Willowsmum

Thank you for the support and suggestions! Shadow gets yogurt and pumpkin in with his food twice daily, as well as an omega3 prescription strength supplement from the vet once daily. Vet said give the Deramaxx 25 mg 2x daily and let him rest a few days. If he's no better, bring him in. I did our first go at an Epsom salt soak on the front paws today (used towels soaked in warm water and salts in a zip lock bag method I read about on GT) he let us give him the spa treatment for 11 minutes. I rinsed in clean warm water and patted dry, he fell asleep afterwards. Don't know if it helped, but he looked very relaxed afterwards. How often would you do the soaks? Daily? Twice daily? Is it dangerous if he licks his paws later? He retracted one beneath him and I didn't get it thoroughly rinsed. He seemed better today with less trouble getting down, but a little more trouble standing up. Walked ok though. Hopefully he'll be a little better in a day or two and we can get him in the car to the vets, I'll ask about the LS, and gabapentin. I don't see anything obviously corn-like in the paw pads, but I'll keep checking daily. Thank you and wish us luck!

Hi all, I have a male greyhound who is 11 1/2 years old. He has been on Glucosamine supplements for arthritis for a few years now. It did the trick for awhile, his back leg wasn't shaking so much when he stood for longer periods of time. The past 8-9 months we have been giving him 25-50 mg of Deramaxx a day, as his arthritis has worsened. He no longer comes up the full flight of stairs, and occasionally has some trouble with the 2 little steps between our foyer and main level. A week or so ago he took a bad step or may have tripped over one of his bones and on the same day he may have smacked his leg against his food dish legs when giving a shake. He has been favoring his front right paw. It seemed to get better, but now his back legs have been shaking more. We don't see any cuts, damage, bruising or swelling, so we figured he may have pulled or strained a muscle--he's done that sort of thing before and it's always resolved itself in a few days. Today he has been whiny and restless, and it seems like he was afraid to sit down. His back legs trembled, and I think he was standing around trying to figure out what to do. His tail was down and I could feel his leg muscles tremble. I think he's in pain. I suspect that favoring the front paw has put stress on the hind legs that have not been strong in the past year to begin with--it's like he no longer has a "good" leg to take up the slack when he does something spazzy. I gave him his dinner time Deramaxx early today in some cream cheese, and he's finally sat down. He walks ok, actually walks better the faster he goes, and he isn't limping. He's been eating and pooping just fine. He gets up ok, it's getting down to the floor that seems hard for him at the moment. We have a call into our vet's to ask if it's safe to up his dosage for a few days. It seems just like the Glucosamine did the trick for a few years, then wasn't enough anymore, we are having the same issue now with the Deramaxx. Is there a different NSAID that we should ask about? Something he can take safely to handle his aches and pains? What alternatives do we have to manage his aches and pains? Is there anything topical we could put on him?I know of things for humans, but don't know if any of that would be safe for a greyhound. He still seems happy to see us, trots over for a cookie, gets excited for a walk, although between the heat here and his arthritis, it's been only 2 houses down and back… I just can not bear the thought of us not knowing how much pain he is in and not doing enough for the old man. This is my first dog. My husband grew up with dogs, many years ago, but back then he said there wasn't much they did for an arthritic dog other then have them put to sleep when their pain was too much, and they couldn't get around. Shadow is the BEST DOG EVER, and it breaks my heart to see him tail-down and looking sad. I know we are lucky to still have him as healthy as he is at his age, but I want him happier, healthier and for longer. :-( Please advise, greytalkers.

Shadow has done this "for no reason", then the next day lost a nail. I think nail was loose and the way he stood on couch must have pressed on quick. In addition to other suggestions, I'd check nails. And what is the "Rosemary thing"?? I haven't heard of it before.

Good photo! If he doesn't react strongly to it being touched, I'd keep an eye on it and alert your vet if anything starts getting puffy or red, or he starts fussing with it or favoriting it. Good luck!

Poor Rory! Is he in any pain? Is he bleeding a lot? Does the remainder of the nail seem loose? Does it touch the ground when he walks? If yes to any question, I'd call your vet. If he seems back to himself, and you feel comfortable with it, you can keep it clean and keep an eye on it. If there is any open wound and/or he is licking it a lot, you can slather it in Neosporin and put on a toddler sock. We fasten them on the leg with a little self-adhering wrap. If the remainder of the nail comes off, styptic powder or cornstarch will help stop the bleeding. I'd then disinfect and do the ointment and sock thing twice a day. I'd call the vet ASAP if it gets red, pink, swollen, ugly, or warmer than the other paws. Good luck! With our dog it seems worse when it's cracked or loose, and a relief for him when it finally breaks off.

