philospher77

Just going to mention that the form of the drug can factor into the price at pharmacies, so make sure that they are quoting for tablets and not the injection. I have Katie on generic Prozac, which I had been dosing at 20 mg (capsules). We decided to up the dose to 30 mgs, which isn't an off-the-shelf dose in capsules, so I was given a prescription for 20 mg tablets, so I could give 1 and a half. The price for the capsules is around $15. The price for the same medicine, same dose, same quantity, in tablet form? $161! So now I have a prescription for 10 mg and 20 g capsules. It's crazy. So, check around on the price and the drug format. Also, if Amicar only prevents clots from breaking up, it won't help if your greyhound is low on platelets, since that means that the clots are less likely to form in the first place. Just something to consider.

I think you are thinking about the Stormdefender shirt. The Thundershirt has no affect on static electricity, and is often used with noise-sensitive dogs. Does it work for all dogs? No. But it's worth giving it a shot. Advice from my trainer: close up all the windows, turn on the AC, put on background noise, and remain calm. And you are lucky: I had Katie out for her bedtime potty break last night and someone set off a firework. I'm like "really??? It's not even July yet!" And yes, they are illegal here, because of the fire concerns. It's going to be a long two weeks!

There is a possibility that she didn't actually chew the food before, but you just didn't notice then. Or at least that's the case with cats. If she's eating, is it all that important that she actually chew? If it's the speed that is bothering you, I'd try either spreading the food out on a cookie sheet, or putting golf balls/large rocks in the bowl, so she has to eat around them.

I would probably be looking for a different trainer. My basic advice to anyone looking for a trainer is to go watch a class or two first, and see what you think of it, before signing up. Greyhounds can sit (Katie is a natural at it), but at the end of the day, it's up to you on whether you want to train that or not. A good down or stand/stay is just as good in many situations. However, a stickler of a CGC tester will fail a dog if they don't sit. Just something to be aware of.

I'd see if I could find out what the 5.2 was. Other than that, I would (personally) recheck the blood tests at the next annual and see if there are any changes. These are so close to the edges of the ranges that it could be normal for him. Retesting in the future will either tell you that (good to know for the future) or tell you that there was some change, in which case I would probably retest at the next annual after that just to see if you can get some sort of baseline established. But that's just me.

I learned to do calming signals with Katie pretty fast. Funny enough, I was playing tug with Pixie and did a yawn in her direction (Pixie is a somewhat soft dog, so I was trying to reassure her that everything was ok). Bless her little heart, she promptly spat out the tug toy and sat down with her little tail wagging. Guess she thought I was getting too stressed out and wanted to reassure me that everything was ok!

I think it depends a lot on what was extracted and how. If it's just a matter of pulling the tooth, then you can probably get away with things as normal. If, as in Katie's case, you've actually had to create tissue flaps to suture across open wounds in the gums, a little more care with foods and toys is needed during the recovery period. Right now she seems to be healing up reasonably well, considering the pulled stitches, so we go back in a week to hopefully see that the front root has healed up. Fingers crossed!

I'd also check for corns. If it was a back leg, I'd be thinking lumbar sacral stenosis. Front leg, it might be something in the neck. It's amazing what can throw off a dog's gait!

Katie just recently had her dental. She had 4 molars pulled, including a lower carnassial (that's the big one on the side that they use a LOT for ripping off chunks and chewing on bones). She came out from under the anesthetic much faster than they expected, which caused an issue when she tried to bolt off the table. And, she managed to get a hold of a bully stick very briefly before I took it away, which might be why she had no stitches left at the carnassial when we did the recheck. The center is healing, however, so we are going back in a week to see if the rest is granulating in. If it's not, she will need to go back under and get a new flap made and stitched in. So.... be very careful of what they eat! And I tried doing the mushy kibble, and have learned that it takes longer than 30 minutes with boiling water for Taste of the Wild to get mushy. Leaving it to soak overnight works. There may be a time frame between that that works, but I haven't done that experiment yet. For now she is getting wet, but I will switch over once I run out.

I'll add my voice to the "benign neglect" side of the equation. I had to do that with Katie when I first got her. Granted, Katie is a spook, much worse than your guy, so you don't have to go as extreme as I did. But let him approach you, try not to force yourself on him. It might be helpful if you can make the area smaller, so that he can't totally escape your presence, but still has room to himself. In other words, if you have something like a great room, put a bed in there, and block off the other rooms, so that you can be in there, he can be in there, and he can just watch you and learn about you, instead of isolating himself at the far end of the house. If he's getting up and leaving when you enter a room, I'd try to make sure I had treats in my pockets and just casually drop one when you are in the room he is in. Don't stop walking, don't look at him, don't talk to him. You just want him to think "hey... this guy walks around and treats rain out of the sky!" He may still leave the room the first few times, but will probably quickly learn to come back and get the treat, and if you are consistent in not pushing interacting with him, will start staying in the room while you walk through. He may even start looking forward to it. Also, when you pet him, try to observe the "5 second rule". Pet briefly, pause, and let him tell you whether he wants more. We humans tend to pet dogs a lot, and they will often tolerate it, but not really enjoy it. This is probably just a phase he is going through, and dogs generally find men scarier than women, so it may not be long before he comes back around. Here's a good video on the 5-second rule: And if you are looking for toys that he might like, I find dogs like treat-dispensing toys. Busy Buddy is an extensive line, with several different types. Kongs are another.

If you are looking for a super-motivating treat: Mix equal parts cream cheese and liverwurst, and add enough bread crumbs/crushed shredded wheat/all-bran cereal (basically, anything dry and edible) to make a play-dough consistency. That's what I use for pilling, but the dogs just love the stuff! Or, raw chicken feet. That got my spook onto a table.

