a_daerr

Thundershirt didn't work for us... I wish it did. We give Henry Xanax for really bad thunderstorms and fireworks.

Oh goodness, he's a handsome guy. Those ears!! And that smile!!

These are kind of nice for long walks/hiking. http://store.dexas.com/collapsible-travel-cup-with-bottle-holder-and-carabiner/

http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/198032-nightime-urination-due-to-prednisone/

This makes 12. I just keep them in the refrigerator... I'm guessing you could freeze them though.

Just wanted to share this recipe from the Three Dog Bakery cookbook. It's called "Doctor Feelgood's Feel Better Muffins." I know a lot of greyhounds struggle with diarrhea and GI problems. So this is a tasty, semi-bland treat that is easy on the stomach. I made a batch of these last night, and they came out great. Henry and Truman definitely approve! Doctor Feelgood's Feel Better Muffins 1 cup cooked rice (I cooked the rice in chicken broth for extra flavor) 1 cup skim milk 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 cup white flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 clove garlic, minced 3 egg whites Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl, combine cooked rice, milk, and oil. Add flour, baking powder and garlic, stirring well. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff then fold into the rice mixture. Spoon into a muffin tin so that cups are half full and bake for 25 minutes. Cool before serving and store in an airtight container

Just wanted to echo what the others have said... ticks are rampant in PA this year. Definitely treat with Frontline or use a tick collar for GIG.

I wonder if Freddy still needs a home, or if Christine decided to keep him?

Seizure. My guy has idiopathic epilepsy. His seizures started at about age 3. I know way more than I want to know about seizures. Here's the run down. Seizures can be caused by a few different things. They can be partial (absent) where they only affect one part of the body, or they can be grand mal, where the entire body is affected. What you described sounds typical of a grand mal seizure. In seizure dogs, you'll see kicking of the legs, voiding the bowels or bladder, disorientation, foaming of the mouth, an unfocused gaze, etc. The duration varies, but the actual seizing may last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. In the last stage of the seizure, it's also quite common for the dog to appear "out of it" for awhile. They may pant and appear confused. During "cluster seizures," the dog may repeatedly have seizures one after the other. Because your guy is still fairly young, it's likely that his seizures are idiopathic (meaning, there is a blip in his brain that causes them randomly) as opposed to things like cancer, brain tumors, encephalitis, etc. Seizures can also be caused by medications, environmental stimuli, food, and situational stress, so it's a good idea to document when and where your dog's seizures occurred, how long after he ate, how long it lasted, if he took flea/tick/heartworm preventative that day, etc. Sometimes you can find patterns that way. As far as your vet goes, your first step is to get bloodwork done. It's a good idea to do a CBC (complete blood count) including a full thyroid panel and a Tick Borne Disease panel. Although it's not as common as epilepsy, sometimes thyroid conditions or TBDs like Ehrlychia can cause seizures. Don't be surprised if the tests come back 100% normal and your vet sends you home without any medication. There's not much treatment information the vet can give if this is his first seizure and isn't experiencing other symptoms. If nothing seems out of the ordinary on that end, then it's largely a waiting game. Because many seizure meds have side effects, vets will generally hold off medicating unless the seizures start occurring on a fairly regular basis, usually more than once a month. If the seizures increase and you think it's time to medicate, I highly recommend doing a consult with a veterinary neurologist to talk about medications. BE VERY CAREFUL, as many vets without much seizure experience will put a dog on Phenobarbital as a blanket solution. The side effects of Pheno can be worse than the seizures themselves. These can include liver damage, sedation, wobbliness, digestive problems, etc. If you have to medicate, Pheno is the most "tried and true" drug. However, there are other options besides Pheno, and the neurologist should be able to tell you which one is most appropriate for your dog. We chose a newer drug called Zonisamide, and Henry has been seizure free since December with very minimal side effects. Like I said, some dogs don't require medication right away, if at all. Your dog may continue to have seizures regularly, or he may never have one again. Henry went a good two years before medication became necessary. In that time, his seizures were 6-7 months apart. Having a seizure dog isn't the end of the world. There are some precautions that you should take if you share a home with other dogs, if you go to dog parks, if you board your dog, etc. But otherwise, they are quite capable of leading very normal lives without many problems. There are also several online support groups and websites that are excellent sources of information. If you have questions or want to talk, feel free to email me. Good luck with your boy alicia dot daerr at gmail dot com

I actually like Pupperoni. That's one of the few commercial brand treats I use. I cut them into small pieces and use them as training treats.

