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Yes! We handled him everyday since puppyhood. We did 'puppy torture time' where we'd pull his tail, give a treat, touch his feet, give a treat, look in his ears, give a treat, etc. Like I said, it's not the 'typical' handling issues. It's his belly and sides. Also, if your hand is moving, it's okay. But if your hand stops, it results in an immediate growl. My guess is that it's a fear of being restrained? Definitely not space issues, because he's VERY cuddly. Wants to be on top of you, with his face on top of your face. His anxiety didn't start manifesting until maybe a year ago. He was a really rambunctious puppy, and extremely high energy. But he hit a weird fear stage around 18 months, and it's gradually gotten worse. I didn't start noticing the leash reactivity until Grapehounds last year, which would've been the end of July (he was 23 months then). ETA: I take that back. DBF reminded me that he did have some snarky episodes at GIG last year at the reception. He was 20 months then.

ETA: Jen, the only Reactive Rover I could find near us is the GROWL class at a place called Misty Pines. I've heard some bad reviews that the head trainer uses shock collars on the dogs' necks and genitals. They also do a dog boot camp where you send your dog away for a week to be trained. I don't believe in that stuff. Looks like I'm out of luck unless I can find something similar. I'll look into the Peaceful Paws weekend. Also, are you going to Grapehounds VA? Any chance you'd want to evaluate him?

Yes! This is all great info. I'd be willing to do any class/seminar that's within reasonable driving distance. Also, I do think his meds probably need tweaking. He gets 40 mg Prozac and a low dose Valium for very stressful situations. Problem is, I can't find a specialist in the Pittsburgh area, and our regular vet isn't really an expert in behavioral mod drugs. The Prozac did eliminate his compulsive licking, but everything else is pretty much the same. He also cannot tolerate Xanax or Ace- he gets a total opposite reaction. Could you recommend anyone that's close to me who could help with the med situation? If you can cross-post thus with your trainer colleagues, that would be helpful as well. I should also mention that Truman's anxiety isn't just dog-related. We're unable to touch him in certain ways (i.e. he growls and snaps if any part of his side/belly is touched). He cannot be easily restrained. He freaks out if your feet touch him. He's overly friendly with some people, but scared to death of others. He has A LOT of strange hang-ups. All of this stuff combined does make me believe that, either genetically or inherently, he is an anxious dog by nature. I strongly believe it's (at least in part) the result of over-breeding and in-breeding in AKC lines, but... I digress, that's another topic for another day. Thanks everyone for your stories and tips. Truman is a good boy, and I love him so much. He makes me laugh all the time. I just get frustrated, and I want to do right by him.

Here's a little bit of background on Truman, my 2.5-year-old AKC greyhound. We've had him since puppyhood. He came home at 15-weeks-old (so not a teeny baby, but still very young). Since then, he's been trained and socialized on a regular, structured basis. For the first two years of his life, I continuously had him in obedience classes. At home, he's a sweet and happy dog, but he doesn't do well in high-stress situations or when his schedule is interrupted. He's always been what I call "nervy," but his anxiety seemed to hit an all-time high in the last year. A large part of his anxiety is leash-related. He's either too excited with other dogs (jumping, pulling, barking), or too frightened (snapping, growling, baring teeth). Although we've continued doing positive reinforcement training with him, he gets very stressed on-leash to the point that he refuses treats. For the record, I've tried an assortment of high-value (people food) treats. He'll take the treat in his mouth, then spit them back out. We stopped doing obedience classes after I felt he was no longer getting positive experiences. Almost every class would result in an above-threshold growling and snapping incident. On walks, I have to keep a fair distance between him and other dogs. The only thing I've had success with in breaking his focus is the "hurry, hurry, hurry!" command. When we see another dog coming toward us, we pretty much just run in the other direction to avoid an incident. I should also mention that it's not every dog (or every type of dog) that causes him stress. With certain dogs, he's fine. With others, he's immediately tense. With others still, he'll decide he likes them one minute (will play and act fine), then he unpredictably changes his mind and snaps. I say all this because I want whoever's reading to know that I really did everything by-the-book with Truman. But after two years, seven obedience classes, and a combination of medication and training, I'm ready to accept that this is just the way he is. I really feel that Truman's behavior and anxiety is an ingrained part of him, like autism in people, or spookiness in dogs. I can try to manage it, but I don't believe he can be "fixed." The most frustrating thing I'm dealing with is that Truman is hard to handle at large greyhound events, like GIG and Gettysburg, where there are A LOT of unfamiliar dogs in one place. Even though he's a greyhound, he acts very un-greyhound-like. I do feel the need to muzzle him for his safety and the safety of other dogs, even though I do feel like the muzzle generates more anxiety. The other frustrating part is that he does not settle- if we're at an activity that requires waiting or standing around, he starts pacing and pulling the leash. It's very embarrassing, and it makes me wonder if people are judging me and my ability to train him. I've had people ask, "Is he brand new?" and they're shocked to find out that we've had him for years! It feels super frustrating to be the person with the mean dog who lacks training. It's a dilemma, because my other dog LOVES events. It's also something I enjoy, and I feel like it's an enriching experience for both of us. Last month for Sandy Paws, I tried leaving Truman at home and taking just Henry. But that's no good either, because Truman has separation anxiety from us. At home, he still exhibits high stress behaviors like destructiveness, depression, and moping. I just don't know what to do! I'm not sure if I'm asking for help, as much as I just need to vent about things. I love Truman, but sometimes it sucks having a special needs dog.