Our grey has lost several toenails over the past few years (at least 5 times!) If it comes clean off, we clean it with wound wash or douse it in a disinfectant, stop bleeding with styptic or corn starch, then keep it slathered in bacitraycin or neosporin with a clean white cotton baby sock on top. We change the sock at least twice daily, check the nail, make sure it doesn't look infected, spray with bactine and re-slather and re-sock (clean sock) until it dries up. In a few days to a week, it usually heals nicely and there is just a dried piece of quick left that is so short it doesn't touch the ground when he walks, and it doesn't seem to bother our dog unless he bangs it into something. If he doesn't lick it, we let it air out once it dries up, if he bothers it, we keep it "socked". We buy the toddler socks from Target with the rubbery treads on the bottom, and fasten with the self-sticking wrap tape near the top of the sock. I have never had any luck with bandages-they either fall off, or they bunch on him and appear to press on the wound and cause more pain. If the quick is coated liberally in antibiotic ointment, it doesn't stick to the cotton sock, and it seems cushioned enough that it doesn't bother him unless he bangs into something. It's impressive how well they heal most of the time. Our dog seems a lot less bothered by the process than us if it comes off clean. If it's partially attached, fully attached or loose, or a piece remains, it's really painful for him and we take him to the vet immediately. Last time they tried to trim the offending nail and it came off in the vet's office. There was a small yip, and he seemed to feel much better after that. The only time we gave him medication for was one time his food got warm and a little pink, and he was really favoring it. He got an antibiotic and something for the pain/swelling that time. Knock on wood, he has not needed surgery for any of these incidents, he healed up nicely with keeping the wound area clean and un-licked! Our guy has a heart murmur and it nearly 11, so we try to avoid anything they would have to knock him out for. All that said, we don't have an official diagnosis with SLO. Our vet said she didn't think it was worth putting him under to do the toe biopsy we'd need to confirm. We keep his nails as short as we can, rinse in a bucket of water after walks, especially when there is salt on the roads, and supplement with prescription Omega-3 oil caplets. I'm sorry you are dealing with this, it's messy and frightening, but once you find a system that works for you and your dog, under your vet's supervision, it can be managed. We now have styptic or cornstarch and gauze in several locations around our house for such emergencies!

As a human I get reactive airway asthma from exposure to cold, and it manifests as coughing more often than wheezing. I'd talk to your vet to see if this happens to greys as well.

FUZZY!!! Oh, she's precious! Keep us posted on her cuteness!

Amazing what a Very Comfy Bed will do for a hound's preferences!

Our bedroom is too tiny, and my allergist advised against creatures in the bedroom. Dog sleeps on a bed in the hallway, just outside the bedroom. As long as I'm careful to not trip over him for the 4 AM potty break (for myself, not dog), it works out pretty well. We leave bedroom door ajar or partially ajar so he can peek in and make sure we aren't dead or something. You could baby gate him into the hallway so he can't roam too far, and if need be, gate him out of the bedroom.

I know nothing about corns, so I won't comment there. Our boy did get wear spots periodically in his paw pads, especially in the extreme weather. On another thread I saw the tip of "Musher's secret", which always seemed to do the trick, along with reduced walks until it healed some. It's pricey but a little goes a long way, we've had the same container for years. (Note, if you have tile or hard wood, mop often, it will make your floors a bit slick!)

This has happened to our boy many times. Is it possible to clip away part of the nail without hurting him more? A half-attached nail is much worse than if you can get it off (like if it's hanging by a thread). I'd do a spritz of bactine, glob of neosporin, and stick on a baby sock in the mean time to stop the licking, although he could lick it off himself which would solve half the problem (then bactine or neosporin and baby sock with vet wrap to keep it on) Hopefully you can get to a vet tmrw? Corn starch usually does the trick for us, but you need to use a LOT of it--keep applying. It happens so often to our guy our vet gave us styptic powder to keep handy, which works faster. Poor you. Last time it happened, our kitchen looked like a floury crime scene. good luck!

