MattB

Thanks all for your thoughts. I've had another conversation with the vet - I've got Charlie booked in for surgery next Friday but in the meantime the vet suggested cancelling if it looks like it has reduced in size significantly by the time that the date comes around. I'm reasonably happy with that I think. The lump is located about 6 inches behind the front left leg on Charlie's side.

My understanding was that if it's a histiocytoma then it would just go away by itself and that would be the end of it.

I was just wondering if anyone could help me with some information I've been given by my vet. As usual it was only after putting the phone down and reading some more information on the internet that I've confused myself further. Charlie is 7 and has a small red lump (about 1.5 cm). It started as a small red patch and then seemed to suddenly change into a raised lump. I took Charlie to the vet and they suggested it was most likely a reaction to something at home like washing powder. Two weeks later the lump had become ulcerated so I took him back and this time they took a sample and have phoned me with the results today. They said that it was a round cell tumour but they weren't certain what type, one of the possibilities was a histiocytoma and the other was something I can't remember - I should have written it down. The vet suggested that it wasn't any of the worse diagnoses we'd spoken about (e.g. mast cell tumour). The vet suggested that we should go ahead and have the lump removed due to the ulceration however since my appointment a week ago it seems to be healing up a bit. I'm fine with going ahead with surgery but just wondered if I should be waiting longer to give it a chance to go away by itself. Although even if the ulceration goes away I'm assuming the lump may well still be there. What I'm a little unclear on is that if the only information they have is that it is a round cell tumour, this covers multiple possibilities - but if what I've understood is correct they have narrowed it down to one of two possibilities. Is it still wise to have this removed as soon as possible? I know this isn't helped by my confusion and the fact that I've provided limited information and it might not be straightforward but any thoughts would be much appreciated.

I also think that this is very dog-dependent but I've been brushing my two's teeth for the last 2 years. After a recent appointment with my own dental hygienist I've completely changed the way I brush my own teeth and carried this over to the hound's teeth too. Rather than just back and forth or circles on the tooth, I concentrate on angling and wiggling the brush around on the gum line, the idea being that this will help to remove bacteria from under the gum line. If a gum bleeds I (gently) focus more effort on this part to make sure I'm cleaning it as well as possible as my understanding is that getting rid of the bacteria will help with reducing the inflammation causing the bleeding - it shouldn't be hardened plaque in your case as you've just had a dental - are you able to brush like this on the gum line using a very soft brush? My vet also told me that there is only one type of toothpaste here (UK) which has been tested appropriately (this one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Virbac-Enzymatic-Toothpaste-For-Dogs/dp/B004X8PHD0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477476815&sr=8-1&keywords=virbac+toothpaste+dog).

Chewing if I don't get out of bed quickly here too - we got a new bed a couple of months ago. As I was 'picking up' after Daisy on a walk I noticed something hard and white in 'it' on further examination turned out it was a small piece of our bed. Don't worry I didn't wash it and stick it back on!

Thanks all for these thoughts. A few have mentioned about longer walks, I will have a think and see if I can perhaps add another pre-bedtime talk (we live in a rough neighbourhood so try not to go out too late) - otherwise perhaps some play in the back garden?

Sorry I'm from the North of England - we call our evening meal 'tea' I went back and edited it for ours but then missed talking about the hound's tea. Re: length of walk, I've posted on this recently - Charlie (6years old) is struggling in the hot weather, he can last about 20 minutes then he's ready for home! I try to encourage longer walks at the weekend but I'd also be struggling to get out for that long during the week.

So in the 'aftermath' day one I go to bed and they get up 4 hrs later "NO"? and leave them? They know I get up if they bark to avoid waking the neighbours.

