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Katy, I've always wondered, what is the adoption process like in the UK?

Yep, I just went through this with Henry. Liver dysfunction can prevent the body from filtering out toxins, which can definitely lead to seizures. Also, dogs who have been treated with phenobarbital over a long period of time can experience liver disease as a side effect from the drug. It's a vicious cycle. I would get a CBC done with a thyroid panel. Definitely send the results to one of the doctors at the OSU Greyhound Wellness Program.

Henry's seizures are sporadic and he isn't on medication, but we give Frontline Plus. No problems here.

I like Greek yogurt a lot. My guys also get cottage cheese, canned chicken, scrambled eggs, and oatmeal. Truman is still a little underweight, so he gets Nutro canned (chicken and oatmeal for sensitive stomachs). Sometimes they just get plain kibble, and when Henry started pulling the 'I can't eat this, it's too boring' thing, I picked his bowl up after 15 minutes. He learned that not every meal is special.

Doesn't sound like leash aggression, more like hyper-stimulation. I would say she needs to learn some self control. I definitely recommend obedience class. It will teach her acceptable ways to greet other dogs and people in a controlled environment. For the time being, I would be careful walking both dogs together by yourself. If she's that difficult to handle, it would be very easy for one of the dogs to get loose.

I think it's okay. He is turning 5 next month. He's very active, eats and drinks well, exercises daily. No health issues other than the seizures.

Hmmm... never tried chicken necks. We give chicken feet, which are disgusting and look like witch hands... but alas, the dogs love them.

I've started keeping a journal so I can gauge the amount of times between seizures. In the past two years, they've increased from once or twice a year, to once every 6-8 months, and his two most recent have been less than a month apart. He typically only has grand mal seizures (falls to one side, loses consciousness, uncontrollable limb movements, foaming of the mouth). However, the last one was a focal, where he was remained standing but his legs were twitching. He also voided his bladder after this one, which he's never done before. As far as I can tell, they are unrelated to food, activity, or medication. The only meds he takes are heartworm and flea preventative.

Truman has gradually becoming less interested in the hot dogs and cheese we've been using for training. But last week during class, he went nuts over the instructor's chicken. I decided it might be time to step up my treats. I went to the supermarket and bought boneless/skinless chicken breasts, pre-cubed beef, and a tube (is that what you call it?) of liverwurst. Problem is... I'm a terrible cook, and I'm not quite sure what to do with it. We don't eat meat at home because DB is a vegetarian. And when I do bland diet for the dogs, I usually use canned chicken. Now I'm scratching my head thinking, "Do I boil it, bake it, cook it in a pan?" Also, what the heck am I supposed to do with the wurst?

I heard back from Dr. Kellogg at OSU. She said that the ALT was a little high, but everything else was unremarkable. She thought it was more likely neurological, rather than liver-related. I guess we're back to the drawing board.

I was concerned because his ALT (liver enzymes) have been high both in these results and ones that were done back in March.

Cutest video ever (well, minus the little bit of snarkiness in the last few seconds). I love how Wiki rests his head on the cat! Best buddies!

I sent these results on to Dr. Dodds, OSU, and MSU for more opinions on whether the seizures are connected to possible liver dysfunction. But here are the results of Henry's last round of bloodwork, copied straight from Idexx. Any input is appreciated. I've marked which levels were in the abnormal range. ALK. PHOSPHATASE 43 ALT (SGPT) 53 AST (SGOT) 49 CK 356 (HIGH) GGT 3 AMYLASE 666 LIPASE 431 ALBUMIN 2.8 TOTAL PROTEIN 4.9 (LOW) GLOBULIN 2.1 BUN 28 (HIGH) CREATININE 1.4 CHOLESTEROL 155 GLUCOSE 91 CALCIUM 9.1 PHOSPHORUS 4.1 TCO2 (BICARBONATE) 21 CHLORIDE 118 (HIGH) POTASSIUM 4.0 SODIUM 146 A/G RATIO 1.3 B/C RATIO 20.0 NA/K RATIO 37 ANION GAP 11 (LOW) T4 0.6 (LOW) WBC 8.6 RBC 7.52 HGB 18.5 (HIGH) HCT 49.6 MCV 66 MCH 24.6 MCHC 37.3 (HIGH) % RETICULOCYTE 0.8 RETICULOCYTE 60 NEUTROPHIL SEG 63.4 LYMPHOCYTES 28.1 MONOCYTES 4.4 EOSINOPHIL 4.1 BASOPHIL 0.0 There were also higher than usual Bilrubin and Ketone levels in his urinalysis. Ehrlichia, Lyme, and Heartworm were all negative.

I just checked this out and it is made in China.............. UGH. That sucks... these are still the best I've found, so I'll probably still use them. I do worry about the Made in China rawhide though. That's funny...I bought a package of these yesterday at Petsmart and my package says made in USA. BTW, the dogs love them but I do supervise as they are smaller than I would like. I grabbed a bag from Petsmart that were quite small as well. Upon reading the bag it said small to medium size dog (didn't read bag in the store) so I went to Global Pet Foods and they carried the large ones, as well as having a raw food section. I am in total dog heaven now. No more Petsmart for me as Global has it all. When I gave him the large one he looked at the bone, then looked up at me with a "what the hell am I supposed to do with that" look and walked away. So I had to start him off on the smaller one and then do an "exchange" and now he's been chewing on the big one happily for 2 days. Yessssss! How do the teeth look so far? I kind of like the smaller size just because my guys lose interest after they chew all the meaty gunk off. So at that point, I just throw them away and give them new ones. I've never had any issues with them choking or trying to swallow them whole, and we've been using this same brand for about two years. I probably should've mentioned that it says "small dogs" with a picture of a Westie on the package though. The teeth are great after giving these kneecaps. How often do you give them? Twice a week. We also give them rawhide rolls (Sam's Club brand). I prefer the rolls because one of my guys tries to swallow the strips whole. Between the bones, chewies, and Dental Fresh added to their water, both of mine have great, white teeth. Henry is turning 5 next month and has never had a dental.

