KellyandKris216

This week's vet-recommended regimen was to soak it in betadine for 5-10 minutes each day and to leave it open to the air. He'd gotten a combo of antibiotic ointment and anti-inflammatory in his bandages before that. The new tissue has covered pretty much the whole thing now, but it was pretty nasty before. Rather than just splitting the web straight up the middle, he ripped it off the side of one toe. Poor pup! Just because, here's a picture of Sir Licks-a-lot and his trusty sidekick, Sir Wags-a-lot.

Thanks everyone for your great ideas! I'll pick up some cotton trouser socks tonight and tape them on while I whip up some velcro ones. It's his front left that's injured. After about an hour long tantrum last night (him trying to get his muzzle off while I tried desperately not to laugh at his creative methods of doing so - bad mom), he and I came to a temporary agreement that if I took the makeshift stool guard off, he'd mostly leave his foot alone. He took the "mostly" to heart - when I wasn't looking, he'd stick his tongue through his muzzle and try to lick, but when I turned back around he tried to look innocent or like he was sleeping. That's probably why he slept downstairs last night, so I wouldn't wake up and tell him to knock it off! His foot still looked okay this morning, but hopefully the socks will help him leave it alone altogether. I might pull out the Star Trek movie tonight, just so I can show River where his new Vulcan salute originated from This made me laugh out loud; I love him to death, but this is probably the only thing in life he's "highly skilled" at!

Hi all, I'm looking for a little advice. River tore the webbing between his toes 2.5 weeks ago, and so far it's healing well. I'm having trouble protecting his foot though. It's now at the point that the vet would like it to be open to the air as much as possible, but River is an obsessive licker and won't leave it alone. I've tried socks which he happily pulls off, or if I vet wrap the sock on tight enough that he can't get it off, his foot blows up like a balloon. His medipaw gives excellent protection when he goes out to do his business, but it doesn't breathe. I made a "cone of shame" that I tied around his ankle, but he figured out how to lay "just so" and is able to get to it. I've tried muzzling him, but he's an expert at getting his tongue through the muzzle. I made a makeshift stool guard out of vet wrap and tape, and he alternately beats his face on every surface in the house trying to get the muzzle off, or uses it to scratch the offending foot (which is kinda funny to watch, but counterproductive). I ordered a real stool guard last week, but the order was lost and so only shipped yesterday. I think he and I are both at whits' end; I want him to leave it alone, and he wants evil mommy to let him lick the Foot of Doom until it's bald (his ankle and knuckles are already missing fur!). Does anyone have any suggestions on a way to protect his foot that keeps us both sane? Thanks!!

The one I made looks similar to Aidansmom's. It's a long rectangle of fabric with some velcro, and then I use one of the extra absorbent overnight pads that I stick to the fabric to minimize the need for washing. The boys wear belly bands when we go over to a certain friends house; she periodically watches her aunt's dog who pees on the carpet every single time. My friend's tried valiantly to get all the smell out of the carpet, but there's just enough left for the boys to think it's okay to go. They won't go with the belly bands on though; I've never seen River look so desperate as when he's wearing the belly band and has to go! If I can make one, you definitely can. Give it a shot!

I'd suggest talking with the foster and asking what food they're using and how the dog's doing on it (you might be able to find out early if you need to change the food or if it's working), and some fosters might give you a week's supply or so to get you started. Both River and Indy's foster parents started them on Kirkland Natures Domain Salmon, and neither did well on it (your results may vary; I've read many a hound on GT that eat it with no problems). Indy actually came to us eating only boiled chicken and rice because the Natures Domain wasn't agreeing with him one bit. We had some luck with the Kirkland Lamb and Rice, but after trying IAMS green bag (also at Costco) based on the recommendations of GT, we were sold. The beet pulp really made a difference for both of them. As others have said, there's no one magic food that works for all dogs. But I'd start with the foster of your chosen dog and see what they have to say. Congratulations on your new addition!

