krissy

I think this is true with respect to not using thiopental in greyhounds. Every vet graduates knowing that and that is completely necessary, because you can easily kill a greyhound with it, however, to me there's a difference between just keeping your patient alive, and actually having a really good anesthetic. When Kili had surgery the first time it was out of my hands as it happened at a referral centre; I was never worried that they were going to kill her with an inappropriate anesthetic protocol, but what I WAS worried about (and what DID happen) is that she came out of the anesthetic really poorly... in what I'm sure is considered "typical greyhound fashion". I mean screaming, wailing, thrashing on immediate recovery (for so long that I finally couldn't take it any more and asked to go back to try to help as I was concerned she was going to hurt herself), followed by pathetic, inconsolable whimpering on the hour long drive home. She was normal by the morning except for being a little bit painful. The only thing I can think is all the opiates she had been given - first for premedication and then afterwards because they kept insisting she was painful when really she was dysphoric (tripping out seeing dragons!). Second time around when I decided to spay Kili I had it done at my own clinic. I asked my boss to spay her for me so that I could handle her anesthetic. I used essentially zero opiates, and relied heavily on less common techniques for pain control (for anyone that is curious I did a constant rate infusion of ketamine, lidocaine, and dexdomitor). Pain control is super important during surgery (not just after) because it helps keep the level of anesthetic low, and it's also important to have good pain control during surgery because it prevents them from feeling pain as they're waking up (which smooths recovery). I am not an anesthesiologist and I do not pretend to know more in general than an anesthesiologist, however, I do know what I've experienced with my own dogs and foster dogs. Now, I've been told by several anesthesiologists that opiates and acepromazine do not cause problems in greyhounds, so maybe they don't.... But what I know is that when not given any opiates her anesthetic was perfect. She woke up slowly, quietly, and safely. I'm not saying I would never give a greyhound an opiate, but it is not part of my routine protocol. If I can avoid it, I do... because my goal isn't only to keep my patient alive, but also to keep them safe and comfortable. I can't accept that "greyhounds just wake up badly". Sure, it happens once in awhile with any type of dog, but it shouldn't be common place. And to me having a greyhound appropriate anesthetic protocol means more than just not using thiopental. ETA: For the OP, this wasn't meant to terrify you! I just realized this may have been kind of scary to hear. The reality of anesthetic is that sometimes things go absolutely smoothly, and sometimes despite best efforts they wake up a little rough. The only point I was trying to make is that when discussing "greyhound saavy" anesthetics I strongly believe it comes down to more than just not using drugs that are dangerous for greyhounds. And I'm not saying that they shouldn't ever have opiates... just that it's really important to think things through and consider what is happening and what the problem might be, and to adjust accordingly. I was SO nervous during Kili's entire anesthetic, because I'd seen her wake up rough once already and I wanted to do everything in my power to not have it happen again. I came up with what I thought was the best possible plan for her, but I didn't know if it would work out that way or not until after the fact. It's just important to tailor things to the individual as much as you can.

Not sure if you meant me? My dogs have never had pancreatitis, but I certainly treat a lot of dogs with pancreatitis (though I can't really remember anything I've posted about it).

And if they do use IDEXX but ran the blood in house, they can send blood to the lab to run an SDMA at no charge, as long as they send the in-house lab results as "proof" that a profile was run.

So sorry to hear this. Spriet has always been a favourite of mine. Run free sweet girl!

Could be any number of things. Could be an ulcer as mentioned up. Also looks like it could possibly be Horner Syndrome - typically third eyelid is up due to retraction of the globe (eye is sunken back), and pupil is often constricted (smaller than the other eye), drooping of the upper eyelid - I can't tell from the photo if he's just squinting and painful, or if the eye is actually retracted. Horner syndrome is a symptom, not a diagnosis, and is caused by anything that interrupts normal innervation of the eye. There are plenty of causes: head trauma, inner ear infection, trauma to the shoulder/neck region (brachial plexus), cancer, disc disease, idiopathic (no identifiable cause). Treatment is by treating the underlying cause, or in the case of idiopathic just waiting it out and keeping the eye well lubricated. You should take a trip to your vet to have it checked out to confirm that's what it is, and to try to figure out what might have caused it.

Our rehab vet uses TENS. I haven't need it for Kili yet, so I haven't seen it performed, but I know it's a viable option.

