RedHead

Do be a bit cautious with those big bones and aggressive chewers...they can sometimes cause slab fractures. I personally do feed them every once in a while, but none of my dogs are aggressive chewers and they kind of just grind the meat down and leave the bone. I would be watching very closely with a strong chewer and take it away if they get chewing too hard.

As far as I know (unless things have changed) BestBully doesn't ship up here

I am not so sure on the teeth cleaning part, but raw green tripe is full of digestive enzymes and probiotiocs like lactobacillus (sp?). It also has a perfect ratio of phosphorus to calcium 1:1 so it is a great add in. I know a lot of dog toothplaste puts in enzymes (I am skeptical about how much is actually in there from the ingredient list) so I am sure it helps, but it obviously isn't going to clean teeth all on its own. BTW only the raw (not the bleached from the grocery store) has the enzymes, the canned stuff in the store is heated. I have a lovely green, smelly batch in the fridge as we speak!

Does anyone know the differences or benefits (if there are any) between fish oils, particularily salmon and herring?? I usually buy salmon oil, but they also sell herring oil for dogs which is cheaper, so I occasionally buy that. I know that price is often an indicator of quality for supplements though, so does salmon oil have higher or different amounts of the "good stuff" (omegas, DHA, EPA, etc)than other fish oils? I thought there was something in the orange colouring of wild salmon oil that was good, but I can't remember what. Any ideas?

The raw diet is right for some people not for others. If you feel you are dedicated enough to try it then go for it. I won't write a book here, please ask specifics if you need to, but I have fed it for (12?) years to 4 different dogs and all have done well. Never had a problem, in fact in all those years I never needed the vet for anything other than routine checkups or a few stitches...no dentals either. I thought I would never feed it (back then it wasn't nearly as common as now) but ended up trying it out of desperation when my old dog had chronic IBD/Pancreatitis and kibble wasn't working. It literally cured everything in a week, so after seeing that, plus the other benefits I would now never feed anything else. But...it does take a bit of extra work/cost and is not for everyone. If you are going to switch permanately, definitely get some books to read up on it...too many people think just feeding a diet based on chicken necks and backs is all you have to do, but that isn't ideal. I also am a member of some online groups, those are useful too. BTW sorry to say, but I doubt raw will make fur grow back on your dog, a lot of greys have bald tummies and legs.

I do rabies every 3 years. I wouldn't worry about the shot "expiring" if he got one in March. Personally, if he was vaccinated then, I wouldn't get another one in November.

I would probably take any part he has! I have friends who order half or quarter cows for their families and I take all of the extras that they don't want to eat. Last year I got tongue, tail, heart, liver, and kidney plus some freezer burned roasts. Also, any trim or bones are great if you can get them. I have even fed things like stomach, lung and spleen. My butcher here saves boxes of beef and lamb trim, heart, offal, etc. for raw feeders. It is fresh, local and great quality (no hormones or antibiotics), just not the type of parts most people want to eat.

I have been clicker training and right now I have given up on the sit just because it seems very uncomfortable for Teague. If he does it he sits on his butt with his two back legs sticking out straight, totally not comfortable! lol Some people have had more success training on a hill. You back them against it, hold a treat up and they only have to lean back a little to touch the ground. I don't have a whole lot of hills around though, so haven't tried it! I may try 3greytjoys suggestions above though, hadn't thought of that. I have been sticking with other things like targeting, come, spin, paw, etc. right now. I like this blog for training: http://neversaynever...d-sits-101.html

Nope... You may want to start adding it in a bit before you send him off. I have very tolerant friends and family who will feed anything I give them, but if not, I just make up some baggies of "easy to add" toppers (e.g gound or chopped meat) to stir into a kibble (my pups won't really eat it plain so I have to, you may not!).

I love Acana...I hardly feed kibble so I can't give a complete review, but so far it is the only kibble I have tried that I like the ingredients of, and that doesn't cause problems on the other end when I mix it in. Orijin didn't work at all, I am actually not even sure the difference between the two (same company isn't it??) but for me the Acana worked out great. It is expensive, but it gives me piece of mind to know the ingredients are from here, and since I don't feed it exclusively a medium bag lasts me for 2 dogs for over a month.

My cousin's dog did this due to impacted glands. They never got him treated for it, not to mention he ate a horrible diet, so it just became worse and really inflammed. Poor pup.

I rarely buy bully sticks, they are ridiculously expensive! There is a website called bestbullysticks.com which I think a lot of people use, but they don't ship to Canada as far as I know, and I think they may be sourced from China if you are concerned about that. For here you may want to check out: http://bullysticks.ca/ They have other chews like tendons as well. I honestly don't know how their prices compare since I don't buy them too often but I am assuming they are cheaper because they are in bulk. I am lucky to have a few local suppliers who make dehydrated treats themselves. I still rarely buy them because they are STILL expensive, but they are sometimes cheaper (and local/better quality) than the store stuff.

Just watched the first video and she does look oddly stiff, but it looked familiar. I have been bringing Teague to some friend's houses with decks. He paces for a bit and then lies down exactly the same way as the video. He is hesitant to lie down on a harder surface. He eases himself down very slowly, I think just because of the lack of padding, he can't just do his normal plop.