Hi! Katie was in for a dental today, and had to have a carnassial pulled, so required extra anesthetic. They told me that when they were bringing her out from the anesthetic, they were just about to move her when she bolted upright and tried to jump off the table, on the other side from where the vet and vet tech were, of course. There was a tech who was on the other side and kept her from banging her head, but she did get banged up on the belly a bit from hitting the edge of the table. Is this unusual? Should I ask them to make a note for the future (not that I think any of them will forget the experience!)? Or is this ot really a big deal and I can just let it go? Rebecca and Katie

Except, of course, when they are squeezing all of themself into a teeny tiny cat bed! THEN they can get all of their body to fit. But move to the dog-size bed? Then parts wind up on the floor!

You ALWAYS want to get insurance when they are fine. There is a waiting period after enrolling, and anything that shows up in that time is considered pre-existing and won't be covered. This is to stop people from waiting until their dog gets hit by a car, and THEN signing up for insurance to cover the accident, etc. So, the sooner you get her enrolled, the less likely that something won't be covered in the future.

I've been pondering that myself. I have found that they have very nice sales reps, so calling is probably the best way to find out, but I just haven't had time!

Having watched this video, I am very glad my rattie likes to eat the dried up crunchy ones! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iygDrWardHY

As to the same sex, I would say it depends a lot more on personalities. But having dogs that are the same age means that it is much more likely that you will be hitting expensive medical care for both dogs at the same time, and the real possibility that they both go to the Bridge at close to the same time. That's more than I can handle, so I would space them out at least a few years. Of course, having said that, the second dog who adopted me is both the same sex as my first (female) and close to the same age, as far as the vet can estimate. She is a small dog, and thus should have a longer lifespan, but who knows for sure? Still, I wouldn't give her up just because of those two issues. Oh, and the reason that two dogs of the same sex is generally not advised is because of the possibility of same-sex aggression. Especially in females, where they will try to kill each other if you get two really dominant bitches. But if you know the dogs' personalities, that shouldn't be as much of a concern. If you were just picking a random dog out of the pound, I would advise going with the opposite sex.

Katie doesn't eat them, but little Pixie does. Only the really dry ones, though. And it's kind of cute to see her (at 11 inches high and long) with a three inch worm hanging out of her mouth. It always makes me think of a cigarette dangling out of a movie star's mouth back in the old days.

Kibble is what I use for familiar places, especially in the local neighborhood. Trust me, when you have a ten-pound dog that gets half a cup of food a day, you learn to count every calorie! So, if kibble works, go with it. However, in higher distraction areas, where you need more value to your treats, I'd try dried liver, Natural Balance food roll, Stella and Chewie's freeze dried food (I use the cat version, since it comes in nuggets), or string cheese. That's the relatively clean, easy to use stuff. Slightly less healthy, and more messy: nuked hot dog pieces, squeeze cheese, peanut butter, and raw chicken feet. To be honest, raw chicken feet make lousy training treats, but are great for counter-conditioning.

That can't be right. It's the theobromine that is the bad guy, and that concentration goes up as the chocolate gets darker. From petmd.com: Milk Chocolate – Mild signs of toxicity can occur when 0.7 ounces per pound of body weight is ingested; severe toxicity occurs when two ounces per pound of body weight is ingested (or as little as one pound of milk chocolate for a 20-pound dog). Semi-Sweet Chocolate – Mild signs of toxicity can occur when 0.3 ounce per pound of body weight is ingested; severe toxicity occurs when one ounce per pound of body weight is ingested (or as little as six ounces of semi-sweet chocolate for a 20-pound dog). Baking Chocolate – This type of chocolate has the highest concentration of caffeine and theobromine. Therefore, as little as two small one-ounce squares of baking chocolate can be toxic to a 20-pound dog (or 0.1 ounce per pound of body weight).

Just thought I would add that Katie is a very small greyhound girl, at 56-58 pounds, and she lives a pretty sedentary life, since she is a bit of a spook and still has some issues with being out in the big wide world. Plus I like to keep my dogs very lean, too keep their joints healthy.

Is that on the site, period, or just when competing? Because a fifth option is to have a buckle tag collar, and just slip the martingale off right before going into the ring and put it back on when you come out.

Katie gets a cup to a cup-and-a-half of Taste of the Wild in the morning (depending on activity level, flavor (they have different caloric densities, and how well she ate the previous day) and a cup at night. A reasonable amount of treats. That's pretty much it. Sometimes I do the wetting of the food, but I have mostly stopped doing that unless she seems to be a bit "off" on eating.

Make sure you check the sidewalk temperature once it starts getting hot out. Concrete stays toasty for quite some time after the sun goes off it, and that can factor into how willing a dog is to walk on it.

IF you can predict when the thunderstorms are likely to happen, and the Thundershirt doesn't give sufficient relief, then I would go the Xanax or Valium route. Those are short-term drugs, and need to be given before the stressful event (for example, Katie got her xanax for her 10:30 class today at 8, to give it time to kick in before class). If thunderstorms are going to be frequent and difficult to predict, and Bonnie's reaction to them is extreme, you may need to look into one of the SSRIs. Those are given daily, and take at least a month to get to therapeutic levels, so they wouldn't be my first choice, but may be an option in some circumstances. I'd want to discuss that very carefully with a professional, because you would need to do additional drugs in the short term while the SSRI built up. I would only use Ace as a very last resort, where the dog is panicking so much that (essentially) paralyzing them is going to stop them from killing themselves by battering themselves against walls, through windows, etc. But there is a lot of stuff you can try before that.