Hand touches, perching on objects, leg weaves, backward leg weaves, bow, sit pretty, walk on hind legs, spin, wave, cross paws, walk between your legs, backward circles around you, arm hoops, crawl... and all sorts of other fun ones if you want to get ambitious.

There are dogs not suited to being off leash. There are dogs that can be suited to it in the appropriate situations. I have never advocated that anyone ELSE off leash their dog. My point has always been that most dogs aren't going to have a constantly worked on recall that is appropriate to being given off leash privileges, but that does not mean that *greyhounds* in and of the fact that they are greyhounds cannot be. Considering most people feel that blanket statements aren't good, it's amazing how well this particular one has taken a deep hold. And that is fine in the sense that most dogs have no business being off leash, and maybe this is just an easier way to ensure that fact, but when it results in people of one opinion guilt tripping those who don't prescribe to that particular train of thought... that is not okay. Regardless, of the off-leash debate, it is extremely rude to point blank suggest that someone is going to cause their dog's death. That wouldn't be appropriate in any situation, and the off leash/on leash debate is no exception. If you want to say that you don't feel comfortable with that for your own dogs, that is a very fair thing to say. If you want to say that it would give you a heart attack and you would always be worrying and so you won't do it, that's fair. If you want to say that if anything happened to your dog while it was off leash that YOU would feel responsible, that is fair. An opinion would be to say "I think it is safest to keep dogs on leash as a lot can happen when they're free, some of which is out of your control and it's always possible for something bad to happen, no matter how careful you are being" vs "I just pray that you never have to post a heartbreaking post that your dog met an untimely death that could have been prevented." That's not an opinion, it's a judgement, and it's uncalled for. If you want to think it in your head, that's fine, but there's no need to voice that. Everyone on this forum loves their dogs, and I'm sorry if you don't agree, but I think it's rude to suggest otherwise. Every single person on this forum is going to make different choices and decisions for their dog in all aspects of life, and no one has a right to judge those decisions (at least in written form, what happens in your head is your own business) whether they are about off leashing, treating or not treating for osteosarcoma, or feeding kibble vs. raw. We all make decisions for OUR dogs based on what we feel is best for them overall. We all take certain risks with our dogs that we have decided are acceptable to us given the benefits that the dogs receive from it. I might try to counsel someone that my opinion is that raw is not the best option to feed (just as an example, since I don't actually have a strong feeling on this particular topic) because of x, y, z. But it would be rude for me to tell them their dog is going to die a preventable death from food poisoning or intestinal obstruction because they decide to feed raw. It's not an opinion at that point. Hey, maybe I'm just overly sensitive, but I really don't think anyone here would appreciate that if it was turned around. No, of course not. It's never safe to let a dog off leash near traffic. And of course, even if you have a solid recall in other situations it can always fail. And of course there are always dogs that will not have as strong a recall under any circumstance. I simply used your example because it's a very common accident that everyone on here fears, and while recall may not work at least if you have one it's an option.

Wow. Rude and unnecessary much? I could say the EXACT same thing about not putting time and effort into recall training even when "my dog never goes off leash". Someone JUST posted about their dog doing zoomies in traffic because he slipped out a door. You can guilt trip me all you want about the fact that I off leash my dogs in reasonably safe places, but when my dogs slip out an open door or I drop a leash they come back when they are called. I've already said that not off leashing is a responsible choice if you're not going to make the effort to proof your recall. There are a lot of dogs out there that have no business being off leash, regardless of breed. But I don't GUILT TRIP anyone on here that they are going to be responsible for their dog's death as a result of a "poor decision" to not train something reasonably simple. Quite frankly, though, even with the additional calculated risks of being off leash I still think a dog with a 90% recall is safer than a dog that has poor recall and is never off leash... until it is by accident. I would love to know where this "never let your greyhound off leash" bulldoodie came from in North America. If this was actual truth and reality... don't you think it would be true in Europe as well? Don't you think it would be true of breeder bred dogs? Don't you think my breeder would be horrified by my off leashing the dog she gave me? But no, it is just the North American adoption scene that has this fanatical obsession. Yes, you have to train. Yes, there are some instincts that are hard to train out. Yes, some individuals can never be off leash. Yes, you have to be smart about where you let any dog off leash, and perhaps a little extra so with a greyhound. But this BLANKET STATEMENT is detrimental to every greyhound out there because it leads to this rampant idea that these dogs can't be trained, and so the majority of people rely on leashes and closed doors instead; when a door fails a dog with no training the chance you take is much greater than the ones I take. Everyone is going to make a choice they feel comfortable with. And that's fine. No one else has to be comfortable with it. But don't guilt trip someone just because they've made a decision you wouldn't, especially when it is done carefully and with planning. Just because your decision goes with the majority, doesn't automatically make it right. Have a little respect for other people's ability to make their own choices and their ability to live with them. If you don't have anything nice or constructive to say, then don't.

