a_daerr

To answer your question about baldness and nicks/scars, 100% normal and common for greyhounds. Racing is very high-endurance, combined with greyhound's lack of fur and thin skin. So most if not all retired racers bear some indicators of their racing life. But as the others said, you'll find that greyhounds do get small injuries even at home. My retired racer has way more scrapes and scars that were acquired after he'd been home for awhile. I call him my used car! My AKC puppy who came home at 15-weeks-old and started off in "perfect" AKC show quality. Now he has a ton of little marks now too. Little injuries are more obvious on a dog that isn't particular furry. I wouldn't jump to any conclusions based on that. Regarding shyness and skittishness, it's is very, very unlikely that your dog was abused. I think our society is quick to jump on the "abused dog" bandwagon everytime a dog is hand-shy or shows signs of space aggression. I never assume abuse until someone proves otherwise. As George mentioned, some dogs (and even entire litters) are just genetically "spooky." The main reason your dog may seem a little skittish now is because she's adjusting to home life. It's such a HUGE, monumental change. Most greys come home with their defenses up until they feel comfortable and safe (also 100% normal). Greys also are more subtle with their affection and need for human contact. So if you've previously owned any other breed, a greyhound will almost certainly come off as more aloof and shy. They're also quick to tell you when they're uncomfortable or don't like something. That's more of a breed trait than anything else.

I have a Siamese cat who is very dog-centered. One of my hounds is okay with that, the other prefers his space. I let them work it out amongst themselves. Henry had to growl/snap several times before the cat took the hint. I should also say, the cat was by no means traumatized from being on the receiving end of a snap. He still cuddles and hangs out with the other dog. In the end, he ended up learning which dog to pester and which one to leave alone.

Mine's on the list. I'll have to check the UPC. Thanks.

Ever since starting a new bag of green bag over the weekend, Henry has had awful gas. This is very unusual for him. Anyone know if there have been any recent recalls or formula changes?

Thinking of Nadir today... Any updates?

Nadir... Sending good thoughts for your boy.

Number one, I'd figure out if it's peeing or marking. Peeing could be a sign of anxiety, marking is something totally different. They both require different approaches. If you find that it's anxiety-related, she needs to make sure he's emptied out before getting in the car first. Short walk- watch to make sure he has at least one big pee. Then, there's some more training involved to desensitize the car and make it a happy/calm place. Probably not a good idea for her to be stern or "alpha" with him in this case, as this can aggravate the problem further. Marking, IMO, may be the more likely culprit though, since I imagine a dog walker's car is full of other dogs' scents. With marking, the dog leg-lifts and will try to squeeze any last drop of pee out, even if they've already gone two minutes prior. In this case, a belly band is a good idea. Also, it's okay to give a sharp "uh uh!" if she sees him moving to lift his leg.

Another green bag convert!

Here's the WWW one. http://wiggleswagswhiskers.com/Where-to-Buy.html

I'd have the vet do an ear cytology to check for yeast, infection, and mites. In the meantime, they will be able to give you anti inflammatory or steroid that can relieve the itching. Quick and dirty tips: Yeast is going to have a yeasty smell. Ear mite gunk will turn red (bloody) when you put it on a moist paper towel Excessive wax production usually presents in both ears, not just one. If everything in the cytology comes back negative, and his ears are getting gunked up on a regular basis, you're probably looking at a food allergy. I literally just went through this with my cat. He's 8-years-old, has eaten the same food for years. Out of nowhere, he began violently shaking his head and pawing at his ears. The test turned up nothing other than wax. After that, the cat specialist vet suggested switching to a novel protein (duck). Voila! Somehow, he developed an allergy to the food, which caused inflammation in the ears, which then causes an overproduction of wax. After a month on the new food, he's back to normal.

Truman came home at 15-weeks, and Henry was almost four. We definitely went through some similar behaviors. Sometimes the puppy enjoyed it and even instigated it (still does). Other times, I can tell he's a little scared, so I give my older guy a time out. My advice is to pay attention to your puppy's body language, tail position, ear position, facial expressions, and sounds. If he's got his tail tucked and looks frightened, then I'd step in and give him a little space. For everything else, I let them sort it out amongst themselves.

No, no, no!! I'm am heartbroken to see this here. I was another one of Possum's GT fans. So sorry that you did not get more time together... but I'm glad he had someone to love him in the end.

Yep... Probably not Bell's Palsy, since you mentioned the knuckling under of one foot. As Batmom said, that's indicative of a stroke.

FWIW, I think this is a really responsible and mature decision. I always knew I wanted two dogs, but I waited close about a year and a half before bringing in a second. Henry had some issues in the beginning with fear (similar to Mickey it seems). And I wanted to make sure he was 100% comfortable and adjusted before rocking the boat any further. We started obedience training and really liked it, which led to more obedience training, which led to therapy dog work. He was very happy being an only dog during that time. Then when the time was right, and Henry was where he needed to be, we made the decision to adopt again. Although having multiple dogs is fun, it is a lot of work and does bring some added stress. I applaud you for making the decision carefully, rather than impulse.

