Feisty49

Gotta be careful about making the water too cold. It can cause problems. Also, I was told by my adoption group not to give ice.

Thanks for the info. I also Googled but after a while, reading so many sites makes my brain spin. I wanted to hear info from someone who had direct info from their vet. Thanks again. I hope those rates are for pulse not respiration! Normal respiration rate should be under 40 in a dog, typically 20-30. Normal heart rate in a large dog is ~60-100. Good catch! Duhhh on me because I should have thought of this. Indeed, if a dog (or person) is breathing at that rate, they're in trouble.

Thanks for the info. I also Googled but after a while, reading so many sites makes my brain spin. I wanted to hear info from someone who had direct info from their vet. Thanks again.

It seems unanimous that the heat negatively affects the Greys. I adopted Annie Bella last July and she immediately showed me that walking in the dead heat was a big no no for her -- as it was for me. Now that winter is over, it only takes a sunny day at 60 for her to start panting quickly. On a day like today, where the temp reached over 90 and the humidity could be felt at 6 AM this morning, we did an early walk and did less than half a mile because she starts panting within an hundred feet. Water: She drinks a lot of it but not immediately upon coming into the house. She waits about 30 minutes then goes for the water bowl. I assume she knows her body and if she's too hot, lapping up water might make her vomit. I walk her slowly and at the coolest times of the days and though my house is not hot, I keep a fan going and she has the option of laying near it or not.

Does anybody know what's considered the normal respiration rate for a resting Greyhound?

I wish I had an answer for you other than checking between the toes every time Luna goes out. That's pretty much what I do with Annie Bella. I live in a county in New York State with the second highest incidence of Lyme Disease and I am always picking ticks off her (and me for that matter). Is there a reason you save them? I squish and flush. I saved an email I got back in November from Dogster.com that told how to get rid of fleas in a backyard a natural way. It said: TODAY´S TIP: GROOMING | November 14, 2011 Get Rid of Fleas in Your Yard -- the Natural Way by Leslie May and Johann (the dog), founders of Raise A Green Dog Fleas are pesky little bugs that can cause worms, disease, and itchiness for your dog -- and if they are in your yard, it's no fun! You can control fleas the natural, organic way with flea nematodes. These are beneficial bugs and one of the most prolific multicellular animals on earth. Just a small bit of soil naturally contains thousands of the microscopic worms, many of them parasites of insects, plants, or animals. Flea nematodes control fleas by killing them in the larval and pupal stages in the soil. Flea nematodes should be applied to your lawn when the soil temperature is 42 degrees or above. Just follow the instructions on the package. And the best part: They will control fleas in your yard forever! Leslie May and Johann (the dog) are the founders of Raise a Green Dog, an online portal for all things green and healthy for your dog. I haven't looked for flea nematodes yet but it is on my to do list for this month. Before I invest money and effort, though, I want to know if they have a natural enemy or do they proliferate to no end and is that a problem. I know of no way to control ticks and frankly I just can't worry about them any more because of the prevalence. I use Advantix II on Annie Bella, pluck them off each of us when I see them and get blood work done a couple of times a year to check for the Lyme titer.

Hi, and don't forget to read the GOOD along with the not-so-good stuff, meaning mostly the medical issues that can arise. Topics have been started here where we talk about how everything is Greyt with our Greys, so look for those too.

With that look and those eyes, he can have an entire roast beef!

Annie Bella's chin quivers occasionally, but more likely her upper lips will flap and sorta quiver when she's happy and/or excited.

Annie Bella gets walked at least twice a day -- 3/4 of a mile to 1.5 miles each, depending on where we go, how I feel and if it's hot (she doesn't do well in hot weather so we shorten our walks). In the winter when it's very cold and/or stormy, we do one short walk. These are exercise walks. I walk her out back (I have 11 acres) at least 3 times a day for potty breaks and sometimes just because.

50 degrees isn't cold for the pups but is cold to me. I'm not warm enough until July! LOL

This is great to read! I can't imagine the struggle and anxiety you've experienced -- not to mention your boy -- over the past few years. Hurrah!

OMG, that's huge increase. I hope we see only 3% to 6% increases at Healthy Paw.

Gosh, I wish Annie Bella LOVED food and it motivated her. Oh she eats her 2 meals a day, and likes her treats, but never ever begs, never pushes her nose where it shouldn't be, never drools just watching me eat, etc. On the occasion I've forgotten to give her a regularly expected treat (such as when we return from our walks), she hangs out for 30 seconds in the kitchen and then goes lays down. Granted, I wouldn't want an extreme the other way, such as your baby, but something in the middle that would help in training her would be real nice.

These Pawflex bandages are great! I did cringe watching the mitt flex being pulled up over what would normally be an injured foot/ankle. However, when I can find them some place for sale, I'll probably buy a sample or two to have around in case of need. Thanks for the info.