Well, this makes me feel better. My older guy, Henry, has always been the type to just plop down and sleep when he's tired. It doesn't matter if he's at home, in the car, at the park, in the middle of Petco, whatever. Truman has so much mental energy that his body has trouble keeping up. He routinely does this thing at the dog park where he'll just lay down and roll around in the grass (almost like his legs are so tired, they're about to give out). But as soon as he sees another dog running past, he'll get up and start running again. Maybe once he gets a little older, he'll be able to regulate himself better.

As the others stated, it's likely stress, food, or parasites. I would probably treat with a broad-spectrum dewormer like Drontal Plus just to be on the safe side (if you haven't already). If he's having lots of diarrhea, it may be time to switch food. But if his stools are formed on his current food, then consider adding a probiotic like Forti-Flora.

He's 18 months... so I don't know if this is a puppy stage or just the way he is. He grew out of his crate awhile ago, so we no longer have it up. But I like the suggestion of an x-pen or just separating him somehow. Kristie, do you give Kili anything to eat before naps? I wonder if the combination of being tired + a full belly would help.

I've been following your thread from the beginning, and I can't even imagine the pain and heartbreak you're experiencing. You did everything possible for Neko. Very sorry for your loss.

I'm thinking it's just curiosity, especially since someone was probably holding the baby. If you're cradling something in your arms above the dog's line of sight, the dog is always ten times more interested. Just to give you an example, when you are cat training a greyhound, it is recommended that you never hold the cat above the dog's head as they will almost always instinctually jump and nip. I wouldn't freak out just yet. It's most likely nothing that a muzzle, desensitization, and positive reinforcement training can't fix. The more challenging part is when the baby starts moving around, invading the dog's space, touching the dog roughly, etc.

Truman is like a moody toddler when he's tired. He'll get restless, fidgety, and whiny before taking a nap. Especially now that the weather is nice and we're more active, he's really started to become a handful. For example, we went to the dog park twice this weekend. One of those days, Truman ran with another greyhound for the better part of an hour. When we got home, he proceeded to take a bunch of toys out of his box, then had a tantrum anytime Henry walked by. This went on for about 40 minutes before he actually fell asleep. The next day, I noticed him restlessly pacing around and trying to shred mail and catalogs off the counter. Sometimes on long car rides, I'll see him in the backseat barely able to keep his eyes open, but he will continually jolt back awake (almost like he's afraid he's going to miss something). Another thing is that he's very clingy when he's sleeping. He always wants to be between DBF and me on the bed or couch. I don't really have a problem with this. But the weird thing is that he doesn't like to be "touched" unless he's being "petted." If I stop moving my hand and just rest it on him, he gets upset, then moves away. When he's behaving like this, we call him Moody Blues. Any tips or advice?

The WWW one has velvet lining under their "armpits." We use one religiously on Truman and have had no chafing or anything. Great product.

Sing it, sister!

Awww, I remember that! Brees was cute as a bull terrier.

Henry's butt has been as bald as a cueball for years. I had his thyroid checked (on an unrelated issue) and it was fine. Just recently, I decided to try melatonin. We've been using 3g melatonin pills for about two weeks, and I'm starting to see some 'seedlings' coming through.

Yep, don't waste your money on anything labeled 'training treats' in the pet store. We use hot dogs, Kraft cheese crumbles (perfect size, no prep time), cubed chicken, steak tips, and sausage. If I'm in a hurry, I use Milo's Kitchen brand treats, then cut them up into small pieces. The two big things to consider are size and texture. You want the treat to be no larger than a raisin. And it should be relatively soft (reward the behavior and move on, the point is lost if the dog needs to spend a lot of time chewing). Speaking from experience, it is good to have two or three different kinds during a training session, as they can sometimes get bored with one. I hope you like obedience class! It worked wonders for my two.

This is true!! I got bit by my own cat last year (accident) and my hand became severely infected in a matter of 24 hours. Cat bites are the worst. Glad Indy and Piper are okay!!

Boy, I love Tempo's three-legged sit! He looks really good. Glad to hear things are going well.

I love seeing these updates!

I'm betting they gave the dog back. It didn't sound like the best fit. As for vet school... Ithaca, right? Have fun! And make sure you come to Grapehounds!