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Happy tail is a bear to deal with. The only thing that worked for us was the pipe insulation method, while leaving on a muzzle with a stool guard. That seemed to have the best staying power, but after several months of wrapping the tail only to have it break open again at the slightest whack, we eventually opted for a partial amp. Super frustrating.

This really has nothing to do with the OP's question, but this reminded me of a funny story. I took Henry to a dog park for what I thought was "Greyhound Day." Well, I goofed the date, and it was actually "Southwest PA Pugs with Special Needs Day." Suffice to say, Henry loves pugs.

Yep, here's one. And Truman is the farthest thing from an "alpha dog" if such a thing exists. He's an insecure adolescent who over-compensates for everything.

Awww, I love her! Definitely looks like a lynx point. We have a seal point Meezer (aka, our third greyhound).

For some greyhounds, everything is terrifying during the first few weeks/months. It just takes time. I would just work on getting him accustomed to your routine and lifestyle for the time being. Don't push him too hard to do anything he doesn't want to do. Keep walks familiar and avoid other dogs if you can. No dog parks. After a few months, you'll have a more trusting, protective bond. At that point, I would consider an all-breed basic obedience class. That way, he can be in a controlled situation where he is constantly rewarded for being around other breeds of dogs.

I'm not accusing you of doing this, but I had a co-worker that switched her dog's food all the time when she first got him. She'd try a little bag of this, a little bag of that. And every single one gave the dog diarrhea. She then concluded that her dog was allergic to most forms of poultry, beef, grain, and corn, as well as lactose intolerant. But really, there was nothing wrong with the dog. She just never him on one food long enough to see real results. The dog was getting sick not from the food, but from the constant switching. My point is this. It usually takes 4-6 weeks before a dog adjusts to a new food. Often times, you can't buy a small bag (that may only last a week) and be able to make a determination on whether or not the food is working out. It's also best to introduce the food slowly on a 25%-50%-75% transition over the course of 10-14 days. My advice is just to find ONE food and stick with it for awhile. Don't get discouraged at the first sign of diarrhea. If that happens, just scale back the kibble and bump up the bland diet. Reintroduce the kibble when things start to level out. It's a process, but if you do it right, the dog is able to transition with minimal problems.

My dogs have a fenced in yard with a dog door. So sometimes when we go on vacations and they HAVE to potty on leash, they have some issues. I hook two 6" leashes together (in a secure area obviously) to give the dog a little more space. That seems to work well. Also, treat and reward for pooping. Before long, she'll be popping a squat wherever she can.

Awww, I'm sorry.

Best $20 I ever spent! I use it for cooking rice and oatmeal, and there's even a top rack to poach the meat.

Oh boy... This sounds just like my AKC boy, Truman! He's much more "springy" than my retired racer. He bucks like a pony, punches, and gives kisses (or rather, what he considers kisses... usually, there's lots of teeth involved). Although we never got past it 100%, it helps to just ignore and turn your back to give him a chance to calm down. Only pet him when he has "four on the floor." If he rears up, I turn my back again and ignore. Another thing we do when Truman is really wound up is "down" and "sit." For example, when I come to the front door, he always throws himself at the door and barks. We've made a little progress by standing on the other side of the door and making him sit before opening the door. Most of the time, he can only sit for a second or two, but we're working on it. Good luck! Those AKC boys are really something else!

You could even cook oatmeal in chicken stock! I've done that too. And just so you know, I'm not making this stuff up. This is exactly what the vet's office has told me to do when I was frantic, calling them saying, "Hey!! The dog has diarrhea, and I need help!" I even had a situation where my dog ate a tube of Neosporin (wiped out all the bacteria in his GI and was maybe the worst diarrhea I've ever seen). And this method cleared him up within a week. Fast her (if necessary), bland diet, and probiotic. Give us an update when she starts feeling better.

Yep, totally eliminate kibble for a few days. And I agree with everything here. I have a rice cooker (best $20 I ever spent). And I make a half cup of rice/oatmeal with a half cup of protein. Like greysmom said, you can use chicken, ground turkey, lean hamburger, whatever. I cook the rice in chicken stock instead of water and add in unflavored Pedialyte. Then once you get the diarrhea under control, gradually introduce kibble back WITH the bland diet. Start with a quarter cup each meal. If that goes over well, bump it up to a half cup. If everything is looking good at that point, try going back to the kibble.

