip the muzzle in.

The times in the past when he's growled at other dogs, did you respond by raising your voice, tightening up his leash, or forcefully pulling him away? Almost every owner dealing with leash reactivity makes these mistakes, and it inadvertently makes the problem worse. It's a very easy mistake to make. The owner's reaction is to get them separated ASAP before a fight breaks out. However, by doing this, you send the message that 'every time I see other dogs, I get a correction that I don't like.' And the dog starts to regard every other dog as a potential aversive. The best way to 'correct' the behavior is through positive association and reinforcement. Start slow- 15 feet away- reward for calm behavior and try to get him focused on you. Gradually get closer and closer. If he makes a mistake, go back to the last place he felt comfortable. There are several threads on this board that can offer more detailed training regimens regarding 'look at me' and 'look at that' exercises. Accept the possibility that your dog may never feel comfortable doing face-to-face introductions, and that's okay too. It does make him a bad dog. The 'aggression' is not macho behavior or his way of dominating others. It's almost certainly the result of apprehension, insecurity, and one too many bad experiences. I hate to say it... but absolutely no more dog parks. Lots of people love them ('I just love watching my dog run!), but trust me, it's probably more rewarding for you than the dog. If he's snarling and lunging, the behavior has escalated to a level that is dangerous for everybody. Be an advocate for your dog, and try not to set him up for situational where he's bound to fail. Leash walking gives you the ability to better control the situation. A dog park, on the other hand, can be highly unstable for dogs of different ages, training levels, personalities, and play styles. In your case especially, it sounds like an accident waiting to happen. Good luck!

I have one too. Totally obsessed! He turned a tiny case of happy tail into chronic infected and eventually necrotic tissue. It required a partial tail amputation. Muzzle with a stool guard 24/7. We also put him on Valium for a few weeks to keep him calm and somewhat sedated. It sounds extreme, but he would've done much more damage on his own.

The knuckling under of the toes suggests something nerve-related. I'd probably check for a spinal injury- pinched nerve or the like.

So sad.

Adorable!!!!

Glad to hear about your progress! I just wanted to make one comment about belly bands. They're training tools that are really just intended for dogs who mark, not dogs who aren't housetrained. The difference is that markers will generally lift their leg and pee a bunch of times, but only a small amount. The belly band acts as a deterrant because it provides the dog with an immediate "correction." Not only does it not allow the pee to escape and mark the intended item, it also causes an unpleasant sensation. The idea is that with enough corrections, the dog stops marking. Then if necessary, you can reintroduce the tool if the dog is ever put in a new situation where he might have the urge to mark (a hotel room, friend's house, etc.) If your guy is saturating the belly band everyday, or multiple times a day, that's a cause for concern. The stale pee just sits there against the dog's body, creating a huge breeding ground for bacteria. If he didn't have a UTI before, the belly band could certainly be causing him to get recurrent infections now. I know it's more convenient to have the pee concentrated in one area, but training-wise, I don't think this is your best option long-term. IMHO, you'd be better off do a few days of intensive training using the umbilical method. You tether the dog to your waist with a leash, then absolutely do not let him out of your sight. If you see him try to pee, immediately interrupt, then take him outside. Reward every outside pee with treats and praise. I haven't read all of the updates, but if you're finding that the peeing is more SA-related (i.e. the act of you leaving is a clear-cut trigger for his accidents whether it be five hours or five minutes), you may need to re-think an alone training regime and a confinement method that works for him. Since he can't be crated, you could try gating him in a room that has floors that are easy to clean. Kitchens usually work well. Good luck!

I think most vets are using Clomicalm as a first line choice in SA. That may be something to try if that's her only anxiety trigger. My boy takes 40mg Fluoxetine daily, but not for SA. His is a more generalized anxiety (reactivity to other dogs, excessive grooming, low thresholds, doesn't like to be handled certain ways). We never experienced any adverse side effects with him. For the first few weeks, we questioned whether the meds were doing anything at all. Then, a few months later, we reconvened with the vet and talked about the positive changes. I'm happy with the progress.

It's called collar rub. It's not indicative of any health problems. Most likely, it's just an aesthetic issue and won't bother him at all. Is he wearing a martingale collar 24/7? If so, switch to collars for walks only.

I used to be very pro- dog park. In the first two years of his life, I took Truman to the dog park on an almost daily basis. Literally, hundreds of times. The last time we went, he was attacked by a GSD. And while the physical damage wasn't bad, the traumatic experience permanently changed him. I started noticing hints of leash reactivity and fear around other dogs. It rapidly got worse. Now we're to the point where we can't go to dog parks, pet stores, or greyhound events because he has nervous meltdowns. We've tried to work through it with a great deal of training and positive reinforcement, but the damage is done. Before this, Truman had done eight obedience classes and even earned his CGC and Therapy Dog certificates. Now, his behavior is so unpredictable, we struggle just to walk past other dogs on walks. I think he will always have some inherent fear and distrust of other dogs. I guess my point is, you could go to the dog park a million times, but it only takes ONE time, ONE dog, or ONE bad experience to ruin everything.

A few fleas here and there isn't really a big deal. Most topical preventatives don't actually "repel" fleas- they work by killing the flea AFTER it bites. If you frequent heavily forested areas, it would make sense that you're occasionally seeing fleas. If you're really worried about it, you could switch to K9 Advantix (the only topical that repels). But unless you're seeing noticeable itching, scratching, and biting (fleas usually congregate on the lower back and base of tail), I wouldn't worry too much about it. BTW, the butt and neck hair loss you're describing sounds like typical greyhound alopecia. Many greys do not grow hair on their thighs. It's also very common to see hair loss on the neck due to collar rub. You might notice some improvement a few months post-retirement, but then again, you might not. It's not indicative of a more serious health problem... just one of those weird greyhound idiosyncrasies.

Stray cats and domesticated parrots.

Cat bites are the worst! My cat bit me on the hand once (totally my fault), and it got severely infected within a matter of hours. It was also very painful. It sounds like your vet did everything right. Clavamox (Augmentin) is the standard ABX protocol for cat bites. You may want to inquire about something for pain, though.

Thinking of you guys.

Oh wow!!! Those guys are absolutely adorable.

I did everything wrong with my first greyhound. I just kind of trusted that the adoption group was right, and that he was "cat safe." I didn't muzzle him or do any type of cat-training. It worked out fine. He's a perfect gentleman with the cats. OTOW, there are "cat safe" dogs and there are "cat trainable/workable/curious" dogs. I also had a foster kill a cat, which was mostly my fault because I let my guard down too easily. So to answer your question... it depends. Hopefully you'll end up with a dog who is "cat oblivious," but I definitely suggest using a muzzle and doing cat-training, at least in the beginning. Better safe than sorry.

Unfortunately, there are lots of greyhounds who don't do well on "high protein" foods either. For many, if the protein content is above 30%, you'll see lots of gas, diarrhea, and foul smelling breath. I've tried many quote/unquote premium brands (Blue Buffalo, Natural Balance, TOTW, Orijen), with bad results. I wanted them to work, but my boys both had constant diarrhea. I've always come back to IAMS green bag. It's 28% protein, which seems to be just fine for us.

Awww! What is her racing name? She reminds me a lot of my boy's littermate.

So sorry for your loss... Kebo was one in a million.