a_daerr

I was hoping Dr. Pugliese would take him!

Bumping this thread. There is a Pittsburgh Greyhound Playdate scheduled for this Saturday 2/23/13, 1PM at Hartwood Acres. We typically meet in the parking lot, and walk to the park together (unless you get there early, in which case feel free to head up to the park sooner). It is supposed to be in the 40's this weekend, so you can probably expect mud. Bring towels and muzzles! If the playdate is cancelled due to weather-related issues, someone will email you before noon on Saturday. Hope to see you there! If you are not on the email list and would like to be, email me at alicia dot daerr at gmail dot com.

Bumping this thread. There is a Pittsburgh Greyhound Playdate scheduled for this Saturday 2/23/13, 1PM at Hartwood Acres. We typically meet in the parking lot, and walk to the park together (unless you get there early, in which case feel free to head up to the park sooner). It is supposed to be in the 40's this weekend, so you can probably expect mud. Bring towels and muzzles! If the playdate is cancelled due to weather-related issues, someone will email you before noon on Saturday. Hope to see you there! If you are not on the email list and would like to be, email me at alicia dot daerr at gmail dot com.

Don't beat yourself up over it. Aging is a part of life.

Is Freddy being adopted by someone in Greenwich, CT?

Sorry you're going through this. It sounds like a combination of meds, LS, and just getting older in general.

Do it! I used to be a food snob too, until I realized that the grain-free, organic, wholistic, mumbo jumbo just wasn't meant to be.

I'm curious about what people think about this. I'd be nervous that our dogs would probably try to jump out, then not be able to swim. We go to a doggie pool park in the summer (it's in a corner, and gradually gets deeper with 4' being the deepest point). The one time Henry jumped in the deep end, he sunk like a brick and the lifeguard had to pull him out. But if you have a relatively calm dog who will lie down and not pace around (and actually understands the concept of water), it could be fun.

Sorry you are going through this. There is always an adjustment period during a change in the pack. The dogs can get thrown off because their roles are shifting. Since Grace was your alpha, there is probably some confusion and anxiety about where they stand. I think you're right to separate them temporarily. Daycare will hopefully help them gain some independence. Good luck with your current situation, and very sorry to hear about the loss of your Grace.

Hahahaha! What a silly girl!

Go Zeke!!

I don't think they generally get grain-free food at the track. Last time I was at Wheeling, they were feeding 4Health Performance which is 30% protein, 20% fat, and has grains. Unless Eddie's had a history of food allergies, I doubt it's the grain. I'd be more inclined to believe it's the chicken, fish oil, or something totally random that's halfway down the ingredient list. Do you know what he was eating in his foster home or at the kennel/track?

Ahh, I got you. Ours is 4ft. and nobody has ever jumped it or tried to jump it.

I have this one, it even has a picture of a greyhound on it! http://www.entirelypets.com/classicdoorlarwht.html It's 10" x 15" and my two guys fit through just fine. One of them is an AKC greyhound who is about 3-4" taller than your average racer, and we still have no problems. The key is installing the door at the right height so that your dog can easily step through. P.S. Dog doors are a gift from doG. Now that I have one, I'd never go without. P.S. Just to give you an idea, I weigh 135 pounds, and I've crawled through the 10" x 15" flap on numerous occasions when I locked myself out of the house. It's bigger than it looks!

Hi! We're from Greensburg, so you're not too far at all. Unfortunately, fences in this area are NOT cheap. I have a 4 foot chain link fence (not vinyl coated, but a higher quality rust-proof metal), and it was $1600 back in July 2010. Our yard isn't very big either, one rectangular city lot (100 ft. x 20 ft.). I would've loved one of those vinyl privacy fences, but it would've been $5000+

It's a crapshoot (no pun intended) finding a food that works well for your dog.

Interesting. We only have two dogs, and they're very much companions. I would go as far as to say they have a little bit of SA from each other. Henry will pace and whine when Truman is at obedience class. Truman gets 10x more excited to see Henry after a solo vet visit than during our regular comings and goings. Brie and Judy probably have a different pack dynamic than I do because they have 3+ dogs. I would think the desire to attack a sick or injured dog is more dominant in a pack (i.e. preserving the health and wellness of the group). But I could be wrong about that too. Truman is a little abnormal anyway because he wasn't raised with a group of other greyhounds. Henry was pretty much his dad, he rarely challenges him.

Yep, you're right. Lamb and Rice (red bag) does have chicken by product. But the Iams Sensitive Naturals Ocean Fish has probiotics and beet pulp (the magical poop firmer), but no chicken or chicken by-products. That might be a better solution if chicken is the culprit.

My guys have a three-gallon gravity waterer that I usually end up filling about twice a week. So doing some rough math, that works out to 6-7 cups of water per day per dog.

It depends. Henry is very much the alpha, and he's also a seizure dog. So when he has a seizure, Truman usually goes to him and waits. There have been times that I've seen Truman lick his face after the seizure is over. I think Truman looks to Henry for reassurance and leadership, so it's almost like a "hey, is my brother okay??" response. Typically, I don't like to attach human emotions to dogs, but I do believe they form attachments and become protective of one another.

Poor girl. Has she always been carphobic? Or did this begin when you started taking her more places with Bella? Hopefully she starts making the connection that car rides = going somewhere fun. If not, she may need some intense desensitization training (i.e. treats for getting in the car with the engine off, working up to driving around the block, etc.) Good luck!

We also feed Iams- no issues with teeth, coat, diarrhea, or gas anymore. At first, there was an increase in poops because they were still getting used to the influx of fiber. It took about a month before things started leveling out. In the wintertime, I also supplement my guys with fish oil. Their skin gets dry from the cold weather and running the furnace in the house. The fish oil makes a huge difference in a really short amount of time.

Awesome job! A year from now, you'll look back at this experience and say, "I can't believe I almost gave her up!"

When it rains, it pours. Sending good thoughts for Skeeter.

Ah! What bad news. Usually swelling and redness of the paws or base of tail/bum indicate a food allergy. As the others suggested, I would try taking out the fish oil and all treats for a few days. If that doesn't work, then you might need to change foods. Since his poops are finally good, I would stick with the Iams but try a different protein source. If he's intolerant to chicken, you could always try the lamb (red bag) or fish (light blue bag). There is a possibility that there is an ingredient in all Iams food that he's allergic too (that was the case with my Henry and TOTW). But if you have to switch to a new brand, Purina Pro Plan (pink label) is another one that's good for greys with diarrhea issues.