ramonaghan

I did try it over the winter, just once or twice and probably not a full dose because I'm paranoid like that. I'll give it another go, unless... ...Zyrtec would be better? Does it matter? If it's something like pollen, are there other telltale symptoms? (She does do the reverse sneezing/gagging thing occasionally.) I don't think it's food (and the vet didn't seem to either). She came to us on Purina One SmartBlend's Lamb & Rice and is now on a combo of Iams green bag and Blue Buffalo Life Protection Chicken & Rice or Lamb & Rice, and she has handled all of them well. Her poops are consistently fine and she has not had any gas since the first week or two here. Coupled with the fact that she doesn't scratch any of the typical food-allergy spots, food seems a less likely culprit than something external to me. I just hope it's not the cats!

Sweep's had itchy elbows the entire 9+ months we've had her. That is the only place I see her scratch regularly, sometimes to the point of bleeding. We've tried Nordic Naturals fish oil capsules, coconut oil (as a supplement and also topically), Missing Link, and colloidal silver first aid gel, which seems to help with healing as long as she doesn't manage to rub or lick it off before it dries. I mentioned it to the vet a few months back and she thought it might be an environmental irritant like detergent (though I'd think that would also affect her belly), so we switched to Dreft for a while. No major improvement. Sweep has plenty of soft beds that she takes full advantage of, so it's not any kind of pressure sore. Has anyone else seen itchiness that's isolated to one spot like this? She literally walked away from her dinner last night to scratch furiously for a minute, then came back to eat. One elbow's looking pretty rough right now, but of course when we tried to wrap it up, Miss Drama Queen acted like her leg was broken. Her coat and skin look good otherwise.

So sorry for your loss. What a beautiful tribute. Rest well, Casey.

Awesome! <Insert obligatory Donald Trump reference here>

What a cool story and what handsome brothers! And I LOVE their names. Now you've got me curious about how to find my own girl's single littermate (a sister who never raced)...

So sorry for your loss. Rest well, handsome Silver.

What a beauty! Congrats.

:yay

My sympathies for your loss. What a sweet face she had! She was lucky to have you, although I'm sorry your time together was so short. Rest well, Scarlett.

So very sorry for your loss. Rest well, Joe T.

Very sorry for your loss. It's so hard to say goodbye to the pets who helped raise us. Rest well, Shep.

Oh, yes, forgot about Ebay! Sounds like you're on top of things. And your wife will fit right in here. Piper is a beauty in her pics; I love her cow pattern. Hope you'll post again in the Intro thread when everything's official.

Hi there! Are you working with All About Hounds? There was a Ty who wrote in to their Yahoo group about Power Paws recently and I responded--was that you by any chance? They are awesome to work with. Anyway, I get this stuff at Nashville Pet Products...they have all the best disgusting treats that dogs love! Sweep enjoys the frozen marrow bones they sell there as well. I just give them to her frozen and they keep her busy for an hour at least. NPP also has a good selection of toys and other general supplies. They have 3 or 4 locations; we go to the one near 100 Oaks. Other local suppliers of not-stuff-you'll-find-at-Petsmart are Dizzy's Dog Wash, CatShoppe/DogStore, and Wags and Whiskers. As mentioned above, Trader Joe's has cheap bully sticks ($4.99 and you can break them in half). Other Nashville-specific tips...hmmm...do you have a vet already? The vet I mentioned above (who recommends the trachea and lamb ears) is Dr. Carol Macherey at Grassmere; she's fantastic and very greyhound-savvy. Her hours are somewhat limited since I think she's transitioning to retirement, but the other three vets there are experienced with greys as well. I particularly love Dr. Clark; he's co-owner with Dr. Macherey and a total cat whisperer. The office is nothing fancy, but that's how they keep their fees low, and their care and knowledge are second to none. Do you have a fenced yard? If not, there's a fenced baseball field at Shelby Park we take Sweep to on weekends when the weather's nice (so...not much lately, haha) so she can run. We don't do the dog park there, or any dog parks in town for that matter. Just not worth the risks to me, but that's totally a personal decision. Not-so-Nashville-specific stuff: I recommend Amazon for a good price on a crate if you're planning to do that (the group can let you know how or if your dog crates); I got the 42" Midwest iCrate for my 60 lb girl. (Remember: no martingale collars in the crate.) Honestly, Amazon's my go-to for a lot of dog stuff, since I have a Prime membership and their prices are so competitive. Costco has good prices on dog beds; the covers are washable and the beds have held up perfectly to Sweep's digging/bed fluffing for the nine months we've had her. Etsy is an addictive resource for collars. Let me know if you have any other questions! (And feel free to PM me if something Nashville-specific comes up.) GreyTalk has been a wealth of info for me, so it's great you've found it already.

Poor baby (and poor you! sounds like a stressful day). Good luck with meds tonight. Hopefully he'll get a good night's sleep and feel much better tomorrow!

There are a few different methods, but I think it's easiest to catch him doing it naturally—like in that brief moment before he lies down—and give the "sit" command (or click, if you're going that route). Treat and praise. It's a slower process, but you don't have to physically manipulate him in any way (which was important to me too when I did this with Sweep). Does he already know some other commands? I think of "sit" as a more advanced one, just because it's not a position you often see them in naturally, but others may disagree. Sweep took a while longer with it than other commands, and she still does a funny sit/shake hybrid, where she always holds up one paw while sitting. It's pretty cute. You can also work on it on a hill and hold a treat slightly above his nose, as described here. The key with both methods is to stand really close, blocking his ability to lie down, as soon as his butt hits the ground. Good luck!

Welcome from Nashville! Happy birthday to your handsome houndie!

Handsome boy! Love his smile and that ear with a mind of its own. Welcome to you both!

I agree with moving the bed to somewhere where she can observe the action but not be in the traffic path. I would not reprimand her for growling. I know it can be alarming (Sweep does it to my cats on occasion, and it's always nerve racking), but it's how they communicate. If Prada learns that growling is bad, she might just skip it altogether next time and escalate to a snap or bite. As dogs, your Cavs know exactly what it means, and as long as they respond accordingly, there's nothing for you to correct. Moving the bed should help keep everyone in check though.

:yay

So sorry for your losses. Rest well, sweet boys.

Same here...Sweep strongly prefers her hedgehog, rabbit, and mallard stuffies, which all squawk instead of squeak. Easier on the humans' nerves too.

So very sorry. What a gorgeous hound, and gone way too young. Rest well, Xander.

me too. Thanks for that, 3greytjoys!

Genius!

I only see the 15 lb green bag listed; the only 30 lb bag listed for Iams is ProActive Health Large Breed Mature Adult (purple bag, looks like).