As many of you know, we adopted our first Siamese kitten (Mischka-Meezer) about six weeks ago. Initially, Truman was very curious about the kitten and wanted to chase. This made the kitten really freaked out, and he would dart away which created even more interest for the dogs. I started a re-training program for both of them. I would sit Meezer on the bed and feed him Fancy Feast, then make Truman sit and look at me, giving treats for positive responses. I started with them across the room from each other, then gradually moved them closer together. The idea was for them to associate positive things with one another. After about a week of doing this, the kitten was coming around more frequently, and Truman was practicing more self-control. And now... it's like they are long-lost friends. They've actually developed a kind of game with Truman doing bitey-face and Meezer swatting him (no claws). From observing the behavior, it seems that they both really enjoy it. If Truman walks away, Meezer will meow for him to come back. The problem is, Meezer is 3 pounds and Truman is 80. Although both of the dogs are very appropriate with cats and have lived with them problem-free for years, I worry about them playing this way. I don't want the kitten to be stepped on or hurt. Should I be doing something to separate them? Or am I being overprotective and worrying for nothing?

I don't think so. At least, I've never had any problems. Are you giving him the bones raw, or are they smoked/dehydrated? I give knee bones (the ones you buy in pet stores), which have already been processed. The one time I gave Henry a raw knuckle bone from the butcher shop, he had explosive diarrhea for days. If your dog tolerates raw bones, then by all means, give them to him raw. But because marrow is rich and high in fat, there's the potential that it can cause diarrhea. You might want to split it in half (if possible).

Mine do that too! They will have a grapefruit-sized bone down to a peach pit within hours!

We have two greyhounds currently. Truman came a year and a half after we got Henry. For us, it was the best decision to wait so that Henry could get settled in and develop a trusting relationship with us. He initially had a lot of fear-based hangups, so we devoted a lot of time and training to making him more confident and comfortable being a pet. We decided to adopt a second because we wanted another. Henry would've been fine as an only dog. We know several people with onesies, and they do fine. It really depends on the individual temperament and personality of the dog. If you are set on just one (at least for now), your adoption group should be able to match you to a greyhound with a more confident and independent personality.

I just checked this out and it is made in China.............. UGH. That sucks... these are still the best I've found, so I'll probably still use them. I do worry about the Made in China rawhide though. That's funny...I bought a package of these yesterday at Petsmart and my package says made in USA. BTW, the dogs love them but I do supervise as they are smaller than I would like. I grabbed a bag from Petsmart that were quite small as well. Upon reading the bag it said small to medium size dog (didn't read bag in the store) so I went to Global Pet Foods and they carried the large ones, as well as having a raw food section. I am in total dog heaven now. No more Petsmart for me as Global has it all. When I gave him the large one he looked at the bone, then looked up at me with a "what the hell am I supposed to do with that" look and walked away. So I had to start him off on the smaller one and then do an "exchange" and now he's been chewing on the big one happily for 2 days. Yessssss! How do the teeth look so far? I kind of like the smaller size just because my guys lose interest after they chew all the meaty gunk off. So at that point, I just throw them away and give them new ones. I've never had any issues with them choking or trying to swallow them whole, and we've been using this same brand for about two years. I probably should've mentioned that it says "small dogs" with a picture of a Westie on the package though.

What a cute and goofy picture! She's adorable! ETA: In the second pic, she reminds me of a female Doolin. Those eyes!

I'm curious to read the responses. Henry's bloodwork came back today, and the liver enzyme levels were high. They were also higher than normal during his last round of bloodwork in March. He has seizures, so I'm wondering if there's any connection between the two?

We did hug and fold with Henry. I found that it worked really well with a clicker. As soon as the butt touches the floor, click and treat. Don't force him to stay in the sit- he won't like that. Practice a few times a day, and he'll be sitting in no time. ETA- I was the only one doing the training, but it probably would be easier with two people.

Karen, you're so funny!! The Green Bag. Reminds me of all those young kids on "the Facebook."

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but SPOOT WARNING!! I just laughed so hard that my coworkers came around to ask what was so funny.

Advantage Multi doesn't protect against ticks. It's also not safe to use if you have cats in your household, as it can be very toxic to them. The most comprehensive flea, tick, heartworm prevention recommended to me by three different vets is Heartguard and Frontline Plus. You right that it doesn't do ticks, but you're wrong about it being toxic to cats. Advantage Multi for dogs and Advantage Multi for cats have the exact same chemicals (imidacloprid and moxidectin) just at different concentrations and amount. I use it (among other things) specifically as a cat-safe topical for my dog (I have three cats, who are also on the cat version). You must be confusing it with something else (Advantix?). You are right! I was confusing it with K9 Advantix. Advantix has permethrin, which is toxic to cats.