Vayda, The picture of King just breaks my heart. Please do keep photos and documentation to show how this man treated his poor dog. He is not fit to care for a houseplant, let alone a dog or human child. Should the jerk file for custody, all the info in this thread should help bolster your friend's case. Is there an animal control in the county that you can report the abuse to? It's be good if he had a record on the record, so to speak. Thank you for taking care of the little guy. He's beautiful, and sounds like a wonderful dog! I second the over-boiled rice, yogurt, canned pumpkin and Olewo carrots--they have down wonders for my senior boy who had really runny stools after getting off antibiotics. His coat is soft as bunny fur now and a neat side effect is I think the Olewo carrots cured his dandruff. The Olewo is available on amazon and a little bit goes a really long way. Best wishes with all that's on your plate. I'd reach out to your local rescue, perhaps they could help you out with this special case! He's obviously in very good hands with you, and a little help with the vet bills or kibble could give the poor guy some much-needed stability. I swear, I'm pro-choice, but I think some people should lose the right to ever breed, let alone live in civilization, for abuse of animals or humans (and research shows one often leads to the other eventually)! Hang in there, King!

OMG**BBQ! Abandoning a sweet pupper like him after a vacation?!!! Seriously, the more people I meet, the more I prefer my dog. So glad he has a wonderful place to be clean, happy, (naughty) and safe. Keep the pics coming, thank you for being one of those people that keeps me from giving up on humans entirely. *sigh*

I have allergies and a small bedroom, so no dogs in the bedroom at our house... BUT a bed in the hallway outside our room (cheap twin duvet folded in quarters) and a real dog bed in the office (bedroom next door to our bedroom) works for our dog. He often goes back and forth between the two at night. When he was younger and didn't have arthritis, he would sometimes go between the upstairs and family room beds at night. Now, I think that's "too far", lol. If she's clean in the house, and you do a "last out" before bed, I'd at least put a bed in the lounge and let her sleep there. Greyhounds want to be where their "pack" is, and few people keep them in the kitchen only. The "kitchen only" dog is a bit of an outdated dog notion along with keeping them out in the yard all the time (unless the dog and climate work well for that--greyhounds need temperature control, so that is NOT an option). In our own experience, a dog with run of a room will consider it part of her den and won't soil there. If a room is off limits, it's not part of her home, so she is more likely to potty there in an emergency. From a practical standpoint, however, if she's in the bedroom on a dog bed or in the hall outside the bedroom, you'll hear and see if she gets up, and then you can take her out if you think she needs to go--she's LESS likely to soil in the house at night if she's near you. Many greytalkers baby gate the dog in the bedroom, upstairs hall or shut the bedroom door for that reason. Helpful hint: If you are prone to midnight bathroom trips, choose a duvet or bed color that contrasts with the dog so you're less likely to step on him, or plug in a night light (Black dog on navy duvet was hard to see at night. Black dog on light grey or turquoise was actually visible.) Afterthought hint: read up on "sleep startle" so you don't get bitten if your dog isn't as mellow as mine (mine barely looks up if he does get accidentally nudged with a bare foot)

Welcome to greytalk from NJ! Your first two boys are handsome! My boy has similar "tuxedo" marking. One of these days we'll have to get him a bow tie to complete the look. Your third boy is absolutely striking! Wow! We don't see many that color over here! Please cover the tops of their heads with kisses for me! Interesting about the crates. Our boy has run of the house. If we need to "corral" him we use baby gates or two chairs in front of the doorway and that discourages him from entering. Funny thing I noticed is it's strange for me to see dogs without their collars on… they look "naked" to me. (Our yard isn't fully fenced, so we always have tags on just in case of an escape)

Congrats on the sweet baby girl! I just want to kiss all over that little head of hers! She does seem to have really huge feet, but I've only grown greyhounds for comparison. I look forward to reading about (and seeing pictures of )her adventures!

