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WHanson12

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    Wendy

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    Female
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    Upstate South Carolina

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Grey Pup

Grey Pup (4/9)

  1. Congrats to Macoduck & Georgie Girl both! She's a beauty & is VERY blessed to be loved & adopted by you!
  2. Macoduck: As we're all aware, I'm no "Techie," so if the PM you & I referenced above is not on FaceBook, then please excuse my ignorance of this forum & platform. I'll figure out in the coming days how to PM you on this platform. Thanks for your patience & understanding! Wendy
  3. NeylasMom, I agree with your first paragraph above, except that the manufacturer's literature isn't the ultimate source for long term effects from the use of their products. Sorry if I wasn't clear about that. You're basically correct in that we're all free to take the risks we want with our pets/Greys based on the information we're provided &/or researched on our own. And we cannot influence or dictate the behavior or actions of others in reference to how that affects our precious Greys, pets or us in general . When my Greys had adverse reactions to the Seresto collars, I contacted the manufacturer who was very interested in documenting this data & they advised me to take them off, do not put them back on, & explained to me that within several days, those negative effects should wear of, which fortunately they did. I have had Greys die of osteosarcoma, ITP (non-responsive to conventional protocols for Greys), polyarthritis & chronic pancreatitis, & lymphoma (also non-responsive to conventional chemo protocols for Greys). It's heartbreaking to lose any of our precious Greys, dogs or pets, no matter what the reason. Thanks again.
  4. To Macoduck: THANK YOU for your response & all the info. I will certainly review Dr. Shelton's information & products. I would not attempt to blend my own concoction of oils--I leave that up to those with the expertise. Thanks for the PM offer. I will do that in the next several days, but it will be using my husband's FB account (Frank Fork) & not under my name. Wendy
  5. Thanks to everyone for your responses--please excuse my delayed acknowledgement to y'alls. I haven't been home much since I posted a couple days ago. To those of you who use the oral & topical (including the collars) chemicals for flea & tick control, I would ask you if you've read the product inserts--all the fine print. I have read the ones I've tried, as well as reviewing information from other users of these products: Nexgard, Frontline, Seresto collar, to name a few. Our current 2 Greys had adverse reactions using those products, including severe lethargy (Seresto), local & overall skin irritation, & increased neurological "events" (not full blown seizures thankfully) in one of them. All of those products warn that they can cause neurological disturbances & effects, so if your Grey experiences seizures or other neurological disturbances, you shouldn't be using these products. I begrudgingly give our Girls monthly Heartgard poison until I find a safer alternative. How can you assume that administering these chemicals, even in small, "safe" amounts (according to the manufacturers & the vets who promote such products), doesn't accumulate in the dogs' systems, including their tissues & livers, over the many years of use? Don't get me wrong--I'm not one of those "everything's gotta be organic & natural" fanatics regarding chemicals & drugs. As a retired Certified Veterinary Technician with 13+ years experience with various types of veterinarians & as a Greyhound adopter for 26 years, I've encountered a few "things" along the way & have reviewed lots of information on various dog & Greyhound related subjects & have reached out to various Greyhound veterinary experts over the years (Dr. Couto, Dr. Stack). I will never claim to "know it all" or be as knowledgeable as a Veterinarian. But I do have common sense & an open mind to learn about healthier alternatives for my Greyhounds to hopefully lessen their chances of developing the nasty diseases that Greys are so predisposed to. Thank you again for all the feedback.
  6. KF in Georgia: thanks so much for your response & info. I was not aware of the issues with rosemary--I will review the articles you included. What products do you use on your Greys to repel fleas & ticks? Thanks again!
  7. Does anyone have knowledge about which essential oils applied (diluted, of course) externally to repel fleas & ticks are safe for use on Greyhounds? I perused the internet & only found that cedar oil should not be used on Greys, as it's way too potent & potentially poisonous to them. Also, is it risky if the essential oil sprayed on their coat & feet are licked after it has dried or soaked in? Last summer I started using a spray product made by Kin + Kind to repel ticks & fleas, which seemed to work well. The active ingredients include the following essential oils: peppermint, cinnamon, rosemary, & thyme. Honestly, it didn't occur to me before that there may be some essential oils that are contraindicated for use on Greys. Our Girls don't like being sprayed with anything, but I don't want to use poison & chemicals on or in them when there are safe, natural alternatives. Anyone have experience with external use of essential oils on Greys? Thank you!
  8. I've been a customer of 24PetWatch for years with our Greys (we have 2 at a time) & a couple years ago when their carrier changed (& the rest of the pet insurance market was "catching up" with higher premiums), the premiums sky rocketed. They offer various plan options for deductibles, annual maximums, wellness, etc. Our Girls each have a $250 deductible with a reimbursement rate of 80% of the actual vet charge/invoice. They've been pretty good, but like all these pet insurance plans, read the fine print under "exclusions" & what's not covered.