I off leash both my dogs all the time. And I'm in North America where that is the most terrible, horrible, taboo thing you could ever possibly do. Ever. Understand this. A greyhound is a dog first, and a greyhound second. They are trainable in the same way that any other dog is trainable. They have their own challenges, just like every breed has their own challenges. And each individual has different strengths and limitations... just like an individual of any other breed has strengths and limitations. Most DOGS should not be off leash, because their owners haven't put in the time and effort to train them appropriately. And some DOGS should never be off leash because even with a lot of work they will never have a reliable recall for a variety of reasons (strong prey drive being one of the biggest). Understand this too. No dog will ever have a 100% recall. It doesn't exist. They are dogs and they have a mind of their own no matter how well trained. Top level obedience dogs have disobeyed recalls. So always evaluate the situation and decide if it is safe enough in the event that your dog DOES ignore its recall. I do not off leash my dogs next to busy roads because that's dumb, even with the best trained dog. And I know her limitations where she is at risk of ignoring a recall and I try not to put her in those situations unless I am specifically working on them. Kili would be liable to want to ignore her recall for another dog or to chase a rabbit. I don't let her off leash in places where we are likely to see rabbits, and only in places where we might see other dogs if I won't likely have to recall her (or I'm working on strengthening her recall around other dogs). Lots of people will say I'm a terrible owner. But the benefits my dogs get from being able to run off leash is immense compared to the calculated risks. Kili jogs off leash with me, and she also runs with me when I go mountain biking. Her fitness and condition are prime. The enjoyment and stimulation she gets from it are also well worthwhile. She's also an agility dog so she will always, always, always be in situations where she is off leash in unenclosed areas. My experience is that with a good recall and regular off leash time, this whole idea of "he'll run and just never stop" is pretty much laughable. Other than prey drive (which is only applicable to Kili), my dogs are so used to being off leash that they don't get far from me. They also don't do zoomies and play "catch me if you can" if they end up off leash accidentally. My rate of greyhound induced heart attacks has become pretty much zero. But then, I can send Kili to chase a bird and call her off halfway (not sure we'll ever get there with rabbits). Now, if you don't want to put in the time and effort that is required, or it turns out that your dog is never going to be a good candidate... that's a very respectable and responsible decision. But it is still so important to have a recall. Again... greyhound heart attack rate does not need to go through the roof every time a door opens, or a gate is left open, or a dog slips its collar.

I like Nexgard. In the past I've used Advantix as well, which I found effective I just didn't love the fact that it was a topical product.

Smaller is NOT better. A hound is safest when they have lots of open space. The small parks make for a lot of zigging and zagging, and flipping and flailing. The problem with your park, it sounds like, is all the unnecessary obstacles. I can't believe they would put metal objects in the middle of the park. The best parks don't even really have benches or anything. Of all dogs, I think greyhounds have the least self preservation. This is one reason I won't course my dogs. It's all or nothing, and I don't want them injuring themselves lure coursing when our main pursuits are in other sports. I do know some folks don't course their greyhounds until they are "mature".... lol. Kili just turned 3 and I'm still waiting on that maturity.

We really need good side view pictures to help you, and even then sometimes you need to actually put hands on the dog if their colour doesn't photograph well. I honestly feel like a lot of greyhounds are heavier than they should be, just like any other breed of dog. Greyhounds don't tend to have that super round "obese" look to them, but most of the hounds I meet are heavier than what I would consider ideal. I also have to say that I don't think I've ever had a foster that I felt was underweight coming off the track. These are retiring athletes. Most of them are in peak condition. Just because they are retiring, that doesn't mean that they should necessarily be heavier. I like to see the last few ribs easily, and the rest of the ribs when the dog stretches. And I want to feel the ribs easily when I pat the dog, having to push only when I get into the front ribs that are covered by the shoulder muscles. Depending on the dog's body type this generally means that vertebrae in some parts of the spine are obvious, and the hip bones may also be easily felt and can be seen but aren't prominent. The hips and spine though really do depend on the dog's body type. My guys are lean, long, and tall whereas some greyhounds are a little more square. These are my kids at their ideal conditions Summit Kili

We carry it at work. I haven't sent it home much yet, but when I need more paw balm for my own dogs I'm going to try it. That won't be for awhile though as I just bought a new wax this summer. ETA: I'm a big fan of a lot of their other products though, if that helps you at all.

