Feisty49
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Posts posted by Feisty49
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There are so many different opinions about switching slowly or quickly. The group to which I belonged has a foster mom who switches immediately to whatever food the group is passing out to the foster homes. Pretty much it's whatever comes to the group for free or on which they can get a good deal. She says she has no issues with switching immediately.
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I started using FortiFlora a few months after adopting Annie (over 2 years ago) but it did nothing to change Annie's poo. Didn't make it worse or better. BTW, Annie is also a GH who never ever has gas. Never.
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I'm envious of those who can switch with little or no problems. The only thing that doesn't give Annie extremely soft poo or diarrhea is Iams in the green bag, and even then, it's not firm enough to roll down the hill, as is often said. But she likes it. Her poos are basically fine, she has as much energy as ever (which is very little....this girl likes retirement), and she has no gas. In an effort to get more firm poos, if only to have them easier to pick up, I've tried probiotics and other additives that have been recommended, and nothing changes for the better, though a couple changed the output for the worse. So Iams it is with occasionally something tasty to spice it up, such as a bit of peanut butter, a dash of parm cheese, a torn up slice of American cheese. I don't do this with every meal because I don't want her to depend on additions but maybe every other meal or every third meal.
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In October, I enclosed my backyard with a black, 4' chain link fence with matching black framework. Annie has shown no interest in it let alone try to jump. She's very lazy, and I doubt she'd even think about jumping it. That type of activity is not in her make-up. BTW, the black looks very nice. Everybody in my neighborhood thinks it looks great.
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My Annie hated her crate from day one, but I followed instructions/directions from my group and used it anyway. She strongly balked when I insisted she go into the crate but would go into the crate almost easily if I put a leash on her and led her (she'll do a lot of things with a leash on her). After day a couple of days post adoption, I decided if Annie hated the crate as much as she acted, then I wasn't going to use it. She was fine. Like others have mentioned, she was a bit of a thief in the beginning. A sock here, a mitten there, but all she did was hide them in her bed. They were never chewed or destroyed.
The crate was put away at the end of her first week with me.
BTW, I also have a cat and have never separated them. Annie, though, is very non-prey driven.
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I think it's awesome that you're adopting a houndie that's 8 years old. I love seniors, whether it be dogs or cats. My Annie hated her crate. Making her go into it was a chore as well as heartbreaking for me because she just hated it. Her head would hang down, and she'd sloooowwwwwly walk into it. You know how terribly sad they can look. After three times of insisting she go into it (because I was leaving the house and was told that using a crate was the way to go), I pretty much said, "Screw it," and never made her use it again. She never went into it by herself. Ever. By the end of week 2, or sooner, I had put it away.
Don't spend a lot of money on toys until you find out if Allie likes 'em. Annie ignored a Kong. She plays very seldom with her stuffies and when she does, for a brief 20 seconds, she only plays with the flat ones.
Good luck!
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Yepper to the above. Garage door opening means I'll be greeted by Annie at the top of the stairs off the entryway, tail wagging, ears up and a smile on her face.
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Do you think she's talking about this: http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/250385-toes-rubbing-together/
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Heavy head? :-)
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As Batmom said, it seems like a lot of food. The more food in, the more poo out. :-) How much does he weigh? My girl weighs 64 pounds and gets 3 cups of food a day split between breakfast and supper plus a few treats during the day.
Also, I'd consider feeding him later in the morning, closer to the time you take your long walk before going to work. Annie has to pee and often poo first thing in the morning, but she always has to poo when we take our first walk of the day about 30 minutes after she eats.
Good luck!!
