RedHead

Canned (or fresh!) green tripe It smells disgusting, but it is by far the food that every single picky eater I have had gobbles up. Plus it has a lot of nutritional benefits.

So sorry Even though Bijou has lived a long and happy life, it certainly doesn't make it any easier.

I would guess more environmental due to the fact this comes and goes and is just with the paws. Having said that, changing the diet can't hurt and many people have claimed changing the diet can help with allergies. If you don't already I would try adding omega 3 supplements like salmon oil and you could try a limited ingredient diet or try switching foods to to test things out.

I don't know about other dogs but Teague would never empty his bladder in the yard no matter how long I left him there. I take him for a good 45 min. or longer walk/jog (with off leash running) every day before work (and another longer walk after work). He pretty much empties out everything by the end, and is pretty tired and hungry by the time I leave. I put down food as I go out the door and he looks forward to that so doesn't even notice me. Afterwards, he is ready for a nap! I never had separation anxiety so not commenting on that, just pointing out that I don't know if being in the yard will encourage your pup to empty out the bladder. On a side note, I know some people like their dog following them everywhere, but I actually don't allow mine to, especially in the beginning. If he is still following you around everywhere in the house you may want to practice having him stay in other rooms from where you are. Anyways, this situation sounds very frustrating but try to think positive and keep working hard!

Another option for dogs not doing well on yogurt/lactose is kefir. It is similar to yogurt but supposedly has a much higher number, as well as a greater variety of probiotics. The bacteria in it actually eat away a lot of the sugar (lactose) so people who are lactose intolerant can often take it, and it could be beneficial for dogs as I don't think their capability for digesting lactose is all that great. The only problem is it is often flavoured, so you have to check for sugar/artificial sweeteners. A lot of people make it themselves by mixing granules with milk which is supposed to have a higher number of probiotics than store bought.

Wow, I would say they are pretty crazy for not allowing a trial period. Especially considering the situation and the fact that you had plans to put this dog in agility and training. I have adopted from groups before and they have set it up as a "foster." Basically that means you are technically fostering the animal but if it fits into your family you have first dibs on adopting. Otherwise you keep it as a foster volunteer unless someone else adopts. I would have thought they would be thrilled to have some interest, as the situation now doesn't sound very ideal. Maybe she will think about it or get desperate and call you back.

Any updates on Velvet?? I hope you can get in contact with OSU. I was thinking she may have picked up some parasites from the lake (giardia etc.) but I wouldn't think that vomiting would be the main symtom of that. It sounds a lot like when my old dog had pancreatitis, but I think you mentioned they tested for all of that. Maybe keep her on a bland diet and hopefully you can get this puzzle solved.

I am not sure on the fat content but just wanted to let you know (from experience) that the ingredients your dog tolerates in fresh or cooked form may not be tolerated in a processed kibble form. From what I have found, the cooked rice or potato that always seems to firm up stools does not produce the same results in many rice based or potato based kibbles. It can go the other way as well. People think their dog is intolerant to an ingredient in a kibble (e.g. chicken) but when they give fresh chicken their dog is just fine. This is not always the case of course, but I have seen it happen several times. If you cannot find a kibble that works, sometimes adding in smaller amounts of the cooked ingredients that work now can keep things on track. I did this successfully with an old dog I had with pancreaitis and digestive problems and it worked wonders. Every ibd case is different though so advice from what worked on one dog may not work on another. Good luck!

Is this the same Goldstein that has the books out (Nature of Animal Healing?). I know some people who went to him for cancer treatments as that is what he is most known for. They both really liked him and their dogs did very well on his treatments. He works a lot through blood sample analysis from what I remember. I am not sure if this is the same guy or not though as I forget his first name. Sorry I can't be of much help

I have one grey and one non grey. When I work they are together all day loose in the house and I never muzzle them. I only muzzle when we go to run with the other greys or at my friend's house with cats. His muzzle has a soft piece on the nose and isn't tight anywhere so after some rubbing he usually falls asleep with it on. I leave a tag collar on but it is so loose because it sits at the bottom of his neck where it is thicker. It would slip off EASILY if it ever got caught.

