Feisty49

I was so excited when I brought Annie Bella home in mid-July of this year. I'm a mom and a grandmother but it had been decades since I had a dog and I've always yearned for a Greyhound. I was a bit concerned regarding all the "special" things about Greyhounds until I realized that yes, they are special, but every dog breed seems to have something special about it. Make sure you have a crate. Food dishes on a riser. Stuffies. Treats. A bed, whether a real dog bed or something made from blankets (they really aren't that fussy about what their bed is). If possible, talk to the foster parents. Ask them what food s/he is eating at their house and does her system tolerate it well, i.e. decent stools. Oh, and don't worry too much about the poop unless it's really loose and runny. I've spent weeks not liking how soft Annie's poop is sometimes until finally my vet (who owns 2 Greys herself) said, "Most Greyhound's poop is softer than other dogs. Stop obsessing." LOL Food: Expensive, cheaper? I am now using Taste of the Wild, because Annie did have diarrhea for a bit, but hope to eventually wean her to something less expensive, though still good quality. I still evaluate her poops. LOL Decide if you want him/her to be a furniture dog. I don't want a dog on my furniture, or in my bed, and in the 3 months I've had Annie, she has never once looked at the couch with interest let alone climb on it. If she had expressed an interest, I knew before hand I would discourage her. Most dogs can go longer between P&Ps (pee & poop) than we think. Everything I read recommended taking a new Greyhound out every two hours. What that does is train the dog to want to go out every two hours, and except for medical issues, that's simply not necessary, unless they're not house trained. While you'll want to make your new baby feel safe and secure, it doesn't hurt to start from day one getting her used to *your* schedule. My Annie still won't use the stairs to the second floor so stays in the TV room overnight by herself. I felt bad at first, but it is what it is, and she's fine. Guess I'm saying, don't transfer too many human emotions to your new dog. Just 'cause you "feel bad" doesn't mean the dog does. One final thing: Yes, Greyhounds often look sad. Those brown eyes, the ears back. If they were human, we would think "sad." They're not human. That's the way they look, or as my sister said, "Annie Bella is Irish, and that is her happy face!" LOL

Great advice given here, and all or some will work, but all will take time. It must be very stressful for you as well as Rhythm. Hope your neighbors understand. If one can hear, others can also. Maybe you can invite a couple of neighbors over for a Meet & Greet so they can get to know her and see how charming and wonderful she is and that she's worth the time to train. I've found that people who do not know Greys are always impressed when they finally meet one. BTW, try using the words, "Kennel Up" when you want her to go into her crate. That's what's used at many tracks. My Annie Bella didn't like going in the crate either in the beginning, but did respond to a firm "Kennel Up" with me standing by the open door. She was, thankfully, so good just hanging around the house that I used the crate only to keep her trained in case it was needed. Within two weeks, though, I had taken it down because it was never ever used. Thankfully, she is fine with being alone for a few hours. I've never left her for more than 4 hours, though, and all she does is sleep, toss stuffies around and steal socks. I deliberately leave old socks with holes around so she can find and collect. Good luck.

Annie Bella usually does one polite burp after eating, but if she's near my face ... ewwwwwwwww.. smelly! LOL

I had no idea Greyhounds could bark that long and continuously! My Annie Bella woofs and I've heard it only 6 or 8 times since mid-July when she was adopted.

Tracker's bragging!

Mine just wears a regular ole' martingale with no special lining. She's had no problems with it and it's on most of the time.

Thanking my lucky stars that so far (2-1/2 months since adopting) Annie Bella has woofed - not barked but woofed - 6 to 8 times. My suggestion, which I would do if Annie starts barking, is to give no positive reinforcement. Don't yell. Don't say no-no-no over and over. Don't say her name. Don't pet her. Ignore her if she tries to get your attention. Stand over her and every time she barks inappropriately, gently touch her neck or face to interrupt her barking.

Why do you need permission to carry something?

I don't have any advice about the vomiting except to agree with what Sambuca said, but I want to comment on how cool it is he rings a bell to go out. I like that!!

Original Blue Dawn dish detergent on her body, rinsed thoroughly after, will help remove the blood.

You write beautifully. I got into your words as if I were reading a short story. I loved the main character , and character it sounds like he was. I am so sorry for your loss. He will be missed.

I get a daily dog tip via email from the site Dogster.com. Today's tip is: "More than fifty varieties of oak grow throughout the United States. As autumn sets in, these lovely trees will begin dropping their acorns into yards, fields, and forests. Although acorns are a grand example of the variety of nature, they can be harmful to dogs. Small amounts of acorn ingestion typically cause no more than minor illness, although the gallotannins they contain can cause kidney damage. Typical symptoms are stomach upset, vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation, while whole acorns can also block your pup’s digestive tract. Make sure you keep an eye on your pooch when you go out for walks, especially if it’s the type that eats first and asks questions later."

I am so sorry to read you may have bed bugs. Yuck! I don't want any bugs, but I rather have fleas than share my bed with a bug. LOL When it comes to bed bugs, I'm the type who would call a professional, even if I had to vacate my house for a couple of days. I can deal with fleas (unless a big infestation problem exists) but bed bugs are, IMO, a different type of problem that I would not tackle. Good luck!