Just now seeing this... So sorry for your loss, Roseann.

I am so very sorry... Carl was such a special guy. What a beautiful tribute.

Yep, you're exactly right. We had bloodwork done right before every chemo treatment, then follow-up bloodwork 7-10 days afterwards. The chemo causes the WBC count to drop off in that time. So they need to make sure that the low value isn't *too low* otherwise, the dog may need antibiotics.

She looks thin to me, but she's still quite young. Large breed dogs take a long time to mature. I raised my boy Truman from 15-weeks-old, and it took FOREVER for him to fill out. He had prominent hip points and dino-spine until he hit the 2-year-old mark. He probably looked his worst around 12-16 months (the quintessential gangly adolescent phase). FWIW, I got the 'your dog is too skinny' comments constantly. I even had a vet tell me once that he was severely underweight, and that I should double his food intake. If she's eating well, and there's not any health or parasite issues, I'd just let her fill out on her own.

Another vote for muzzle + stoolguard.

Bloodwork everytime- the white cell counts have to be high enough to receive treatment. If they're too low, the dog can get very sick.

Hahahahahahaha! I want YOU to want ME!

I didn't mean for my first post to sound like I was recommending a 'wait and see' approach. Although it doesn't sound like osteo to me, it could be. Or it could still be something else very serious that needs surgery, activity restriction, and the right type of medication. There's such a wide range of pain meds out there- it's hard to know what's appropriate unless you know exactly what you're dealing with. If you can swing it financially, I'd get the x-rays and send them to Dr. Couto ASAP. He can look at the films and tell you in two minutes if it's osteo or not- many vets aren't able to diagnosis as efficiently as he can. One other thing I want to mention if (God forbid) it ever does come to this. I know a lot of people don't want to put their dogs through lots of heroic efforts when it comes to cancer. They'd rather let them live out the remainder of their life peacefully and just let whatever's going to happen happen. I will tell you with honesty that osteo isn't the kind of cancer you can do that with. Not only is it one of the most painful types of cancer, it puts the dog in constant risk of fractures and broken bones. In the end, most osteo dogs will need a great deal of pain management and help getting across the bridge. I encourage you to at least get a diagnosis, then go from there. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that you're dealing with something else less serious.

Here's my quick and dirty rundown of OSA. In osteosarcoma, the cancer pretty much eats through the bone, resulting in what's called osteolytic lesions. If the x-ray is clear (and you have a good, savvy vet to interpret them), osteo can be diagnosed from the shadowy, black areas on the films. From there, it's a fast spread first to the lungs, then to other systems of the body. After time, it can pop up in another leg. By the that time that happens, there are other obvious symptoms (lameness, pain, swelling, decreased appetite, abnormal bloodwork, etc.) Now, I say *generally* because there are a lot of different factors at play. Sometimes, the dog's limp isn't long or severe. Sometimes it takes multiple x-rays before a diagnosis can be made. Sometimes the metastases is a slow progression. You get the picture. Just based on your description, though, it doesn't really sound like osteo to me. Here's why I say that. Your vet had to have taken x-rays at the time of the original break, and then he then did surgery to repair the bone. If it was osteo, I'd find it a little odd that he didn't notice any abnormalities during the surgery or post-op. It would be unusual that your dog could have osteo in two legs without any other symptoms. I've heard of osteo dogs going several months of limping on and off, however (if I'm understanding correctly), you're saying your dog has been limping on and off on two legs for over a year. Even dogs who have been treated aggressively amputation and chemo generally only live 6-12 months after diagnosis. It would be very rare for an osteo dog to live over a year without any treatment. Long-term limping is more indicative of a balance/gait issue (in greyhounds, these are often the result of old racing injuries). With that being said, I would take the advice of others here and have x-rays done for your own piece of mind. If you're still worried about it, get a consultation done with Dr. Couto. This is really the only way you'll know for sure.