You could feed a neck daily to replace a kibble meal if your dogs are fine with it (the high bone level tends to really firm up the poop...maybe too much for some dogs!). If you are feeding raw it is much too boney for a balanced diet and the other meal would have to contain boneless meats, organs, ingredients etc.

I often walk and hike with groups of dogs...border collies, retirevers, labs, and my other pup as well as Teague who happily plods along. As long as the weather is cool Teague can easily keep up but the other dogs get more exercise because we throw the chuck-it ball backwards on the trail the whole time so they are constantly running back and forth. Also, if there is a dog that is not tired out I have sometimes taken them out for a sprint on the bike when I get home (assuming they are trained)...10 min. or so at a fast run usually does it. I am lucky enough to have access to nature trails all over around which makes this a lot easier. Another suggestion is you can put a backpack with some weight in it if you discover that she doesn't tire out. Hopefully this pup won't be too high energy once she settles in, a lot of the time they are crazy coming out of a shelter or rescue due to weeks of pent up energy. It sounds like all of the stuff (jogging, agility, flyball) you want to do would be perfect for a border collie, especially once she settles in

I have added cottage cheese, eggs, canned fish, homemade broth, ground beef with mashed sweet potato, any meat scraps, pasta sauce (no onions), a bit of shredded cheese, yogurt, organ meats, canned dog food or tripe. I change up their diet all the time so things don't become boring

Wow, I would looooove to have 2 acres fenced like that. Personally, I take Teague to run in a fenced area that has bigger spaces then the fence you have showed. He has no desire at all to try to get out, I find that he pretty much respects fences and has no thought of trying to escape. If it is a large area it helps to walk them around the perimeter first so they know the boundaries. Of course you have to judge your own dog as some seem to be bigger jumpers than others. This is the fence we run in most days (the gaps are not AS big as they look it is just the front is closer to the camera).

I got a thunder coat because Teague gets really excited/anxious in the car. I honestly don't think it helped too much, but to be fair I have only used it maybe 5 times and didn't do much conditioning with it. As with anything, to build a positive association it needs to be paired with something positive. So sticking on a thundershirt in the middle of a storm when the dog is already anxious doesn't always work, and could even associate it with more anxiety (anxiety = shirt). So in my opinion the best way to use one would be to put it on periodically during calm times and massage, feed or do relaxing and positive things. That way the association between the coat and relaxing becomes stronger which can make it work better. I know it is supposed to work more on pressure points than actual training modification but I still thinks this helps If you were closer I would give you mine, I never use it.

My friend's dog had Lyme disease with similar symptoms. A lot of aching all over, and decreased appetite. Hopefully they find out what it is quickly so you can start treatment!

I think a lot of greys don't rough house and play like a lot of other breeds who are conditioned from puppies and live in homes. Sometimes though, if you can use the prey drive they have used on the track it can motivate them. Some people make a flirt pole which is a long rod or stick (you can even by a lunge whip for horses) and attach a toy to a string. It moves around the ground or "jumps" in the air like a real animal. You can condition a dog through training to retrieve, but it is pretty hard to teach playing if they just aren't into it. Sometimes seeing other dogs can help, and in some cases they just need time before they can figure it out.

Hope everything goes well. I know how nervewracking it can be waiting for results. There are many types of lumps and bumps that are harmless, so fingers crossed it is one of those!

Personally I would try homecooked if you can. There are very simple recipes that in my opinion are a lot easier on the system than low moisture, processed food. I don't know if the ZD is the same nowadays but my vet recommended it for my old dog...when I checked it out it had "starch" as the first ingredient plus high levels of BHA preservatives near the top of the list and was ridiculously expensive so I opted out. Unless he absolutely has to eat hydrolized everything, there are lots of other novel protein/simple diets out there, but to be honest, homecooking seems to clear things up a lot faster in many cases. Has your dog been actually diagnosed with IBD through tests or was it just suggested?