Either you think it's still April Fool's Day or you're not getting it. Either way, I've written all I'm going to on the subject. Have a good day.

What do you mean by this? I didn't word the above very well. Trupanion has the typical percentage reimbursement (90% 80%, etc.) but its deductible is per incident. Trupanion reimburses 90%. I'm not sure what you mean by "80%, etc"? The statistics I gave above were just examples and examples are just that: representatives of what *might* be. And,not that it matters, I have 80% reimbursement from Trupanion, not 90%. That's not the point, though. It could be 100% reimbursement from Trupanion but 100% of nothing is nothing. It's all about the deductible. Trupanion does not start reimbursement -- no matter what the percentage is -- until the deductible of $250 is reached FOR EACH problem. With Healthy Paws, the deductible is a flat $250, for one incident or 10 incidents.

What do you mean by this? I didn't word the above very well. Trupanion has the typical percentage reimbursement (90% 80%, etc.) but its deductible is per incident. For instance, I could incur $700 worth of vet bills in one year, but if these charges were for 7 different problems that cost less than $250 each, I would get no reimbursement from Trupanion. With Healthy Paws, charges of $700 in one year would get me a reimbursement of (getting out calculator): $405. ($700-250 deductible times 90% reimbursement rate)

Annie Bella's neck stuff can hang down also, so I don't let it. She walks on my left side and I keep the leash short enough, or in a case where she wants to pee wayyyy over there, I hold the leash high enough, so that nothing is in front of her or knocking her any place. I do agree, though, that a big Martingale collar with all the metal as well as a few tags is pretty heavy on a thin neck. I use a 1.5" Martingale and have reduced the number of tags to what is absolutely needed for contact purposes if she's ever lost. I think a 1" collar would be better from a weight point of view, but she's a very strong girl and I feel more confident with the 1.5" collar when walking her. (Collar is removed in the house.)

I did sign up with Healthy Paws Friday, after emailing and talking with the company. Great people appear to own and operate this insurance company and certainly their reps are very informative, helpful and nice. Healthy Paws is a new company, not quite 3 years old. That was a concern to me because I didn't want them to go under in 3 or 4 years, when Annie Bella would too old, or premiums too expensive, for insurance with another company. I was assured their back-up company (the name which escapes me at the moment) has been around for decades and is well known in the pet insurance business. I opted for 90% reimbursement with a $250 deductible. My cost is $34.17. I was told that rates may go up yearly on the anniversary date of the policy based on increased costs of vet services, not based on how much money the company pays out. There is no way to predict the percentage of increase, of course, but this past year the premiums went up 10%. A 10% increase yearly sounds high to me being it's quite a bit more than the cost of living increase. Nonetheless, the company I'm leaving, Trupanion, also increases its premiums, does not reimburse anywhere near the rate Healthy Paws does and Trupanion's premium is over $42 a month right now. If at some time in the future I think premiums are too high, I can change my deductible and reimbursement rate to, for instance, 80% reimbursement or a $500 deductible. This will lower monthly premiums. Once a downward option is chosen (or an increase in the case of the deductible) I cannot return to the previous, more generous reimbursement. I was never totally comfortable with Trupanion because their deductible is per incident but am feeling much better with Healthy Paws.

Weather advice: If you need a coat, so does he. In hot weather you can always get a cooler jacket. Its like a towel you wet and place on them until it starts drying then you wet it again. It keeps them cool in extreme temperatures. Agree with all that you said except the coat thing. I wear a jacket or sweatshirt when it's 50 degrees outside, but Annie Bella would be uncomfortably warm and panting if she had anything on. Annie doesn't wear her fleece jacket this time of year unless we're having a very chilly day (like below 32 degrees), and even then, if the sun's out, a few hundred feet into our walk she's panting and I take off the jacket.

I don't know about dogs, but in humans, it takes 3 weeks for Lyme disease to show up in blood work and it takes 48 hours for the disease to be passed from tick to human. I live in tick country, U.S.A. (in a county that has the second highest incidence of Lyme disease in New York State). I'm always picking ticks off Annie Bella and me. Because Lyme often has no symptoms, we get tested every 3 months to ensure it's not smoldering, doing unseen damage.

Just an FYI: http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/Diamond_Naturals_dog_food_variety_recalled_146474145.html#.T39uVau1MlI.facebook

I'm glad you posted this, NeylasMom, because I had not heard of this company until reading this and I am probably going to switch from my current company, with whom I've been only 3 months, to Healthy Paws. The premiums are definitely cheaper and the deductible works like insurance for a person: it applies to a 12-month period for everything, not per incident. Thanks!!

I also like baseball fields but the ones around here have signs up that say "No Pets Allowed" so I go only when baseball is over the season late in the fall. I don't blame the fields for not wanting dogs on them. Running dogs dig up the infield, and if they poop, there is almost no way to pick up every last bit of feces. I wouldn't want my child playing on a field where dogs have left behind poop.