Missing Link! I've been using the skin and coat formula for awhile. Results are QUICK. I find it easier, cheaper, and less messy than oil too.

Sorry to say this, but it looks like osteo to me as well. Osteosarcoma is VERY common in retired racing greyhounds. Yes, it's fast-progressing, but you can't use length or severity of limp as a criteria for diagnosis. Bone biopsies are inaccurate a lot of the time too. According to our veterinary oncologist, the chances of an osteolytic bone lesion in a greyhound being anything other than OSA (or some other kind of cancer) are 10-1. Your best bet is a consult with Dr. Couto ASAP. Keeping my fingers crossed for you .

Charlie has been a huge inspiration for us from the bridge. Seeing his happy photos on three legs was a big reason we chose amputation for Henry.

Interesting! Many people on this forum have Spanish greyhounds (galgos), but I've only seen a few GT'ers with Irish hounds. Come to think of it, *I think* you're the first person I've heard of in the U.S. with an Irish hound (ones with Irish racing lines, yes, but none actually from Ireland). Is there someone from your group who vacations in Ireland, and brings the dogs back on his/her ticket?

Yep, 100% agree with the above poster. It sounds like a bad reaction to opiate-based pain meds. They can also have similar reactions to sedatives or anti-anxiety meds (my Truman can't do Xanax, Ace, or anything in that drug family). It's a very scary experience. Truman had to be hospitalized and get IV fluid therapy because the meds made his blood pressure and heart rate so high. I'd call the vet ASAP and see if they can switch her to something else.

Just want to pop in and say that I've tried at least five different kibbles, and I always come back to Iams green bag. It seems to be the "magic poop-firming" food for many people on this forum. I'd probably try reducing the amount of food and/or breaking it up into smaller meals before switching.

So cool! Just wondering, how did you get an Irish pup? Was he a stud dog?

Totally understandable. I would never fault anyone for not pursuing treatment if they couldn't afford it. We were lucky enough to have pet insurance that covered 90% of Henry's treatment, otherwise, we'd be in the exact same boat. The chemo itself isn't terribly expensive, but everything starts adding up when you factor in the cost of additional bloodwork, chest x-rays, prophylactic medications, and various oncology consults. We did five rounds, and each one was between $300-$500. Even though we're totally done with chemo, we're still not out of the woods yet financially. Our oncologist wants Henry monitored and tested every three months for the next year. If you're using a big vet practice or a university, there might be a nonprofit available to help defray the cost. You could also apply for Care Credit, which is essentially a credit card that allows you to make zero interest payments over a period of time. I'm sure they'll discuss those options with you.

We were in the same position with Henry. Our oncologist said (for lack of better words), it would be really stupid and a huge waste not to do chemo. The amputation gets rid of the initial pain from the osteolytic lesions, but all it does is buy you some time. It doesn't stop the cancer from spreading. A lot of people associate chemo with our ideas of "human chemo" (i.e. constantly feeling sick, vomiting, hair loss). But in canines, the dose is significantly less. The most common symptoms are diarrhea and nausea, however, those are managed well by prophylactic medications. Here is my Henry running (far left) and playing a day after his fourth chemo treatment. If you can afford to proceed with the chemo treatments, I would. You've already come so far. The worst part is over.

Yeah, it's a pill. Everytime we've had it, it's been 1.5 pills twice a day for a week.

Yep, I would. Best to take care of it now before it gets worse. The last thing you want is an e-vet visit if he would become severely dehydrated and need IV fluids.

Poor thing. I agree that the diarrhea is probably attributed to the parasites, not the food or the Panacur. But I'd definitely ask for some Flagyl at this point. Having prolonged diarrhea for more than a few days can turn into a much bigger problem.