jaym1

So, I've talked about this in other threads as an aside, but here is the full outline of the problem my newly adopted dog is having. Weight: I got him two months ago. He is a four-year-old retired racer, and has always been too thin. His racing weight was right around 70 lbs, and he's at a hair below 64 lbs now, which is right about where he was when I got him. Food history: at the adoption center he was eating Hill's Science diet, which was resulting in yellow, soft stools. I brought him home with a small bag of Hill's, which I only used in the context of slowly transitioning him to Natural Balance limited ingredients (venison and sweet potato). At that time he had a raging tape worm infection, and his digestion seemed to be getting worse. After deworming and a couple courses of metronidazole, he still wasnt getting better, and his stools, though no longer yellow, were just kind of like pudding. I was advised by a local agency that that food was probably too rich. So, under the advice of other grey owners, I gradually switched, after about three weeks, to Holistic Blend, which is a chicken and brown rice/grain-based kibble. Put him back on metronidazole for a week as well, and also started him on a 30-day course of priobiotic. The result was somewhat firmer stools, but they were again yellow, acrid, and you could see he was not totally digesting the grain. This went on for another three weeks or so, at which point I changed again, to Taste of the Wild lamb. I am feeding him 4 cups a day. Fairly quickly his stools began to improve. They got somewhat darker, and a lot firmer. He even had one or two that were almost completely normal. But finally theyve started becoming gradually softer and paler. Usually only the morning one has any firmness at all, and he is gaining absolutely no weight. I have been adding very generous dollops of pumpkin almost all along. For a while that was clearly helping, but not anymore. He won't tolerate white rice at all, so that doesn't seem to be an option. Aside from the tape worm, he has never had actual diarrhea -- in other words, no accidents, and he can control himself. Just soft, pale stools and no weight gain. Clearly he's not now, and really never has been absorbing his food properly. Throughout this time, though, his coat, which was dull and riddled with lesions from allergies, has cleared up and is coming back nicely. It has developed a very healthy looking shine and feels so soft and nice. But he is clearly having malabsorption issues. My vet tested for EPI and B12, along with a full panel, and all results were normal. I tried feeding him a raw turkey neck a couple weeks back, but that didn't turn out well -- he went from soft stools that seemed to be improving, or at least not getting worse, to a slow slide back to where we are now. He's certainly not deathly thin, but he is definitely too thin, and simply not gaining any weight. His energy levels are great, and he is alert and seems otherwise completely healthy. He is very food motivated, and loves to eat. Still, I want to get him on track and digesting his food as fast as I can. My question (finally) is this: I know that his food has been switched WAY to many times in just the 8 or 9 weeks I've had him. But what is more important at this point: finding one that works for him, or just sticking with the same one, even if his symptoms persist? Here's a photo so you can see his build. What you cant see from this angle is that most of his vertebrae are quite visible, as are the points of his hip bones. I think it's a lighting issue. His ribs and spine and hips are pretty much the first thing that you would notice when you saw him.

i am definitely doing all those things, though the DAP made zero difference. same with rescue remedy, melatonin, exercise, etc. like i said, we are making progress -- or so i thought. i took his silence to mean progress, but if staring at the door is an anxiety sign, then maybe i was being too optimistic. he does definitely do better when alone outside the crate. but he's really never alone for too long in my house at this point.

this is my fear. and if that is the case, i should probably go all the way back to step one (leaving and coming back IMMEDIATELY) before proceeding, which is a real drag, because it's taken a long time to get where we are now. my thought was that since he is willing to go back to being calm (sitting on the couch, eating from his kong, etc.) after staring at the door, maybe that behavior isnt a significant sign. when i started this, he couldnt even be distracted by treats or food, and would immediately flip out. now he at least plays with those things, and can sometimes be distracted for a long time. but once they're gone he tends to dart right to the door and start whining or barking if i have been gone for too long. my only escape is that i spend a lot of time in my basement workshop, and he is perfectly happy to relax upstairs for an endless amount of time while i'm there. thus, if i need to get out, i just go down to my workshop, turn on music so he can hear it, and leave through the back door. i wish there were some way i could merge this with his conception of me going out the front door, which is to say: i will always come back, regardless of which door i leave through.