My sympathy to you and your family. It's never easy letting go.

Interesting x-rays. I've never seen a duck like that. Yah, that's a lot of money for a duck. I don't know at what point I'd say, "I can't afford this any more," for my Annie Bella. I hope I never have to find out.

Mine's on special food for diarrhea, which is now under control, and because it costs $56 for 18# (it's a prescription food from the vet), I too will be changing to something else, but only after Annie's given me a couple of weeks of good stools, and I will switch very very slowly. So slowly that the amount will be measured by the number of kibbles exchanged rather than by parts of a cup, and I will try a food for sensitive stomachs. Having said this, though, I'm kinda afraid to do anything to upset the cart. She did start on the 'script food and probiotics at the same time, as well as an antibiotic which she has finished, so I don't know if the probiotics, the food or a combo of both resolved the problem. She will remain on probiotics no matter what food I feed her. Sometimes I look back on the good old days, i.e. my childhood, when the family Boxer and Boston Terrier got Gravy Train and both lived to a good age (12+ years). I know somebody who has 4 Greys and can't afford anything but Kibbles 'n Bits. All her dogs do well on it and none have intestinal problems. I don't see me going that route because I can afford a better food, but I admit it's all a bit much sometimes.

Each time I read another post about ticks, I thank my lucky stars that so far (and ya never know when something like this will hit) I don't have them. A few fleas I can handle. For an infestation of fleas or ticks, I'd hire a professional to do the house. A few years, when my husband was still alive, we had a minor infestation of fleas and he did the work of bombing while I washed stuff.

Oops... don't know how it got up there twice. Will delete one if I can.

The stories are so funny. My Annie Bella loves to walk but in the summer, pooped out pretty quickly. With the cooler weather, she's good to go for 30 to 45 minutes two to three times a day. She sometimes likes dog parks; sometimes not. In between, she sleeps pretty solidly unless she thinks I'm going out, then she settles herself in the hallway so she can watch wherever I go in the house. What she does not like is getting up to go pee after she's put herself to bed, which at this time of year occurs about 6:30 PM. Now that we're taking our evening walk earlier than in the summer, I've tried to get her outside for a final pee about 8 PM but she wants nothing to do with it, so she often goes from 5:30 PM to 5:30 AM without a break.

The stories are so funny. My Annie Bella loves to walk but in the summer, pooped out pretty quickly. With the cooler weather, she's good to go for 30 to 45 minutes two to three times a day. She sometimes likes dog parks; sometimes not. In between, she sleeps pretty solidly unless she thinks I'm going out (and they can sense that hours beforehand), then she settles herself in the hallway so she can keep an eye on me and doze at the same time. What she does not like is getting up to go pee after she's put herself to bed, which at this time of year occurs about 6:30 PM now that we're taking our evening walk earlier than in the summer. Once in bed, she is out solidly, dreaming, twitching, running and ears flicking. I've tried to get her outside for a final pee about 8 PM but she wants nothing to do with it, so she often goes from 5:30 PM to 5:30 AM without a break.

Re vets not knowing good weight for a Grey: My vet owns 2 Greyhounds herself and has for a few years. She knows what she's talking about. As I said in another post, IMO, it comes down to us knowing our Greys better than anybody. Even after only 2 months of having Annie a part of the family, it was obvious that when she had bad diarrhea, she was also losing weight (**all** her ribs were sticking out like the bones they are and a trip to the vet's scale confirmed 4 pounds lost). It is now obvious that with the diarrhea gone and on a 'script food, she has gained the 4 pounds back and maybe 1 or 2 more so I cut back on her food by a quarter cup in the morning and the evening and it's making a small difference already.

I think the bottom line is follow your own instincts/desires. We can ask all the questions we want, and it is nice to have the input and stories from others, but we live with our Greys and know them better than anybody. I don't add anything to Annie's food now. I started on green things shortly after I got her because I thought she *needed* 'em. After a couple of days, she'd leave anything green in the bowl and if she couldn't eat around it, she wouldn't eat. I tried green beans for a few days. Next I tried peas. I tried pumpkin (not green I know) for soft stools. She didn't like any of it and refused to eat. Sooo, does she need these additives? Maybe? Yes? No? Makes no diff because she won't eat them.

Again, a good and interesting topic and conversation. If we go back far enough, people were also carnivores but that doesn't mean all I want to eat is protein. It's not healthy (ask anyone who has problems with high-protein, low-carb diets). I have issues with my intestinal tract (lymphocytic colitis) and fiber is on my diet big time, whether it be natural or something like Citrucel. Since fiber is what makes me work pretty well most of the time -- and my ancestors were once strictly carnivores -- I personally think the same principle can be applied to dogs. Carbohydrates do not lead to obesity. Overeating leads to obesity. And complex carbs are the better carbohydrates because they break down more slowly in our bodies, thus keeping sugar levels more even than other types of carbs and helping to forestall hunger.

I have no advice but lots of sympathy. I'd be freakin' out!!

What a beautiful girl. I'm sorry for your loss.