Summit learned how to jump into the vehicle after he learned how to *jump*. The concept can be entirely foreign to greyhounds, especially males. I had to lift his hind end into the car every time. Then when we started agility classes he had to learn to do the jumps. He didn't understand that either, and we set the jumps super low so he basically just stepped over, and then slowly raised it until he had to jump. After he learned to jump he just naturally took to jumping into the vehicle without having to be taught.

I tell people to not feed or give oral medications for 1-2 hours after injection. So far, so good.

Kili lives with 3 rabbits and has lived with 2 different cats short term (they were both fosters). The rabbits get her excited, but not in a real prey drive way where I worry she's going to try to kill them. More in a "what are you? Can we play?" kind of way that makes me worry she's going to accidentally hurt them in her zeal for friendship. Outside she will chase anything that moves. I let her chase birds and squirrels because they're safely up and away quickly and then the game is over. I don't let her chase rabbits or cats because they stay on the ground and the chase could go a lot longer, and a lot further. Also she could actually potentially catch them and I'm not sure if her reaction would be to kill or just be curious as in DarkHorse's experience... and I don't want to find out. She did once chase a wild jackrabbit that I didn't see. It ducked under a fence and she was frantically trying to find a way through. I wouldn't trust her for a minute with an outdoor rabbit or cat.

This. It's hard in the beginning for a dog to understand that a behaviour is "sometimes" okay. Consistency is key. That said, they can eventually learn to differentiate, but that is down the road a ways. Kili and I play with her feet up on me, and when I come home from work she is allowed to put her feet up on me in greeting as well. But it is not appropriate with other people, and she understands this for the most part. I would have your partner stop allowing the jumping during play. I would also put a leash on him whenever someone comes to the door and he is likely to jump up. You do not use the leash for a correction, the leash is simply there to prevent the jumping in the first place. What i mean by this is... you are not going to give him a jerk to the neck as punishment for jumping up on someone, you are going to keep the leash taut so that he CAN'T jump up on them. You can use this for yourselves as well by leaving the leash on the ground and stepping on it. It is also incredibly important to reward for the behaviour you want - all 4 feet on the ground! This might just be for a split second at first! It can also be really helpful to train a command that is incompatible with jumping that is highly rewarding. Teach him to sit or lay down, and when people walk in the door ask him for that behaviour. He can't sit AND jump up at the same time. The sit needs to be highly rewarding though so that he wants to do that over jumping up. You can also take "ignoring him" to a totally different level. There's just ignoring him and turning your back on him, and then there's completely removing yourself from his access (which is ultimately what he wants). I just turn around and leave the house again if they're uncontrollable. Or I'll put them in time out in their crate (this needs to be really neutral though, because the crate shouldn't be seen as punishment... it's just an "oops, you're being nuts, why don't you just chill out in your crate for a few minutes?").