I went on a trip for four days, and according to DBF, the dogs acted restless and whiny the whole time. He said he tried to take them to the dog park, but they refused to run and just stood around uninterested. He also said that at the house, they would obsessively jump and run to the door, barking at the slightest sounds. This went on all weekend long. Then, when I finally did come home yesterday, Henry was so happy he couldn't contain himself. He started flying through the house at top speed. Truman had every toy out of his toy box, and brought all of them to me one by one. They were clearly ecstatic to see me again, and afterwards, they seemed to go back to normal. I don't really go away for extended periods of time. For the big vacations, we always take the dogs with us, but every once in awhile, I like to go do somewhere just for me... So I'm just wondering how everyone else's dogs act when you're away on vacation? Does it sound like my boys have mild SA? Is there anything I can do to make them more comfortable when I go away?

Absolutely. It seems like you have realistic expectations, and you're doing the right thing for everyone involved.

Are you sure she didn't pee? There have been two random times Truman has peed, and the urine was both odorless and colorless. If I didn't watch it happen both times, I could've swore it was drool. Once was after he went to the doggie pool and sucked down a ton of pool water. The other time, for no real reason. If the dog overloads on water, it can go through the body so fast that it doesn't have time to be processed in the kidneys. I never took him to the vet because it only happened twice, and he seemed fine otherwise. Other people on GT advised me that although kind of a fluke, it's normal and happens sometimes. If, however, you see her drooling excessively creating big pools of saliva, something might be wrong. Maybe a dental issue, maybe something else.

Yes! If it gives him a sense of comfort and security, by all means, let him have it.

Muzzle with a stool guard! Best thing ever. Prevents licking, not as clunky as an e-collar, and it allows the dog to still breathe and drink normally. I got mine at the GEM Store for $6!

There's differing opinions on this question. I think it will be fine to adopt when you're on break... however, as the others said, it will be important to practice alone training during that time. The worst thing you can do is to get the dog accustomed to you being home 24/7 only to abruptly change his or her schedule. Also, try to line up stuff like walks, feeding times, and bathroom breaks to what your schedule will be when you go back to school.

Never heard of Pepcid being used all the time as a preventative. I'd say either too much food or not the right food (or not the right vet).

My dog has no problems with a chicken-based diet (we feed IAMS now, which is chicken). But prior to this, I tried TOTW and did awful on it. Gas, diarrhea, itchy paws. It just did not agree with him. In your case, I imagine that if your dog had an intolerance to chicken (a major ingredient), you'd see way more problems. Gas, diarrhea, upset stomach, etc. My guess is that he's intolerant to some obscure ingredient further down the ingredient list. FWIW, I've tried a bunch of expensive, premium (grain free, limited ingredient, wholistic) foods over the years, but it's all one huge marketing scheme. I'll always go back to IAMS green bag. I always suggest it to people whose dogs are having problems with gas, diarrhea, and GI issues.

Sleep/space aggression is one thing, and it can be managed under the right circumstances and training program. But IMHO, toddlers and small kids are an entirely different ballgame. They can be rough, loud, unpredictable with their body movements, etc. All of those things can be incredibly scary to a dog who has never been raised with young children. The incident you witnessed is the reason why many adoption groups refuse to adopt to households with very young children. I would expect any new dog (greyhound or not) to snap if a toddler was crawling toward them in an area they recognized as their "safe zone." Heck, I could manhandle either of my dogs any way I wanted to, but I am 100% sure they'd have the same response as Piper in that particular situation. There are some things you can do to desensitize, but really, the only safe way to prevent these situations from happening again is to supervise every single interaction. During these interactions, the dog should be standing up and free to walk away when she's had enough. If you can't be there to supervise, the dog needs to be crated or confined. Even though it may have looked like Piper's behavior was unprovoked, it's likely she gave a handful of subtle cues first that said, "I'm uncomfortable with this. Leave me be!" A toddler isn't capable of recognizing those cues, so it's important that you be there to do it. I highly recommend Dogproofing Your Child by Brian Kilcommons to learn how to read those cues. Lastly, I want to say that I don't think Piper is a bad dog for what happened. Certain breeds, labs and such, will allow a child to crawl on them, pull their ears and tails, roughhouse with them, etc. Greyhounds are not those kinds of dogs, however, that is not to say they can't live happily and safely with kids. It might take some work on everyone's part- dog, parents, and kids.

Everyone on Greytalk has a broken heart today. So incredibly sorry for your loss.

This is so true. Off-leash, I allow those kinds of behaviors. It's whatever. But I'm always super careful to redirect and practice impulse control if one of my dogs gets hyperstimulated on leash. Arousal can turn into "leash frustration" where the dog is so excited but can't get to the other dog because he's restricted by the leash. Then things can turn aggressive really quickly.