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I imagine that if he's hardly sleeping, he must be VERY anxious. Does he exhibit any other anxiety related behaviors? Also, did the adoption group mention this before he came to you? I'd be curious if this behavior just started when you brought him home, or if he's always been this way. Either way, I would discuss with the vet ASAP.

The information I gave above isn't a theory. Have you discussed this with your vet? He will tell you that the number one cause of gastroenteritis in dogs stems from what is referred to as "rapid switching" where owners switch the dog's food too suddenly or too many times. A food switch is hard on the dog's GI system. If you research allergies and intolerances in pets, you'll find that it takes 1-3 weeks to see initial improvements, with overall improvement by 4-6 weeks. Some even recommend that you continue for at ten weeks. VERY RARELY will you see an immediate improvement overnight. I'm really not trying to be a jerk, but obviously, what you're doing currently is not working. I'd recommend a 25%-50%-75% switch to IAMS, as it has a higher fiber content and many greyhounds do well on it. There are many resources that will back up what I'm telling you. http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/dogs-and-food-alergy-or-allergies http://www.petsadviser.com/food/switching-dog-food-gradually/ http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=99 http://www.lets-talk-dog-health-problems.com/switching-dog-food.html http://www.caninejournal.com/changing-dog-food

I'll preface this by saying, I don't have kids. I'm strictly speaking through literature I've read and my own dog's encounters with children. But what I quoted above is definitely something to think about. By and large, labs and GSDs are indiscriminantly friendly dogs. Kids can hang all over a lab and pull their tails and get in their face, and the dog is likely to be alright with it because they enjoy the attention. Greyhounds, IMHO, are a whole different ballgame. They require a gentler, less intrusive approach. They show their affection in different ways. They'll come to you when they want to, not the other way around. I get kids trying to approach my dogs out in public a lot, and I find that they often miss the dog's signals and cues because they're used to the lab at home that they routinely wrestle and manhandle. I get really brazen kids who will proceed to touch my dogs even when I tell them not to. Even even the best-behaved kids lack impulse control simply because they want to shower the dog with attention 24-7, when that may not always be what the dog wants. To answer your last question... it really depends on what your expectations are. There are many greyhound adoption groups who won't adopt to families who have young kids, period, due to the issues you're describing. I've seen other groups who require potential adopters to read "Childproofing Your Dog" before they bring the dog home. The reason for this is because many greys need to be taught HOW to share toys, resources, and space. That requires you to put in the time, energy, and training in addition to supervising EVERY interaction between the dog and the child (at least in the beginning). If you're willing to do that, you can have a dog who is 100% safe and appropriate with kids. There are many on this forum who are. But keep in mind that Payton may never be the type of dog who wants to constantly play and snuggle with them like a lab would.

It's a coat supplement. It will work for regular dry, itchy skin, but probably not a solution for itchiness caused by inflammation or allergies. I've used it on my two with much success.

Whoops, I missed that part in your post because I scrolled down to the pics. Phoebe is adorable!

Ahhh!! I am so happy for you!!! :colgate I saw her on the website last week and thought she was gorgeous. Are you keeping the name?

It is likely that your dog only interacted with adults during his racing career. To him, a child is smaller, on his eye level, louder, has less controlled body movements, a higher pitched voice, etc. Some kids (not necessarily your daughter, but some kids) want to get in the dog's face and hug them, chase them, or manhandle them. Really scary, right? I doubt the dog has singled her out and 'dislikes' her, rather, he's really unsure and doesn't know what to make of her. My dogs have never really been socialized with kids on any type of consistent basis. Recently, my friend's 6-year-old son came over to our house. One of my dogs was very shaken. Even though he just stood there politely, Truman barked at him and cowered in fear. He has never behaved this way with an adult. The only other time I saw Truman cower was when we passed a Chinese restaurant and he saw a lion statue. He kept looking to me like, 'OMG, mom what is this thing???!' My other dog, Henry wanted no parts of the kid and kept running away. This told me that the dogs were very uncomfortable with a child being in their home. What I'm describing is a more extreme reaction. Your guy sounds curious, but he's avoiding her because he's still a little uncertain. That's a hopeful sign. Some dogs love everybody immediately, and others need time to adjust. Right now, your daughter needs to be 'the giver of all things good.' Have her feed the dog during mealtimes and give treats. Make sure she takes part in some of his responsibilities, like going on walks and training sessions. Greyhounds are very adaptable- so if these are the worst of his issues, I'm sure he'll eventually trust and accept her.

No, to answer your question, a dog with space aggression will not necessarily always have those kinds of issues. But it will require a decent amount of training and desensitization (both the child and the dog) to make your dog understand that others are not a threat. If you don't train em, you can't blame em! I highly recommend reading Childproofing Your Dog. Very helpful info that is more detailed than anything we can provide on this forum. In the meantime, supervise every interaction, leave the dog alone when he's lying down, and allow the dog to approach your daughter at his own pace. P.S. I remember the thread you're referring to (12 stitches in my head, or something like that). I don't think we'll ever know what happened there.

Just wondering, did you own another breed of dog before Rocket? Or did you have a really affectionate dog growing up? If you've never had greyhound before, they can definitely seem aloof and disinterested. It's not just Rocket. Greys are very sensitive and not the kind of dogs who are always tail-wagging-in-your-face, like a lab or a retriever. They're not for everyone, and if you decide Rocket isn't the dog for you, that's totally fine. At that point, though, you may want to consider a different breed. Any other greyhound is going to come with the similar quirks/issues. Also, I want to add that the dogs you see out at Meet and Greets are usually dogs who have been in homes for a long time- they're friendly and happy because they've been socialized to be that way. When I first got Henry, I felt ripped off because he wasn't like the dogs I had met at Meet and Greets. I kept thinking, why didn't they just give me a normal one?! We had doubts that we could make him happy, and like you, considered returning him. But after about six months, lots of socialization, and several trainjng classes, he was a totally different dog. I guarantee it will get better if you commit 100% to making it work. But it does take a lot of patience and time, some more than others. Good luck with your decision.