hello. i have been working with my newly-adopted 4-year-old racer (see my intro thread) in order to rid him of his SA. he is an only dog, and his symptoms, from what i gather, are reasonably low on the spectrum: he is non-destructive and does not soil the apartment. what he does do when left alone is whine and bark, and it is INCREDIBLY loud, and can go on all day. i would be glad to work on this over a very long period of time, but the fact is that i live in an apartment, with upstairs neighbors, and they will only be so tolerant. anyhow, for now i've got him in daycare three days per week, and i borrow a friends greyhound the other two (he is perfectly happy to be at home alone with just her). my question is with respect to away training. we are doing the standard slow build up, where i come and go for varying amounts of time. right now, he can sometimes be alone for up to 20 and even, on rare occasions, 30 minutes without throwing a fit (of course, some days for no apparent reason 3 or 4 minutes is all he will tolerate). i watch him on skype when i do this, and i know you're only supposed to leave him for as long as you can WITHOUT sending him into his anxiety behaviors. but i am wondering exactly how to recognize what constitutes the start of those behaviors. for instance, i just went out to the store. i was gone for about 20 minutes or so. he was quiet the whole time except for a few short whines, but spent much of the time just standing at the door (though he was back by the couch with his stuffed kong when i walked in the door). do i count this as a successful session, or, if i really want progress, should i be going back to the beginning, and getting it to where he wont even run up to the door? sorry to make this message so long. this process is an incredible amount of work, and, though we are definitely making progress, i want to make sure i am doing it as efficiently as possible so that he can get comfortable in his new life as fast he can.

i have consulted a behaviorist. it was a good experience, but expensive. i question if it was more valuable than just doing the research. we didnt really come up with any ideas i hadnt already come across except for one: NEVER leave a greyhound with SA alone for long enough to panic while your building up his confidence through alone training. thats what im working on right now.

whoa - thanks for that info! how did you find it? obviously, i am sort of a novice where looking that kind of stuff up is concerned.

sorry to have turned this thread into one more suitable for one of the other forums, but. . . let me just ask: i am definitely aware that he has had too many food changes in his two months with me. but at this point, which is worse: maintaining him on a food that may or may not be working for him, or switching him, yet again? i feel like neither of those options are great, and dont have the experience necessary to make that call. the information i have been able to gather thus far suggests its best to stick with what he's on, and i know many greyhound owners in my area whose dogs are doing great on what i'm feeding him now, and indeed, he is showing signs that he is starting to handle it. its definitely an improvement over his previous food. trying to navigate through these little issues that are probably routine to more experienced owners is amazingly worrisome when its the first time. the fact that he seems and acts completely healthy and full of energy definitely makes me feel better, but i know he's not quite where he needs to be yet in terms of his digestion.

what was your approach to treating lena's anxiety, if i may ask?

i have to admit, i wasnt quite prepared for the level of sensitivity these dogs have to food and changes in diet. i had read all about it -- but thats not the same as experiencing it. when i brought him home, the first thing the rescue agency told me to do was to get him off the science diet food he was on at the adoption center, so i did. at this point i feel like i need to just stick with what he's on and give him a chance to adapt to it. like i mentioned, he seems to be doing better with his current food. i also forgot to mention that he had quite a raging tapeworm infection when i got him. had that taken care of a week after i got him. in the last few days, though, i have seen some evidence that suggests he might still have a lingering issue there, so will deworm again tomorrow. he is flea-free, so im not sure if its a life-cycle issue, or what.

ha! it's my good fortune that. . . he wasnt exactly the best racer, otherwise he might still be at the track. he was 11/75 in wins, and came in 2nd 13 times. looking at those videos, i cant believe im seeing the same animal that is currently asleep and drooling on the rug in my living room with his face resting on the giant squeaking snake toy i just bought, not a care in the world.