We had a little trouble with both River and Indy at first too, but in both cases it was just their way of testing us to see how serious we were. Bribery generally worked, though we'd occasionally had to move them paw by paw into the crate. This only lasted a short time though, once they realized there was no way around it. We turned the crate into the place where all the good things happened - meals, treats, and extra special turkey necks. Now with both of them, all I have to say is "in your crate" and they run right in. River loves hanging out in his crate even when we don't put him there. That is, he loves hanging out in his crate when Indy isn't in there first! I don't know why, but River's crate is definitely the place to be, even though Indy's is the same. He must have a better spot in the room (location, location, location, right?). River also knows his crate is the one place we'll never disturb him, which was sometimes rather frustrating when we were trying to teach him stairs. He was scared of them and would run into his crate and knew we wouldn't drag him out (we'd have to wait until he came out of his own volition before we could try again - stinker!) Indy's never been shy (quite the opposite), and so seems to have little need of a "safe space". Unless there's thunder, in which case River's crate is his safe space (go figure). River just relocates to another bed in the room if that happens. Another thought, what kind of bedding do you have in her crate? We used blankets with River at first which were fine, but on a whim one day I stuffed a rectangular Costco dog bed in there and he's been in heaven ever since. Indy has a memory foam bed that seems nice and cushy, but I might stuff a Costco bed in his crate to see if that makes a difference

Indy will be giving out hugs like crazy at playgroup next week. He managed to injure his paw and won't be allowed to run, so he'll be asking for lots of love instead with his best "woe is me" look. Such a tough life!

Meet Indy (Gil Santos), River's new brother! We'd been toying with the idea of a second grey as a pal for River, and when we met Indy at the haul last month, we thought he could be the one. Had to get River's opinion of course, and when they met they seemed like best buds! He's such a love bug and wants to give hugs to everyone he meets. When he's not being velcro dog and watching everything we do, he's tearing across the backyard gleefully flinging squeeky toys in the yard and leading River in a great chase. He also has a constantly wagging tail that poor River's learning to avoid since it's right at eye level! All he needs is a brown fedora and a whip and he could be Indiana Jones! Happy brothers

We had a little trouble with River at first too, but as Padfoot said, it was just his way of testing us to see how serious we were. Bribery generally worked, though we'd occasionally had to move him paw by paw into the crate. This only lasted a short time though, once he realized there was no way around it. We turned his crate into the place where all the good things happened - meals, treats, and extra special turkey necks. He'll even crate himself now if he smells me bringing in turkey necks from the grocery store! (No, really, he'll sniff the grocery bags and then go running in his crate). It's also the one place he knows we'll never disturb him, which was sometimes rather frustrating when we were trying to teach him stairs. He was scared of them and would run into his crate and knew we wouldn't drag him out (we'd have to wait until he came out of his own volition before we could try again - stinker!) Now his crate is one of his favorite places to be. He stays in there while we're at work, sleeps there at night, and can be found there when he decides he wants a few minutes to himself. Another thought, what kind of bedding do you have in her crate? We used blankets with River at first which were fine, but on a whim one day I stuffed a rectangular Costco dog bed in there and he's been in heaven ever since. ETA: We need pictures of your sweet girl!

Here's the promised video of River. This was the first of four "races", he just wouldn't stop running! He's the brindle in the red muzzle on the end, I'm in the pink and brown jacket, and Kris is showing off his mad skillz as the cameraman.

Hiya! Neighbors indeed, we're up in the Sterling area! REM told me not to go back to Rockville... Though in truth I can't fault Rockville since that's where River's foster was! Hi Ayimera! We used Greyhound Welfare and had a great experience. We met a few of the other adoption groups, and while everyone was really nice, what drew us to GW was their fostering program. I really liked that we could talk to the foster parents and find out about the different dogs' personalities, meet the dogs in person, and then choose which dog would be the best match for us. A couple of the other groups in the area pick a dog out for you in FL and then bring him up the coast, and while there's certainly nothing wrong with this, we liked the additional assurance that his personality would mesh with our lifestyle well. It was also really important for us to get a hound that could get along with our cats; one of our kitties has SA and dislikes change and the last thing we wanted was a bad experience between him and the dog and possibly have to return the dog to the group. It's paid off so far; Bruce and River get along pretty well, and I can see them being best buds in the not so distant future. Logan (our other cat) on the other hand will probably simply coexist with River and continue to think Bruce is crazy for associating with the giant sleeping monster-dog. The application process took a little time (I think it seemed longer than it actually was because we were excited and wanted a dog RIGHT NOW). Once you submit your application they call your references (I almost feel sorry for the person who called my neighbor; she was so excited that there'd be another dog in the neighborhood that I think she talked the interviewer's ear off) and your vet to make sure everything checks out. The phone interview was more of a conversation really; asking some questions yes, but more to find out about the type of dog that would work best with you rather than the Spanish Inquisition we feared it could be. The home visit was the same; giving some helpful suggestions ("That tomato won't be safe on the counter") rather than an "inspection". Having not gone through a rigorous process like this (our previous animals were simply picked out from a shelter), we were concerned about being judged or not being good enough, but that wasn't the case at all. I thought I'd mention this in case anyone else shared the same concern going in (and it sounds like most groups share a similar process, so it's not unique to GW). Everyone was really nice and the process was a lot "easier" than we thought it'd be. We happened to be approved just as their new haul of dogs came available for adoption, so there was quite the flurry of activity. Other adopters were meeting the dogs at the same time we were so there was a little pressure to move quickly, but we just told ourselves that if we didn't find the right dog this time we'd find our new companion in the next haul. We actually thought someone would adopt River before we had the chance to meet him since there were three adopters who met him in his foster home before we did, but clearly it was meant to be because he ended up coming home with us! He's a little reserved at first which may have turned a few people off, but he's blossoming into a mellow kind of guy who is just as happy to nap as he is to go for a walk. Anyway, sorry for the short novel! I think any group in the area you go with will be fine, but we really did like Greyhound Welfare. Good luck, and I hope to hear you have a new pup soon! PS It might be a bit of a drive from Alexandria (probably not too bad from Tysons), but there's a greyhound playgroup at Frying Pan Park in Herndon that gets together on a Thursday evening mid- to late in the month (looks like it's happening on the 14th this month). There's a large indoor horse arena where the hounds can run around chasing a squawker and have a lot of fun. River was running around like a maniac with all the energy only a two year old has! We took some video, I'll post it when I get home! In the meantime, here's the calendar that shows when the playgroup is going on: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/fryingpanpark/equestriancal.htm Kelly