Well, I'm in somewhat the opposite boat of most folks. It's not that I feel strongly that dogs should all be crated whenever people aren't around, but I do feel strongly that they should be accepting of the crate. Just because there isn't a need to crate often, doesn't mean a dog shouldn't be comfortable with it. It is one less thing to worry about and for the dog to worry about in the rare instance that you need to. Air travel, groomer, vet, hotel etc. So many people come in to the clinic wanting sedation for their pet to travel, when they could make a huge difference in their pet's anxiety by just having them accustomed to their crate. Same goes for when we have to hospitalize a pet. Sometimes it isn't even for a long period of time or for something serious, but the amount of anxiety they have over the kennel or crate is unbelievable. And trust me, although the large dogs go in kennels and not crates, it is really the same thing to most dogs. It is a form of confinement, and if they aren't used to it they make a really big deal about it. That said, most dogs aren't getting up to too much trouble at night. The biggest concern I would have would be housetraining. Even Kili, who cannot be trusted uncrated home alone, sleeps through the night without ever getting into trouble. The most annoying thing she does is try to climb into bed with us and wake us up. We either gate the bedroom or close the door to prevent the hounds from wandering (again, mostly just Kili the trouble maker). If you have room for a dog bed in the bedroom I'd just let him sleep in there with you and close the bedroom door. Otherwise I'd do as NeylasMom suggested and work on some crate training. You may also consider stuffing his new bed in there for him as he may just be objecting to the fact that he knows he has a comfier bed elsewhere. Having a well crate trained hound is very convenient. Kili dashes for her kennel every morning before I leave for work because she knows she's getting a Kong. And Summit, who is not routinely crated, sometimes chooses to sleep in Kili's kennel if I'm in that room (it's the office) for any length of time. I never have to worry about them if I need to kennel for any reason. It's one less stress for me, and one less stress for them.

I wouldn't have him sleep far away at night, but I do think it would be alright to move his downstairs bed up to the back door and encourage him to sleep there during the day when you're just puttering around the house. Give him a kong or something to work on so he can continue to make a good association with that area of the house. And just putter in and out so that you're not just "gone" and he's all alone... more just that you're in and out of the room.

That's so sad. Poor girl. My older dog, Summit, is similarly very phobic of fireworks and gunshots, but fortunately he has never carried his phobia over and associated it with anything after the fact. He does also perk his ears and have a moment of panic if he hears something that sounds similar to a gunshot (car backfiring, or even a car door slamming just the right way) but quickly gets over it when it doesn't happen repeatedly. For him when I know there will be fireworks I give him an anti-anxiety supplement called Anxitane (not sure if it's available in the UK) which makes a huge difference for him. He is still uneasy, however he doesn't shiver, he'll make eye contact with us, and he will respond and take treats. With anti-anxiety remedies it is important to remember that not every dog responds to the same kinds of therapies. I tried several supplements, Adaptil collars, and the Thundershirt before I found Anxitane. There are desensitization cds that you can buy. You play them at low levels to begin with so the dog doesn't even really notice, and then play them louder and louder as they get used to it (I think most of them come with instruction manuals on how to use them) so that may be an option for you. I'm sure someone with more experience will be along to give you some advice.

I don't think the OP should be walking this dog... HOWEVER what may be helpful and possible is for the whole family to go for a walk together. OP and her BF can walk a few metres ahead of Summer and the parents, not look back or pay her any mind... just chat with each other quietly. If Summer seems comfortable with this or becomes interested in investigating them then they can slow down a bit to let her catch up, and hold really tasty treats out behind them as they walk for her to take. It's definitely important to not rush shy dogs. They'll come around on their own time when they're ready. But I know that can be really hard... I have the hardest time with the shy dogs because I get impatient (not in a bad way... I understand why they take time, I just really want to be friends!).

Ewww... insomnia sucks. I feel for you. I'm curious why so much noise from the dogs at night? What is it specifically that they do? For example, at our house Kili can be a pest because she attempts to climb into bed in the middle of the night sometimes, and when we send her back to her dog bed she doesn't always want to go and will pace and try again a few minutes later. When we had a bedroom big enough for a crate she was always crated at night so it was never an issue and if I wanted to stop the disruptions I would just crate her. Summit really never disturbs us. The only things would be if he got up and shook in the middle of the night - but that could be curbed by taking collars off at bedtime. And sometimes he'll woof in his sleep a bit, but for us it doesn't happen often enough to be an issue. You say that Leo is high anxiety. Is his anxiety the reason for the disruptions? If so I think you might end up being better served to have DH work on his anxiety during the next few months while you are sleeping separately. Just having the dogs sleep elsewhere is probably going to backfire if he's anxious. Knowing what the disruptions are and why you think they happen might help with suggestions.

I'm so sorry to hear that Kasey has passed. He has always been a favourite of mine here (perhaps because he looks so much like my Summit?). You guys have fought a tough battle for the past little while, and I know it must be simultaneously heartbreaking and relieving that he has moved on to a place without pain or discomfort. If only they never had to get old or sick. I loved your tribute and all the photos. I laughed through some of it, and cried through the rest. Run free sweet Kasey.

I'm so sorry. There are no words to make you feel better or to express what you must be feeling. Run free sweet girl.