Three complete changes of food in seven weeks is WAY too many. Greyhounds do sometimes tend to have sensitive digestions and really, you want to aim to change over foods very slowly and keep to one for a while, if you can find one he gets along with. To change from one to another, you need to swap about a quarter of a cup out of his ration of the old food for the same amount of new food, so that he's getting mostly old with a little new, and very gradually, over the course of a week, increase the new and decrease the old until he's eating all new. Also, many newly adopted dogs don't do well with the really rich, top-end-of-the-range foods. I'm not familiar with the ones you mention because I'm in England, but if I were you, I'd find out what he was fed on wherever he was before you adopted him, and get him back onto that and see what happens. Now that his system is on a hair-trigger though, you'll need to do the gradual change back over to that one, too. Not saying this is all that's wrong with him, but I do know an awful lot of new greyhound owners go through this - me included, back in 1994. We actually discovered with that first dog that he was lactose intolerant as well as not doing too well on high-end food, but that's another story. Ha! Welcome to the world of greyhounds. We are all VERY familiar with examining poop. those are definitely sage words! he was almost right off the track when i got him. he was being fed hills science diet at the adoption center. i had the opportunity, on many occasions, to pick up after him, and his stools were alarmingly yellow and undigested. this is why i went with the grain free option at first, and returned to the plainer, grain-based one when that was a bust. bust again, it produced those same yellow, soft, undigested stools. i really didnt want to switch again, but i felt like i had no choice. i thought about switching to a less rich, standard food like iams. but based on a few factors, including his complete inability to digest plain white rice, i felt that a different grain free option was in order if i had to switch. he is DEFINITELY doing better on his current food. the poop is smaller, slowly getting darker and (thank god) noticeably firmer. except for one situation, where he already had diarrhea to begin with, i switched foods through gradual substitution. i am lucky to have a photo of him while he was racing, and he was definitely thin at that point. he's only 3 lbs and change down from that weight now (and only a few ounces below his adoption weight), so its hardly catastrophic. i just want to make sure he happily thrives, though. it is strange to me that his coat is improving so dramatically, while his weight is not.

thanks. he is always so much fun, and makes me laugh daily. he has a perfect energy level: whenever its time for a walk hes wagging his tail and waiting at the door, and can basically walk ENDLESSLY. at the same time, he will instantly transition into completely shameful laziness at a moments notice when indoors. He's gone to two big family events, and has been wonderfully behaved at both. I was worried since he has never really had experience around a table set for a big meal, with all sort of tempting things right there for the taking. he is so tall that he almost cant help but stick his face in things. But he is so responsive to voice commands, that the instant his snout gets near a table, a quick "no," or a calling his name will stop him on a dime, and he won't try anything again. the separation anxiety thing is fairly standard fair, or even somewhat mild based on what ive been reading, but annoying nonetheless. some days i can leave him for a half hour just fine, and other days, like today, he'll start whining after 3 minutes. i can also leave him at night for a LONG time (relatively speaking), but if i leave him in the morning or early afternoon -- forget it. my workaround is that i spend a lot of time working in my shop in the basement, which he is fine with. so when i need to escape, i simply go down there, turn on the music loud enough for him to hear through the floor, and i sneak out the back door. he has yet to catch on, and im hoping to somehow merge his conception of my being in the basement with my being outside in a positive way. in the meantime he is in a very affordable dog daycare three days per week, and i borrow a friends greyhound for the other two days. i will continue this while i slowly build up his tolerance. at this point, though, i have been working with my vet and a behaviorist, and we are seriously considering putting him on doggie prozac during the training process to speed things up. he has already shown the ability to improve, so i know he can do it. but i just dont have the means/time to keep him in day care for 6 months or more.

