Riverhound
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Posts posted by Riverhound
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When she examined him, Dr. Katie was of the opinion that it was likely arthritis, and -- I know, it's crazy -- I am desperately hoping that tomorrow's x-ray will confirm that she is right.
Going through something similar (Joe's exam is tomorrow); I very much understand how hopeful you are for a touch of arthritis! Joe has also gotten a bit gimpy after zoomies, then recovered in a day or so; this time it seems weird, so to the vet we go! Hubby's upset that I want it to be arthritis -- he hasn't read GT! Fingers crossed for the "good" diagnosis for both boys!
Best of luck for Joe's visit tomorrow as well
:goodluck Thank you!
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When she examined him, Dr. Katie was of the opinion that it was likely arthritis, and -- I know, it's crazy -- I am desperately hoping that tomorrow's x-ray will confirm that she is right.
Going through something similar (Joe's exam is tomorrow); I very much understand how hopeful you are for a touch of arthritis! Joe has also gotten a bit gimpy after zoomies, then recovered in a day or so; this time it seems weird, so to the vet we go! Hubby's upset that I want it to be arthritis -- he hasn't read GT! Fingers crossed for the "good" diagnosis for both boys!
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What a stunning boy! I've been admiring your signature on posts in other forums.
It may help to have a 2nd person hold Joe's leash while you're training him to stay?
Why thank you! I think I've gone a little nuts now that I can post . . .
So I'd put him in a sit/down stay, someone else would hold/step on leash, I'd call dog, other person would release dog, I'd treat and throw a party? That sounds so sensible I'm ashamed of myself! I've been doing the "throw treats at dog while dog is in bed" thing, but as soon as I move he follows me and starts offering behaviors that have earned treats other times. Like, whack Mommy with paw (over and over)! He's almost excessively food motivated, and really enjoys training sessions. And the "WHUMP!" when I ask for a "down" is quite impressive!
I think we'll be doing a Sunday class at Petsmart this winter, just to get him out of the house and keep him stimulated.
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Great news!
Im not sure why your vet would make a dosage recommendation about Xanax based on a reaction from Ace. They are 2 completely different drugs that act on different areas of the brain.
Im not trying to second guess your vet, but just sayin....
My family has used this office since the beginning of time, but only for cats. This doc has always seemed like she was pretty decent, but certainly not perfect all the time. (Ten or so years ago, she had Mom vaccinate a cancer-cat that was seemingly in remission, and well, gosh-golly-gee, the cancer came back with a vengeance!) That said, her bedside manner is awesome, she'll prescribe over the phone, and she at least read the greyhound lit. I brought her on Joe's first visit. He'll be going to NGAP for his dental, for sure! The price is very right, and it's one of their specialities. I'm inclined to use NGAP for any major procedures, and the local vet for routine stuff, like the UTI he had last winter. Oh, and Greytalk; the collective knowledge here is overwhelming!
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He slept! And now he's roaching!
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Welcome! Joe looks like quite a character. His sweet face reminds me of a friend's hound, also a black and white Flying Penske baby.
I've read recently that Flying Penske's kids are usually very sweet, people oriented hounds, and Joe is certainly that! DH and I walk him separately (and there's a dog-walker some days), and it's not unusual for either of us to hear a total stranger holler, "Hey, wait! I wanna say hi to Joe." It really freaked me out the first few times, but I've gotten used to it. In a neighborhood full of Pitties and Chi's, Joe is very much a standout!
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Thats a really low dose of Xanax. Diamond, my 62lb female, takes 3mg of Xanax before a storm. I personally dont like ACE for anxiety, since it is NOT an anxiety drug. When they take it, they are still terrified but unable to react to their emotions (which I think would be torture). It also has terrible side effects.
Xanax works great with no lasting hangover effect the next day.
Melatonin does nothing for my dogs.
Vet said she was giving him a lower than normal dose of Xanax because he reacted so strongly to the Ace (which seems to be greyhound normal, from what I've read!). I called during the last nasty storm to see if I could give him an extra, and was told "No", but by a different vet. He's had 2 Xanax today, at about 2:30, and is doing reasonably well right now. We're having heavy rain and a little wind, but nothing major yet. The rain was light enough a while ago that we got a quick walk in, so his bladder should be good for hours. He's an 85 pounder; would another Xanax around 10 be reasonable? And/or some benedryl to help him sleep? (Benedryl gives me terrible nightmares, so I hesitate to give it to him as a sedative.)
Tonight may be the night DH gives in and lets the dog sleep with us.
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We had a hound who HATED storms with a passion - hurricaines did not phase her in the least. We used ACE for the first hurricaine and nothing for subsequent hurricaines. The worst part was trying to get her to go potty in all that rain because she hated getting wet too!
Yeah. I have no idea how I'm going to get him to potty. He's such a good boy that he won't "go" on the covered porch. I know he won't have an accident in the house, but he's likely to be pretty uncomfortable from holding it. I think I'm probably going to be leash-walking during the freakin' storm. Love this dog!