Throwing more things at her is going to do more harm than good. Keep her on a bland diet (chicken or lean hamburger and rice or oatmeal) with the probiotic for a few days. I'm not sure what type you're using, but Forti-Flora is good. Our vet uses Endurosyn. You could also try Flagyl, which a GI-specific antibiotic you would need to get from the vet's office. The diarrhea should start to clear up. When you notice that happening, slowly introduce her back on the food she was eating before (I'm presuming that's the Iams?) If she does well on that, I don't see a reason to mess with it. But if you absolutely feel like you have to put her on another food, then do a gradual 25%-50%-75% switch over 10-14 days. Keep in mind that what you are describing is VERY common. Stress is also a big factor. She's been through a lot in 12 days, including a new home and major surgery. I wouldn't dive too deep looking for problems unless the diarrhea does not improve following the bland diet. Good luck!

I do agree with this, except that the pustules are on the top of his back. And I guess my point is that it's probably not a coincidence that he keeps going back and forth between staph infections and diarrhea. Just when the diarrhea clears up, the skin infection comes back, and vice versa. I agree though, that a stool sample is probably a good idea just to cover all the bases. Rachel, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the last one came back negative, right?

I'll preface this by saying that I know James and Rachel personally, so I have a little more information than what is written in the first post. From what Rachel described, I'm leaning toward a GI problem. The vet recognized the rashes immediately as a staph infection. Dogs carry staph on their bodies often (nearly 20% of the time), so for him to keep getting recurring infections, his immune system must be compromised... which, very likely, is attributed to him not absorbing needed nutrients from having repeated rounds of diarrhea. He's had a history of GI upset from a lot of different things (multiple brands of kibble, training treats, hot dogs etc). Once, it was so bad that he lost a good amount of weight. After being on sulfasalazine for awhile, he bounced back and gained weight (I don't think that would've happened if parasites were the issue). Plus, Rachel has him on Heartgard Plus every month, which would cover hooks. It's been an ongoing cycle for James of diarrhea and staph infections, so to me, this sounds like a food allergy, collitis, or IBD. If this were my dog, I think I would start with allergy testing and a skin scraping. I might also try prescription food.

Oh God, Robin. I am so sorry for your loss of Treasure. She seemed so happy and spry when I met her at GIG. I'm glad her passing was peaceful.

My heart is absolutely breaking for you. Please don't blame yourself. I had a foster kill one of my cats, and I remember how devastating that whole situation was. I know you feel responsible, but things happen beyond our control. hugs

We're five months seizure-free on Zonisamide!

How scary... but I could not help but chuckle after finding out it was a polar bear! Glad everything "came out" okay.

I don't think this is true with all tracks. The last time I was at Wheeling, there was no rhyme or reason to where the dogs were kenneled. There were lots of boys in top kennels.

To answer OP's original question, yes my guys both eat a lot of rice and oatmeal. I bought a $20 rice cooker from Target, and it was one of the best investments I ever made.

Right now, he understands that the act of him laying on his bed gets the treat. What you want to do is make it more challenging by rewarding him only when he remains on his bed. In other words, you need to teach him "stay." Increase the duration he has to stay on his bed BEFORE you toss him a treat. For example, "Go lay on your bed" and wait 10 seconds before treating. Then the next time, wait 20 seconds. During those 20 seconds, hold up your hand like a traffic cop, and give him a word like "stay!" or "wait!" Just keep increasing the amount of time, but start slow with a duration he can handle. If he's antsy and can only do 5 seconds, then release him after 5 seconds and try adding a few more seconds the next time. Remember, you want to reward him while he's still in the stay, not while he's getting up to walk back toward you. Teaching this behavior is easy with a clicker as your release command. For example, he stays for awhile, then you click and treat. There are a lot of good videos on YouTube that can help teach stay. It also sounds like he may be a good candidate for basic obedience class.

Hahahaha, me too! The younger ones are a lot of fun. A year old is a good age. If you said you were thinking about a 6 month old greyhound though, I would've said, "Yes, you are crazy... Head for the hills!" Not to jinx it or anything, but is there a picture of this boy anywhere? I'd love to see what he looks like. Also, I wanted to tell you I had the pleasure of meeting Christine from Houndworks in person at GIG. She and her fiance, as well as her two pups are very lovely. Dexter did NOT like Truman though! It was quite comical. Did you order any new collars from her lately?

Yeah, typically, their bones are done growing by a year. But especially for large breed dogs, the part that ends up taking a long time is "filling out." Truman is 83 pounds, but he's lanky as anything. He looks like an anorexic greyhound, even though he eats a massive amount. I would be more interested to know exactly what kind of problems this boy has related to his growth plates. Have they done x-rays or any procedures to fix them? To my knowledge, bones can grow asymmetrically, causing a limp or inflammation for a period of time. But I would try to get as much information as possible, since he might require (at least one) surgery.