That's the interesting thing though; he pretty much left the vet wrap alone. He was itching his belly, his side, his big bum, and his ears, but wasn't going after the vet wrap like I'd expect him to if he was really bothered by it. That's why I was thinking he could possibly have an allergy; on the other hand, he could have known we were watching him and was trying to be a drama queen After we took the wrap off we decided the "wound" was really just a scratch and he'd live to see another day. It doesn't seem to bother him, so we decided against rebandaging. Chalk another one up to anxious new pet parents! Yeah, the manufacturers definitely saw me coming; I couldn't see paying $6 for one roll of vet wrap if I could get 18 rolls for $26, and I'm sure they're out there laughing and saying, "We got another one!!" I figured we'd use it eventually, but if he turns out to have an allergy I think I'll go as a multi-colored zombie for Halloween next year.

Has anyone ever had a greyhound with a latex allergy? River got a small cut on his paw two days ago while doing zoomies in the backyard, and as overly concerned pet parents (and in an effort to keep blood off our white carpet - I will never understand why they put white carpet in houses ) we cleaned it, put a little gauze on it, and wrapped it with vet wrap. A few hours later we were all downstairs, and River was lying on his bed fidgeting and chewing and scratching all over, though he left his foot alone and wasn't trying to bite the vet wrap off. We couldn't find any kind of a rash anywhere on his body, but took the vet wrap off in case he had a latex allergy. Has anyone ever run into a latex allergy in their dog? It's also possible he was incredibly fidgety because he missed his evening walk that night, but I would have thought his boredom would have manifested itself in bouncing off the walls, not in itching like crazy. He kept trying to itch after we put his muzzle on, but finally settled down when we put him away in his crate for the night. Yesterday and today he's been perfectly fine. Any thoughts? Should I try putting some vet wrap on again to see if it causes the same reaction? Thanks!

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome! We just returned from our first "Pet Manners" class, and now he's totally zonked! So many new dogs and smells and people and activities ... not to mention that agility class was going on next to us. He did really well for his first night, and we even proved that the elusive "greyhound sit" does exist (now we just need to learn to do it on cue). Dangerous thinking! The thought's crossed my mind, especially since his brother is up for adoption in Daytona... I do see us with a second houndie some day, but right now we have our hands quite full with one! Maybe if we haven't broken this one in a year's time we can think about adding a second. He's such a sweetie pie, I can understand why people want a whole pack!

Hello! We recently adopted our first greyhound, River (JT Red River Blu), and are so excited to have this sweetheart as part of our family! He turned two in September and never raced (we're not sure why, he sure loves running with the local greyhounds!). Even so, he's learning that retired life is really great! He's been doing pretty well with the two resident felines (one of whom wants nothing to do with him and the other who's almost convinced River's a just a really big cat), and he's even coming to terms with the Evil Stairs of DOOM. We've gotten a lot of great information from the forums in the lead up to his adoption and now that we have him we're excited to introduce him to everyone! Smiling Houndie! Hmm, maybe if I lay right here, Daddy will trip and drop the chicken on the ground...