Re: Sliding glass doors Post-it notes worked well in a pinch. (I came home one day to post-its on the front storm door at knee height… You can guess the story I heard when I got inside ;-) )

I second silverfish--I was "allergic" to my current dog at first, but it was actually the cats in their house whose dander was everywhere. I had asked them to bathe the dog before we brought it into our house, but they just sprayed it with dog deodorant which did nothing to remove cat dander. Another thought--do you let the dog off leash in the yard? There might be pollen or whatnot on him from outside. We use lavender pet wipes every time our dog comes indoors. It helps a lot and he smells awesome. We use Herban Essentials wipes. (btw the dog wipes, people wipes and yoga mat wipes all have the same ingredients.) http://www.amazon.com/Herban-Essentials-Towelettes-20-Count/dp/B00BFGJMCA/ref=pd_sim_hpc_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=106Q4XBHPP61AC3QCK47 Try a bath. If you can' do that, brush him well with one of those mitts, and wipe with damp cloths. Letting him sleep on duvets folded in quarters, and laundering them frequently helps, as will a HEPA filter in the bedroom. Good luck!

We discovered our dog can go with only two to three breaks tops for a day or so in really bad weather. We play squeaky toys or run zooms with him indoors to burn off some steam. We shovel a small path to the side of our front door with enough room for him to circle/loop about then go. When he has to go, he lets us know and he will go outside pretty quickly. We also stockpile the paw safe snow melt stuff from Whole Foods, which helps getting up and down the driveway. We rinse his paws in warm water and towel dry after walks and use musher's secret balm on the paw pads before to protect him from non-pawsafe salts. Musher's secret is like chapstick for paws, it seems to provide a layer between him and the snow/ice/salt. If we're on limited walks due to unsafe walking conditions, we go a little lighter on the kibble for a day or two as well. Our boy's appetite usually goes up or down with his activity level.

Thank you both, those are the article we read last night! Dr. Stack seems to be the expert on this online. They don't address the low numbers with lack of any other symptoms.

I have an older male grey who will be 10 this march. He is a happy healthy-looking dog. He does 1-2 walks per day and has a healthy appetite. He is also a food mooch. We feed Purina Pro-Plan chicken and rice, which our rescue prefers. We add in yogurt and pumpkin which seem to keep his deposits nice and solid. We get 1-4 good deposits from him a day, depending on how much he walks. He doesn't like the heat and his appetite and exercise levels are lower in the summer and perk up in the fall every year. The 2 main health things we've dealt with for Shadow have been his arthritis (mostly in back legs--they shake if he stands still too long) and a toenail problem. He has unusually thick nails (vet said, "like horse hooves") and on 3 separate occasions he has pulled off a toenail. In all 3 cases, it grey back, fairly normally. We asked about SLO but she said his nail beds don't look angry, the nails grew back, don't look "funky", and she would prescribe Omega 3 supplements if it were SLO. She thinks it would be unnecessary surgery to remove a dewclaw or toe for definitive SLO diagnosis and he's doing well on the fish oil. He takes the fish oil supplements and a powdered glucosamine, chondriotin and MSM for the arthritis. Both of those seem to have reduced the back leg shakiness, his coat is awesomely full and shiny (vet noted, "You have a very fuzzy butt! Good for you, dog!") and the nails seem to be doing ok now that we keep them very short and supplement with fish oil--capsules in AM and drizzle of cod liver oil in PM. We went to a new vet and she said thyroid issues could also cause nail problems, and that his thyroid was low (.7). We went to the more grey-savvy vet at our new practice 2 months later and she ran a full panel, and said his T4 dropped to .5 and his TSH was .5 which she considered high (she said no higher than .4). She said she's aware greys tend to have a lower range or normal with thyroid, but she considers anything lower than 1.0 to be low, even for a greyhound. She said the elevated TSH indicates his body needs more T4 and is asking for it, but he isn't able to produce enough. I know it's common to overmedicate greyhounds of thyroid, but he is dropping to the bottom of the range, even for his breed. He is about the age stuff like this will happen. I have read horror stories about thyroid hormones causing behavioral issues and I'm fretful about this. I don't want to withhold something he might need, but I don't want to "ruin" the best dog in the world--really he is so good, mellow and lovey, and very patient with my hyperactive nieces and nephews (although I watch them like a hawk when they visit). The other issue, is other than dandruff, which we attribute to his habit of parking his tush in front of the forced air vents on the floor, he seems totally fine. Husband read on one greyhound site that thyroid supplementation could help with arthritis. I looked up symptoms of low thyroid: Lethargy -NO. (he gets up for treats, walks and has a few bursts of squeaky-toy sassy a day) Generalized weakness NO- although with arthritis, his back end isn't as spry as it used to be Inactivity NO He still is at the kitchen entrance whenever there is cooking noises, although a true grey he naps on and off all day. Mental dullness ??? He's an athlete, not a scholar. ;-) But smart as a whip if it involves food. Unexplained weight gain NO He *lost* weight not gained-He's 70 lbs now, his racing weight was 75. He seems to have fluctuated between 70-73 over the past few years. Hair loss (alopecia) He sheds 2x a year, but remaining coat is thick and full. Excessive hair shedding ??? How would you know? He does shed, but damn if he isn't growing in more. I wonder how he isn't bald with all I find in the dryer lint trap, but I didn't grow up with dogs. Husband says he's par for the course. Poor hair growth NO Dry or lusterless hair coat NO. Quite shiny, actually. Excessive scaling ?? Dandruff mostly on hind end, what's excessive? Recurring skin infections NO Intolerance to cold NO He doesn't do well in heat, he perks up in colder weather. Tilting of head to one side (uncommon) NO (Well, only if he has an ear goober, clears up after a cleaning with q-tips) Seizures (uncommon) NO Infertility (uncommon) He's fixed. So fellow greytalkers, what do you think? Just because they get over-diagnosed with low thyroid doesn't mean they can't get it. Should I proceed with caution? Anything I should know about dosage? If we wait, could this cause him health problems? Will this make him aggressive? Is that a myth? I want to do the right thing for my sweet boy.