no - i think she agrees there is malabsorption going on. we just don't know why yet. an ultrasound would be the next step, i suppose. she did an initial test, and determined that there was a bit of inflammation. on the other hand, he is still definitely stressed, and we are on our third food since coming home. natural balance sweet potato and venison was diarrhea city, holistic blend (grain based) made yellow poop with undigested grains, and now taste of the wild lamb seems to have him headed in the right direction toward more solid, but still relatively pale poop. but all in all, i think being newly adopted combined with all that change in diet has probably made his system irritable, and i should wait another month without changing anything. it's still alarming, though. also, its amazing how centered my entire life is on the color and texture of dog poop. i would not have predicted this. and yes, that's his name. that video is a compilation of his 11 wins (out of 75 races)

yeah, he's got the standard soft stool/malabsorption deal -- it has indeed been covered many times that i've already found. sometimes it's just helpful be in the discussion first hand, though. alas, repetition is unavoidable on forums like this. also, i should mention that he is a fabulous dog -- extremely sociable, evenly tempered, and incredibly responsive to tone of voice. outside of his fear of being alone, and all that comes with that, he is everything i was looking for in a greyhound.

Took my dog home 7 weeks ago. He was racing until the middle of October this year. It's been a pretty bumpy ride getting him acclimated and sorting his health problems out. He's been battling digestive issues and a prominent case of separation anxiety (barking, no destructive behavior). I am still trying to figure out how to get him back to his racing weight, which was pretty thin to begin with (67 lbs), was 64.2 when I adopted him, and is now down to 63.6 now, which is REALLY thin. All his ribs and most of his vertebrae are visible. I've had all the standard tests (EPI, parasites, etc.) done. All show no problems, but he's had soft, pale stools since before I got him. Strangely, though he won't gain weight, and has even lost a bit, his coat, which was dull and scraggly when I got him, has become lustrous, soft, and beautiful. Anyhow, I will be posting more about his health issues in the forum shortly so I can get advice. In the mean time, here he is: http://vimeo.com/34292672 past life, before his existence became a series of couches, beds, and unexpected soft places to lay down on day before i adopted him lounging with a friend favorite spot on the couch smiling at a greyhound meetup lounging in his crate hanging out with some buffalo taffy

That is a pretty good point. My one fear is that I may be losing my job, and may therefore find it necessary to relocate this summer. THAT is something I am not looking forward to, and fear that it may present a setback. I would actually really love to have a second dog, but I want a more stable situation first. As to daycare. . . I was lucky to find a situation right around the corner where he's happy that only costs $25/day. This is still way over my budget, especially considering all the vet bills I've had since getting him (digestion issues). But as a temporary fix, I am willing to pay for it.

i am battling this issue right now with my 4-year-old male. he was adopted about two months ago. he is non-destructive, but yaps and barks and is miserable all day. after trying everything, my behaviorist came up with a plan that made sense: do not EVER leave him alone long enough to go into panic mode while alone training. the anxiety that being alone for too long, too soon, creates leaves a lasting memory that he associates my leaving with, which only perpetuates the problem. he is then not only afraid of being alone, he is afraid of the coming anxiety attack he knows he is about to suffer. i now have him in day care three days per week, and i borrow a friends confident female greyhound for the two other days. he is perfectly happy to hang around the house with her. right now i have him up to about 20 minutes of alone time before the fit hits the shan. and now, unlike before, he can actually be distracted by treats or food left out for him, whereas at the outset, he wouldnt eat or drink while i was gone. i know this because i leave my laptop open when im out, and monitor him via webcam. i am also practicing leaving high value treats that he only gets while im out of the house. for instance, today is all about introducing him to his first giant marrow bone. marrow bone down, im out the door, 5 or 10 minutes later im in the door, marrow bone goes away, repeat ad infinitum. progress is still very slow, but i really want to make sure he can cope with his new life, and building confidence is part of that. i thought about adopting a second, but i dont feel like thats a solution. he would still have the problem, i'd just be avoiding leaving him alone, and sooner or later, there will be times when he needs the confidence to be on his own.