Sorry for what has happened...I wont' give too much advice on the snapping as others with more experience may chime in. It seems as though it is only directed at your mom now, perhaps he is doing it because he is nervous of a person he doesn't know reaching down? What is often interpreted as "aggression" is really a fear based reaction in greyhounds. Look for warning signs in the way he is holding his head, his eyes, etc. right before he lunges. Anyways, the only thing I can suggest is he seems to be the one demanding the attention and then he gets rewarded for it. For many dogs, this is fine, but personally if I had a dog showing these behaviours then I would not allow them on any beds or furniture, especially without invitation. I also would not give him any attention right now when he demands it, I would be the one to initiate it and make him really want to work for it. Perhaps your mom should lay off on the petting until he feels more comfortable. She can help to feed him, walk him etc. and build his trust and respect that way without reaching over to pet right now which can be threatening. These things CAN be stopped, often with new greys they go through strange periods of adjustment, figuring out the rules, etc.

I have fed homemade for 15 years (mostly raw, but also cooked) and I have found there are advantages and disadvantages to both. It does take some dedication, but for me it is totally worth it, and all the dogs I have fed have done very well compared to kibble. If you aren't sure, I would maybe try out a simple version of both diets (maybe a week or two each) to see what is more compatable and what works. From my experience pricewise, the diets are pretty similar. Raw can be more pricey because it contains way more meat, but cooked needs a lot more vitamin supplements so you have to factor in that cost. The key is finding a good supplier and buying more in bulk if you really want to make it cheap (I have lists of suppliers from various yahoo groups, I can do a search for your area if you like ). Once you decide what may work then I would definitely go and order some books and look up literature on the subject. Home feeding isn't necessarily hard but a lot of people jump onto the bandwagon and don't do their proper research. I have a library of books, all under $20 and they have given me a lot of info on the how and why of things. With Teague I feed a meal of raw meat mince which contains beef, chicken and pork trim, heart, liver, kidney, spleen, and lung (get this from a supplier all ground up) and another meal of a meaty bone which he chews. As an easy rule I try to feed half boneless muscle meat, half meaty bone. I supplement about 10-20% of his diet with kibble, eggs, fish, healthy table scraps (pasta, rice, cooked veggies, etc) and add a fish oil. He has done fabulous on this so far. Karma, my picky little girl was a rescue who previously only ate human leftovers. She is a little picky with raw so I modify a raw/cooked diet with her. I get a lot of my cooked recipes from Monica Segal as well as Lew Olson. I could go way more into detail about diets, books, suppliers etc. but this would be way to long, so if you have any specifics ask away or pm me. I have gathered quite a bit of info over the years

I use Advantage, but we don't seem to have the flea or tick problem a lot of you do "down south." I don't use it at all during the winter months and maybe put it on once or twice over the summer. It's always worked right away with the few fleas I have ever seen. In the past I have tried some of the store brands...they never worked at all, and are more dangerous so I stay clear.

I think for many dogs eating grass can be a sign they are sick, but from my experience greys just seem to enjoy eating it! I have heard all kinds of theories as to why they eat it, ranging from fibre, parasite control, enzymes, phytochemicals, etc. but I really have to idea. Teague has eaten it no matter what diet he has been on. I have ground up all kinds of greens and veggies and kelp to add to his food but he still loves munching on the grass! I know their body cannot actually break the grass down, so I doubt they get much nutrition from it. I have heard that animals eat grass to clean out their intestines as it travels through and scrapes out some of the parasites or other things. I have no idea if this is true or not.

Any extra protein source will help to fill him up...you can add things like canned tuna, canned sardines, stewing beef, cottage cheese, eggs, ground meat, beef heart, liver, etc. I constantly add different things, it keeps things interesting (and healthy!). Teague actually weighs less/the same as his racing weight and he eats like a horse but he also gets a lot of exercise so I think he just stays pretty lean.

If he likes the canned food you can add only a small amount (1-2 tbsp) and then add some warm water to make a gravy. That way it still has the smell, which is usually what dogs go on rather than taste. This way you only go through a few cans per week. Also, if you really want you can easily make your own (healthier and cheaper) stock by boiling some cheap chicken parts in a big pot of water. You can freeze it and it lasts forever.