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I adopted Annie in July 2011. For what seemed like a very long time -- a few months -- I thought she didn't like me. She was gentle and sweet and had no major issues such as resource guarding or sleep aggression, but she didn't care whether I talked to her, petted her, or loved her up. I did it anyway, of course, because I loved her from day 1 and what better way to bond except pay loving attention? She liked it but never sought it out. Pretty much she barely paid attention to me unless I asked if she wanted to go for a walk or a ride or wanted supper. Then one day for no apparent reason she walked up to me, put her head between my knees, leaned onto my thighs and stayed there while I massaged her neck, pet her up and down, and whispered silly words into her soft ears. I also teared up. It was so special. She still does this when she wants some lovin', and apparently I've been remiss in giving it to her, and she may do it several times a day. So hang in there. Love your boy up when he's not sleeping, talk to him a lot, remind him he's the best boy in the whole world, and he'll come around in a Greyhound way.
Stairs: My girl hated stairs. She spent the first 6 months post adoption sleeping alone downstairs (but not in a crate) because she wouldn't do the stairs to the second floor. One night, apparently she decided she hated being alone and whined at the bottom of the stairs. That night I slept downstairs with her, but I don't give up my bed for sleeping, not even for my much-loved Annie (unless she's ill). The next day with total confidence (they sense any hesitation or insecurity on the part of their human) I informed her she was learning to do stairs today. I got behind her and put front foot/front foot on a stair and then back foot/back foot on the stair below, and then gave a push on the butt. We did it 4 times, up and down, one right after the other, with treats at top and bottom (Annie's not food motivated so that had nothing to do with her success). The 5th time I started up she took off on her own and has been fine ever since. Unlike some recommendations, I didn't use a leash. It kept getting in the way and I was afraid if she did take off, it would tangle up in her legs. That's just a personal preference.
Walking with other dogs: Keep Anders on a short leash (and not a retractable leash!) and be vigilant about having other owners keep their dogs out of his face. If someone walking their dog appears to have no control, that is letting the dog walk at the end of the leash, jumping around, I speak up and ask them nicely to keep their dog away from mine until we find out if they get along, and even then I want both dogs on a short leash for control. A good explanation is reminding people that they wouldn't like it if I walked into their personal space and got in their face. Dogs are no different. I also keep myself between Annie and anything that might be a threat or alarm her. Nothing will get to her unless they take me down first.
It will all be OK. Relax and use your common sense. You've read the books and you're getting good advice here. I distinctly remember the feeling of being anxious and worried I'd "break" Annie. I also remember the moment when it hit me that as special as she was, she was still a dog, albeit not a lab or golden.
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I can't imagine withholding affection, which comes in many forms, if the dog is willing to accept it. Affection can be touching, petting, brushing, and plain ole' talking to her, telling her how beautiful and wonderful she is, in whatever voice suits you. Advice varies from group to group and person to person. Who is right? IMO, you need to follow your gut feeling and use your common sense.
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I'd put the crate on the main floor and baby gate him in your room at night if he seems to be OK with the cats.
FWIW - not all greys are attached to their crates. Some hate them to the point of injuring themselves trying to get out. Yes, they live in crates at the track but they are bigger and they usually have about 70 of their closest friend all around them 24/7. It's a big jump to being crated by yourself in an empty house.
My girl never harmed herself when in her crate, but she whined and cried (she doesn't howl or roo) and hated it to the point where putting her in it caused her a lot of anxiety. I gave up on it after 2 or 3 days. Crates are good! I'm not saying otherwise, but as Hubcity pointed out, you can't assume it will be necessary for very long or at all.
I'd not leave her alone at night. She needs to hear another alive thing breathing and stirring in their sleep to feel as good as she can, especially in the beginning. Just my opinion.
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Good news!
I don't think any of us think crates are bad, but obviously it was causing a problem for Alex1989's household when her hound refused to come out for something as basic as going potty. And obviously her hound is as happy out of the crate as in because she was just fine being alone in the house and not being crated.
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I've read this a couple of times and my first thought, and now second, is when you're home, close the crate door so she can't hunker down in it. You say she's happy when she's not in it so I can't see any reason to offer it to her. Is there a reason you use a crate at all? Does she need to be crated when you're not home? Does she need to be crated at night? Many of us stopped using a crate entirely within a few days after adoption.