I am certainly no expert on greyhound gait, but I do agree with the post above that greys with the massive thighs do walk differently (muscle man walk!). Their bodies are designed sort of more cheetah type than dog so I find greys do have a different walking style compared to other dogs. I have no expertise in this though, so I couldn't tell you if there is a problem or not. May be worth getting him checked out

At the expense of sounding like a "food snob" I would suggest you try a better quality food. The top ingredients for Pedigree puppy are: GROUND WHOLE CORN, POULTRY BY-PRODUCT MEAL, BREWERS RICE, CORN GLUTEN MEAL (SOURCE OF LUTEIN), ANIMAL FAT (PRESERVED WITH BHA / CITRIC ACID), GROUND WHOLE WHEAT, NATURAL FLAVOR, BREWERS DRIED YEAST, SALT, VEGETABLE OIL If Innova didn't work for you there are plenty of other foods, even grocery store brands (like Iams, Purina) that would top this. You will feed a lot less, and hopefully she will start to fill out. If you are adding extras, I would try to stick to protein sources, it will benefit her more than adding rice and veggies to a food that already has a lot.

Woa....7 cups seems like a LOT. I wouldn't know though, it has been over 10 years since I have had a puppy, but I certainly never fed close to that. I agree with some of the posts above...I would ditch the puppy food and switch to a good adult food. You can supplement with some high quality protein sources if you like (cottage cheese, canned fish, meats, organs, etc) to help put on a bit of weight.

Unfortunately I don't think there is a yes or no answer here. I have read both sides...some people swear by raw for cancer, especially since it is low carbs/higher in protein and fat. Other people say to never feed any raw to a dog whose immune system may be out of whack. People will argue strongly both ways. I think the general rule is not to feed it to a dog who is actually undergoing chemotherapy (cooked would be great though!), but afterwards, when they have recovered, a lot of people do. Personally, I would think (human grade) fresh beef would be okay to start with since many humans can even eat this lightly seared and very rare. Dr. Ogilvie is a vet who specializes in cancer...he has a pretty simple cooked diet recipe. http://www.vetoncolo...Cancer Diet.pdf Also, I have books by both Lew Olson and Monica Segal that have raw and cooked cancer diets. I can PM you some recipes if you ever need them.

I have always been amazingly lucky with all of my dogs (knock on wood) but I still feel your pain because I know when things happen in bunches it can be very expensive. If it makes you feel any better, just getting the one set of stitches here would probably be about $400 I think I paid over $400 a few years ago to get 3 or 4 stitches in a little puncture in Karma's leg. I would probably have to pay closer to a thousand here for all the stuff you got done. I am getting insurance for Teague, I will have peace of mind knowing if I need thousands, I can actually do it.

I have to do two long walks or runs a day. One settles the morning whines, then the later walk settles the evening whines. In between and after he rests. He is perfect with this, but if I didn't do both he would drive me nuts with whining!

Oh no! Poor Brees! That must have been quite a cat scratch. My Uncle works in (human) ER and he always says cat scratches and bites are the WORST for infection.

How much exercise does he get (not running around the yard, but going out for a walk?). I don't know your case, but I would try to give him more exercise. I think whining sometimes is just pent up energy or being bored. I have a bit of a whiner who would be a BIG whiner if I didn't give him a lot of exercise (he needs more than the average grey). Any time he is anxious or whiny, a walk, even a short one, totally stops it and he settles right down. He is probably feeling more frisky in the cooler weather.

I know MY skin gets really dry in the winter, especially when it is really cold outside. I would imagine it would be similar with dogs, I don't know how much you can do. I do know people use an apple cider vinegar rinse in their hair to combat dandruff...vinegar also works great in the washing machine to prevent static cling. Maybe you could try giving him a rinse with that and see if it works (never tried it but I just thought of the idea.. )

I don't think this term has an actual true meaning, I think people just use it when a food with a higher meat quality doesn't agree with their dog. It doesn't necessarily mean a dog can't handle a higher meat diet, it is just that protein used in grain free or higher meat kibbles is extremely concentrated (it is cooked down, moisture is removed to make a powder), and altered/denatured from its original form. I don't think this sits so well with many digestive tracts in higher doses....(probably a reason why they don't put meat in human cereal! lol). I think the rendered fat probably is more of a problem than the protein, but it probably depends on the dog.

Chewing at her tail sounds more like a flea problem than a food allergy to me. I would wait it out and see if the flea meds kick in...whenever any of my dogs have fleas their fur seems to go a bit dry. Also, when they shed their fur can be a bit itchy and dry, so it could be the weather. I would add an omega oil if possible (I prefer salmon oil) and wait it out at least a week or two before switching anything.

I personally wouldn't do much....but I tend to not be overly cautious with that kind of thing. I'm sure the ones in the store are sterilized, but I am guessing most pups would love the smell of "fresh" better! I know wild meat can sometimes have parasites but I doubt the antlers would. If you are worried you can always freeze them for a few weeks. My pups pick up that kind of thing in the forest all the time and never had a problem.