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Ohhh, did somebody just ask for more pictures? I can do that!
Mastered Roaching 101 on his first day home.
Mother! Put the camera away and take me for a walk! I know I look good in my new coat, and I want to show the neighbors.
Falling asleep inside hide-a-squirrel on Christmas morning.
Doesn't he have great ears?
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Thanks for the welcomes! Joe is thrilled that Summer's Mom called him handsome; she's such a lovely girl.
@o_rooley: Yup, totally spoiled by this dog. He's just so easy to live with!
The eventual plan is to have him certified as a therapy dog, then start a READ program at the library where DH and I work. Joe loves kids and would really like all that attention. (And I want to take my dog to work with me!
) He'd be able to pass most of the CGC test, but "stay" is a problem. He can't seem to wrap his mind around a trick that involves doing nothing. Funny, you'd think that would be easy for a dog who sleeps 27 hours a day! -
Hi,
I've been obsessively lurking for about a year, but hadn't joined since I use free e-mail. Saw a post yesterday suggesting someone else send a support ticket to the Mods asking to be signed up, and decided it was time for Joe and I to come out of the shadows.
Hubby (then-fiance) and I went to NGAP about a year ago, "just to look". We'd been talking about a dog for about 2 years, and figured we'd get one in a few months. I also wasn't totally sold on Greys -- I had a Dobie as a teenager and was trying to convince Rob we should get one. We met lots of sweet dogs at the kennel, including a pair of slightly older girls that were real dolls, but we just weren't quite ready to take the plunge.
Then, one of the volunteers said, "Would you walk this one, he's my baby?" Can't say no to a line like that, right? She walked us to the very end of the row, where this GIANT black and white dog was bouncing up and down like he was on springs. When she let him out, he leapt straight at me, jumped up on his hind legs, and kissed me on the nose. SOLD!
While we walked him around, Rob kept saying things like, "But he's so big!", and "Man, he pulls a lot!" But of all the dogs we'd met, Joe was the only one who was more interested in us than in peeing on every blade of grass. So we filled out an application, and I "stole" his picture from their website to use as wallpaper on my computer. I would have been devastated if we hadn't gotten to bring him home.
This past year has been wonderful, and GT has been a big help in making it that way. You folks taught me how to teach him not to pull on the leash, have helped me work toward making him safer around small fuzzies, and let me know that his resource guarding was MY fault for taking his stuff away before he trusted me to give it back (or give him something better). Thank you all so much!
Rachael
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I use melatonin and a thundercoat. If you don't have a coat yet, you can try a child's t-shirt. Make it tight by rubber banding the loose part, or clipping with a binder clip. Or, you can make a wrap from a towel and an ace bandage. Mike it tight like a hug.
Sounds like an idea! He's a big fan of being wrapped in a blankie, and is fine with wearing clothes. He also likes it when I lay on top of him
; but I have to get up once in awhile. -
Hi all,
Hubby and I have had Joe for a little over a year; he wasn't a fan of thunderstorms last summer/fall, but has been really spazzy this year during any inclement weather. Like, it drizzles and he's panting & pacing!
I should buy him a Thundercoat, but I've been hoping that he'd improve with time and light medication. (I'm not a fan of heavy drugs long term for something like this, since I won't always be around exactly 2 hours before it storms to medicate him. I also wouldn't want to leave him alone, freaked out, and wearing a Thundercoat -- I get the GSOD when his foot is resting in one of my sandals, if a coat caught on something while I wasn't around I can see him going pretty nuts!)
Anyhow, the first drug the vet gave me was Ace, 25mg every 12 hours. I read about it here, and had mixed feelings about giving it to him. I tried him with half a dose, and wasn't happy with how out of it he seemed. Zombie-dog! He was able to get up when I asked him to go upstairs for bed, so I don't feel like it was dangerous for him. I just didn't think it was something I wanted him on regularly.
The vet has since given him generic Xanax, .25mg/tablet, 1-2 tablets every 12 hours. After the Ace experience, I started him REAL LOW, but have since worked up to the maximum dose. In general, I like it. He's still not happy about storms, but can lay in his bed and pant, instead of pacing and panting with drool strings hanging off his jaw. I'm hoping that he's starting to learn that storms suck, but they won't hurt him. We've gotten through several shorter storms drug-free.
Thing is, I'm worried that this nasty Hurricane (hopefully tropical storm when it gets here!), will undo the progress he's made this summer and set the poor guy back to being a quivering heap of Jello like he was this past spring. I'm wondering if using this Ace, just this once, to help him sleep through most of it might be a reasonable thing to do.
What do you think?
Rachael
I'll introduce us properly later, but here's a picture of my baby-boy so I'm in compliance with the
:goodluck 
) He'd be able to pass most of the CGC test, but "stay" is a problem. He can't seem to wrap his mind around a trick that involves doing nothing. Funny, you'd think that would be easy for a dog who sleeps 27 hours a day!
; but I have to get up once in awhile.
Hi! I'm New Here
in Introductions & Biography
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Hi from NJ!