It sounds like her trigger is people approaching/reaching at her when she's lying down. From now on, just don't do it. Do your best to minimize her outbursts at all costs. Lure her up into a standing position with treats with at least a few feet of distance ('stand' and recall commands), then go from there. Many greys come off the track with space guarding issues. Some people just make a blanket statement that you should never touch a dog when it's lying down. But if you eventually want to be able to approach, touch, or handle her while she's on her bed, that's okay too, and there's a training protocol for it. IMO, she's not ready yet. Give her some time to get used to this, then later if you choose to, you can slowly desensitize the bed issue.

You're thinking about it too much like a human. Dogs don't have the same GI system as we do, and they aren't used to eating many different foods everyday. The reason why it is suggested you try a food for at least 4-6 weeks is because the dog's body may still be processing through the last food and adjusting to the new. If you only give each food a few days/weeks before switching again, the diarrhea you're seeing is probably NOT the result of the new food, but from the act of switching. Too many switches in a short amount of time can through his GI system into a tailspin, at which point, no food is going to work. I think many people give up too soon, then start believing the dog has allergies and intolerances to everything. It's frustrating, but you won't find one magic food. It can take awhile for the gut to stabilize before you'll see an improvement. My advice is to try the Iams and stick with it for at least 4 weeks.

Another vote for IAMS green bag.

Sending positive thoughts for you and Violet.

Just now seeing this... I'm so very sorry for your loss. Joe was very special to all of us.

Jen, to answer your questions, this was our experience. After surgery, Truman's tail was fine. But before then, our major battle was making sure the dressings were tight enough to stay on, but not so tight as to prevent normal blood flow. Truman's tail became infected and necrotic overnight after one particularly botched bandage change. Then, the other issue of course was him whacking his tail into things and opening the wound back up. But for his surgery, they cauterized the tail, which made healing so much easier. Absolutely no issues then.

Second this, or Denamarin if you can afford to.

Henry started having seizures at 2.5 too. Sounds like it's probably epilepsy. As soon as you sign those papers, get with the veterinary neurologist to discuss meds. Pheno is pretty safe, but it does have side effects with prolonged use, including liver scarring. He may do well on something else. We love the Zonisamide- 9 months seizure free and no real side effects.

OMG, your grey totally photo bombed the pic! P.S. Very handsome doxie.

The one thing I would do is have her practice trading up with every member of your household. Also, it's good to rotate responsibilities like feeding, walking, playtime, treats, etc. It's not only a bonding exercise, but it also reinforces the idea that she needs to listen to a bunch of different humans- not just you. Also, I probably wouldn't have anybody grab her by the collar for awhile, at least not until she establishes a high level of trust. You can use high value treats to lure her into a standing position and to wherever she needs to be. If that doesn't work, leash her up, and say, 'let's go!' In a happy voice. I'm not a huge proponent of yelling or shouting 'No!' when a dog has an aggressive outburst (I'll explain why later). It's important to note that even the most outgoing, confident dog can have episodes of fear aggression when they're stressed. From what you described, I don't believe Cleo was being stubborn or trying to challenge your son. It's more likely that she was upset with him reaching or putting his hand close to her face. You see what I mean about not punishing her? To her, she was protecting herself from a potential threat, so yelling 'No!' would either increase her stress or confuse her. I'd recommend that you and everybody in the household be as calm and gentle as possible as not to cross her fear threshold. You don't have to tiptoe around her- just be mindful of your body language and movements in respect to her potential triggers. With more time, you'll get to the point where you can be more stern with training. For now, I'd just work on building trust and bonding with everyone in the household.

Yay!!! Glad he's coming around.

She's a little trooper. I'm sure whatever you choose will be the right move. Now, if you can just get her past this bratty adolescence stage!

Yep, Truman has a huge scar from his incision, maybe 8". No one in my area had the technology to do it by laparoscopy, which I agree, is the ideal choice. He bounced back a lot faster than I thought he would, though. The scar isn't that obvious unless you're really looking for it.

This is hopeful. It would be much worse if he was clustering, one after the other, or if the seizure lasted for a longer duration. The post ictus phase does last longer, as the others have mentioned. I will say this. Seizures are a huge mystery. After Henry's first one, I went to the vet with the assumption that they could pinpoint exactly what was wrong. Instead, I left with more questions than answers. Your vet will probably do some general tests and bloodwork. But unless a huge red flag comes up there, there's little else the vet can do except prescribe meds. You may never know exactly what's causing them (unless you opt to pursue more extensive/expensive testing like an MRI). I recommend seeing a neurologist because I've found that regular vets don't have a whole lot of information on anti-seizure meds, save for Phenobarbital, the most common one. Our neurologist was better versed in the pharmacology side of it and helped to get a medication that best fit our situation.

Truman was neutered at 12 months, and I was counting down the days. Those last few months, he was practically bouncing off the walls. Krissy, are you having a gastropexy done on Kili during her spay? I had one for Truman since the AKC/CKC pups tend to bloat more than track greys.

For a 14-year-old, I get him stabilized, then do a CBC and consult with a veterinary neurologist. At that age, it's probably not run of the mill epilepsy. Sending good thoughts your way.