  9. PLEASE: before you use a topical flea/tick product, whether it is a liquid "spot-on" like Frontline or a collar like Seresto, do your research (online, not just your vet's opinion). I've learned this season that the fleas & ticks in certain areas of the USA have developed a resistance to Frontline & the active ingredients. Plus our various Greys over the years do not tolerate either very well, causing immediate & ongoing irritation at the site of a liquid pesticide (Frontline), as well as lethargy & behavior changes with the use of Seresto collars. If your Grey has ANY kind of neurological disturbances, explained or non-diagnosed, do NOT use the Seresto collars (speaking from experience). As an alternative, this year we tried spraying cedarwood oil in our backyard ( https://www.cedarcide.com)& applied an all-natural spray ( https://kin-kind.com/collections/flea-tick) on our 2 Grey Girls. Result: no ticks or fleas this season!! I'm not an "all natural" fanatic for our K9's, but this worked & no harmful chemicals!!
  10. Greysmom: Thanks so much for your suggestions. What kind of cooked beans? Pinto, navy, etc? Do beans cause gas in dogs though? I wouldn't want to add that to her list of problems (or mine! LOL). Emma loves sweet potatoes & squash & cooked oatmeal, so those are good options for her too. Thank you!!
  11. Very interesting & informative posts on this thread-- thank you! My 5 year old Grey girl, Emma, is currently licking her butt excessively for 1 week or so, had her anal glands expressed for the first time ever (were kinda full, per the vet) which helped for a day & a half & is now back to licking a lot back there. Emma is also exhibiting some other symptoms that may indicate diabetes-- repeat lab work in the next couple of weeks will determine that. Plus she has had pudding/cowpie poop for over a week too which didn't respond much to a week's course of metronidazole & her fecal parasite test was negative. I don't know that I should change her diet at this time with so many different symptoms, but I may have to if her butt licking doesn't subside soon. The vet suggested I add 1-2 teaspoons of Metamucil to each of Emma's meals, but the generic version has aspartame in it & the brand has a sweetener in it also (not aspartame), plus they're both orange flavored, which she may not like. I tried giving her canned pumpkin daily for almost a week, but that didn't seem to help her poops this time around. Thanks again for your posts-- you've given me some new ideas & things to watch for & discuss with the vet. I hope Bubba is doing much better by now!
  12. Our 2 grey girls have been wearing Seresto collars for the first time & so far for only about 2 weeks. They do scratch more at their necks & less so on the rest of their bodies. As I just posted on another forum about these collars, I'm thinking about cutting them off & throwing them away due to the sometimes serious, non-advertised side effects the chemicals in Seresto can cause. Due to greyhounds' predisposition to developing cancer, I just HATE using any chemical in or on our greys for fleas & ticks or any parasite control. It's more work using an all natural product for pest control, but I'm seriously considering going back to that. Please refer to my other post for more details. I won't re-write that novel here, for all y'alls sakes...
  13. I've been using the Seresto collars for the first time on our 2 grey girls for almost 2 weeks now. Our grey savvy vet (who schooled at OSU-VMC) recommended them when she thought our girls were experiencing possible flea bite allergy symptoms, even though there was/is no sign of fleas (all it takes is one flea bite, she said). The vet said that Seresto is the only product that actually repels fleas so your dog won't get bitten by them. Previous to this product I was using an all natural spray once a week from Swanson's vitamins called "Flea Flicker Tick Kicker" which the girls hated--very strong smell of cloves (didn't bother me). They would run when they see me shaking the bottle, however I didn't see any ticks or fleas on them during its use. I absolutely dread using any chemical poison for fleas & ticks in or on our greys. Last year I used Nexgard, but discontinued that after one of the girls had an increase in neurological symptoms of random episodes of disorientation (like after having a seizure, although she never did have a full blown or minor seizure). The Nexgard product info lists neurological symptoms as a possible side effect. I would think twice about using Nexgard on a dog that already experiences seizures. After doing more research on the Seresto collars, I'm thinking of cutting them off & throwing them away!! And going back to the "Flea Flicker T.K." from Swanson's. VERY scary, non-advertised side effects from the poisons in Seresto. And these poisons are dispersed through the dog's skin to protect their entire body. So far using Seresto, our girls are experiencing itchiness around their necks & less so on the rest of their bodies. However, after reading info like this, I may cut them off today!! Fleas & ticks are bad here in SC this summer too. Sorry for writing a novel! http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/community.read?post=859429-beware-of-seresto-flea-collars
  14. THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the Greyt ideas! I wasn't aware of many of these mentioned. Now I have a tougher time with all the choices! Although that's a greyt position to be in! Thank you for posting your photos also--very helpful & I enjoy seeing your hounds! Thank you, thank you, thank you to all!! Your Greys are SO beautiful! I've not seen such coloration before. Are they from the same litter? Also, I see that you are located in upstate SC, as am I. Do you mind me asking more specifically what city you live closest to? Just curious. My husband & I & our 2 Grey Girls live in York.
  15. I'm looking to purchase a couple tagless collars for our 2 Grey Girls. I'm wanting to find a lightweight, durable collar where the i.d. info would be easily readable. I've searched the internet & there are SO many of them available! If it is the type that has a metal engraved tag attached to the collar, I would want stainless steel rivets, etc that wouldn't rust, etc. But I do want them to be lightweight, as our Girls are usually "naked" unless we are taking them out of the house for a walk or ride. We have martingale collars with their tags attached when we take them for walks or rides, but we don't like all the noisy tag rattling in the house. Anyone have some good recommendations & experiences with any particular ones? Thanks in advance for your responses!
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