Good first day! Give the pupper time! My dog didn't seem to really want greet me for probably a few months. Even now it's only enthusiastic if I'm late coming home. Even then, it's "You're home! You're home! Oh hey, I have a rawhide over there!" and that's it, unless dinner is late as well (in which case I have a shadow until dinner is served). To each pup his own, but my grey is not as fawning as say, my friend's golden. I've come to like it that way. :-)

Welcome! This a great board for all things sighthound!! You will get "greyt" advice from people more experienced than I. I read Greyhounds for Dummies and still refer to it now and then. It's a good investment. My $.02... Ask for a bounce or one who's been fostered! A bounce is a dog who might have done fine in a home, and learned house manners, but maybe the family had to move, or divorced, someone lost a job or fell ill, or an elderly owner couldn't care for the dog. They are rewarding to give a home to and they know what a home is--they will just need to learn YOUR house rules (couch or no couch? what time is potty time? Greys like their schedule to be somewhat consistent) Fostered dogs should have been introduced to glass doors, stairs, and shiny floors, all of which can be new to a dog off the track. Fostered homes tend to be people who are seasoned grey owners with hounds in the house who can act as role models for a dog off the track. Learning from other dogs can be great for a new dog, and make life a little easier for a new dog owner. A foster owner should also have an idea what the dog's personality is like, and can recommend one that is a good fit for your lifestyle. Keep in mind that a dog will often "lay low" and slowly his or her personality will unfold as they relax and adjust. I was warned early on, never put a dog in a room that he or she isn't used to when you go out. I wouldn't put him or her in the basement unless it's a place the family regularly hangs out when they are home. Many rescues will loan or rent a crate to start. Some greys crate so well, they go in there for a nap or "special alone time", some can't stand it. Some greys will respect a baby gate to stay in one room, some will jump, knock over or destroy baby gates. They will tell you a dog has to sleep in your bedroom. Our dog does OK in the hall outside our bedroom on 2 twin duvets folded in quarters, with the door open (so he can see and hear us). He has full run of the house, but initially, we baby gated him into the upstairs at night. Definitely try to adopt the dog when you have time to be there ego supervise and get him settled and gradually get him used to the idea that you'll leave but you always come back and better yet--you leaving =treat time! Raw hides, "greenies", and kongs with peanut butter or other durable rubber puzzle toys stuffed with kibble or cheerios (where dog has to knock it about to get eh food to fall out) are awesome. Reserve things things that he only gets after a potty break and when you go bye bye make the dog eventually be like, "jeez, lady just leave so I can get my TREATS!" That said, every dog is different, be prepared to adapt and adjust as much as the dog does--come back here for advice! Good luck!

What a wonderful tribute to a dog who so obviously played, lounged, ran, and roo-ed to his heart's content with the people he loved most. That last shot of your pack without him just got me and… I think there's something in my eye. *ahem* Thanks for sharing, so sorry for your loss. *sniff*