Someone said after 4 weeks she's not used to anything, but my little experience with my one Greyhound would speak differently. Each day they learn something new, starting where their food and water are to the door you go out to go potty to the words/tone of voice, "I love you." If she wasn't used to anything, she'd be peeing & pooing in the house and crying/whining all the time.
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Annie had a dental this past Monday. I have total faith in my vet. The practice has many Greyhound clients and the vet herself has a couple of Greyhounds. I did, of course, have a few questions, the most important question being, "Is this really necessary?" Once I was assured it was, my other questions were: how long will the procedure take? how long before she's awake from the anesthesia? will you call me when it's over and she's OK? when can I pick her up? I was so intent on finding out when I could bring her home, I forgot the answers to length of time for the procedure and waking up.
The vet went into the procedure thinking 2 teeth needed extraction. Once they were cleaned, she could see the teeth didn't need to be pulled. I was glad for Annie.
I'm not a worrier. Pretty much I assume all will be well, and at 64 years of age and having experienced a lot of good and bad things in life, I know that what will be, will be whether I worry or not.
Each dog comes out of anesthesia differently. Annie was a bit loopy. She was able to kennel up into the back of my SUV, but she was panting more intensely than I've ever seen her and she had to P&P very badly. She was also thirsty, hungry and tired and after drinking and eating, she slept and slept and slept. She was loopy into mid-morning of the day after the surgery and then it went away and she was totally her normal self. The GH of a friend of mine who had a dental done by the same vet the week before Annie's, came home just as feisty and full of energy as he always is. It was as if he hadn't left home that day
Good luck!
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Every once in a while, Annie goes into a don't-want-breakfast mode. She won't even approach the bowl and then, just as I'm getting ready for our first walk of the day, she'll eat a few mouthfuls. On our return, she might eat another mouthful or two and then I pick it up. Of course by supper, she's starving. This behavior lasts four or five days and she returns to loving her b'fast.
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Annie likes to give her body a big shake, with feet flying side to side, a few times a day, inside or outside, summer or winter, but she does it more often outside when she has on a coat in the cold weather. It's as if she's trying to shake off the coat. Too bad. If she wants to walk and it's cold, she has to wear a coat. If she really hates a particular coat (such as the expensive but wonderful Voyagers K9 coat I bought last month), after 50 feet, she refuses to walk and turns back to home. Once I change out the coat for another, she's glad to walk.
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Hmm... so his feet & legs are there, stretched out before a human sits? If so, I'm not getting the problem because it would be simple to look before sitting and fold him up if necessary. Forgive me if I'm looking at this wrong. Maybe he stretches his legs out after you've sat? If so, I suppose you'll have to be aware of what he's doing and not allow it to happen.
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I've always been told the last 2 ribs should be easily seen and the hip bones should be obvious, though not sticking out. Honestly, what a Grey should look like depends on who's doing the talking, but we can all agree that if no ribs can be seen and the tuck isn't there, the dog is too heavy. I can't tell from the pics of your handsome boy if any ribs are showing, but I get the feeling that if he were my boy, I'd want to see him weigh a few pounds less.
It's interesting that when I got Annie 2-1/2 years ago, she weighed 69 pounds and the vet said she looked great. Annie tends to put on weight easily -- probably because she never runs though I have a fenced yard -- plus I thought at 69 pounds she didn't look good so I got her down to 66.5 pounds and at the most recent vet visit last week, she was 64.2 pounds. Know what the vet said? "She looks great." My vet is in a GH savvy practice. She owns a couple of GHs herself, so it's not like she's looking through uneducated glasses.
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Albany, NY, area here. He is handsome and I love his name
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My Annie doesn't tolerate "good" kibble either. The better the kibble supposedly is rated, the worse her poos get. She's on Iams in the green bag with a dose of FortiFlora a couple of times a week.
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Annie is on Iams green bag but she occasionally gets really soft poos, albeit formed. What brings her back to better poo is FortiFlora every day for a couple of weeks.
Our Unexpected Addition
in Introductions & Biography
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Love love B&W animals. He is wonderful. So glad he fits in so well.