Recently I've been having real problems having a whole night sleep to the point that my work is suffering. The problem, my two hounds wake me up multiple times during the night. We had a hedgehog and I thought that was the root of the problem but I've not seen it for ages. I'm also not sure which hound is the instigator or if it varies between the two of them. A typical night they have their tea at 5pm, walk at 6pm for about 45 mins. They'll then get in and I'll make me and my gf's meal and then the hounds will demand to be out again. They do go out a lot during the evening - every time I stand up they run to the door (this is the first point in question - whether I shouldn't be letting them out on demand like this. Next I head to bed, I try for about 10pm but could be 11pm. Then the hounds will start to cry at 4am on a reasonable day but it could be 2am. Sometimes I try to say 'No' which sometimes has an effect for an hour or so but sometimes they continue to cry and start to bark. Sometimes when I let them out they need the toilet (wees and poos) and other time they want to run around. On a bad night they can be up every hour. At 5am I usually give up and give them breakfast they then bark to be out again, I might try to get another hour before getting up for their morning walk. They're on their own through the day for usually about 5 hrs 3 days per week and someone is home the rest of the time, during the way they don't make a peep. One of them (Charlie) will often whine a lot during the evening it's like he's not sure what he wants, he'll just look at us and cry , sometimes it's attention but other times it's unclear. I recently stayed over at my mum's with her 2 dogs and they usually move about a lot in the night so I stay downstairs with them so everyone else can sleep. My mum lives in the country and in a desperate effort to get a whole night sleep I left the front door open with the gate padlocked so they could go out into the garden at will. Daisy seemed to stay out all night but Charlie was in and out and woke me up about every hour crying. He has food in his bowl, had treats, was invited up on the sofa with me if he wanted to sleep there but it was worse than ever. I've been away for a week with work and I know my mum has been leaving the door open for them - other than getting her up for their breakfast early she doesn't have the same issues. Charlie has been to the vet recently for his anual vaccinations and check up and the vet thought there was nothing to worry about health-wise. So my question, to be blunt, are my hounds taking advantage of me? They are my world and I sometimes wonder if I'm too attentive. Any thoughts on trying to break the cycle (particularly as they'll be coming home with me after a week at their grans) would be much appreciated! Matt

Thank you so much for checking those out that's really kind. DocsDoctor 20% VAT these days ! RedHead I hadn't really twigged re: glucose - when you say it like that.... I got on to Skinners after it came recommended on a UK fb page so that maybe clouded my judgement.

Also meant to ask what value would you class as a moderate protein level?

Thank you - Yes we no longer free-feed really either - though this was the hound's choice to eat in one go rather than ours! One thing I've been trying to avoid are particular preservatives - BHT and BHA which I'd read negative things about. This is easier said than done as I find ingredient lists often fairly sparse so resort to e-mailing manufacturers instead.

Our two hounds have always been 'grazers' and picked at food throughout the day. That was until we changed to a different dried food, and started alternating between breakfast and dinner. We mix this with some tinned. I feel like they'd got bored of the same diet day in-day out so would like to mix it up a bit. My confusion is which dog foods are suitable. We've been going with a brand called 'Skinners' for a while now and mixing up different types such as: https://www.viovet.co.uk/Skinners_Ruff_Ready_Dog_Food/c1118/?sct_t=1464449601&sct_q=skinners&sct_r=5 https://www.viovet.co.uk/Skinners_Field_Trial_Duck_Rice_Dog_Food/c1128/?sct_t=1464449618&sct_q=skinners&sct_r=2 https://www.viovet.co.uk/Skinners_Premier_Large_Bite_Dog_Food/c1116/?sct_t=1464449641&sct_q=skinners&sct_r=15 I'm now looking at something like this: https://www.viovet.co.uk/Skinners_Field_Trial_Working_23_Dog_Food/c1126/?sct_t=1464449252&sct_q=skinners&sct_r=12 but this seems to describe more of a 'working' type of dog - does this make this unsuitable? Is this to do with protein content or carbs? Is there a lot of difference? Any advice much appreciated!

We've had a shy girl for just over 18 months now and she continues to change in terms of how much affection she likes. Last night she jumped up on the sofa with me which is fairly unusual for her. I think she likes affection but isn't too sure how to ask for it, sometime she edges over to us and looks awkward for a while but seems to relax when we scratch her tummy or her neck.

Thank you. We went to the vet today for check up and boosters - the vet couldn't find anything of concern but was intrigued by a small dip in the middle of his back although this didn't seem to be causing him pain (I'm sure I've seen this in other people's greyhound pictures but I digress) so the vet said to bring him back if it seems like he's suddenly slowing down or shows signs of discomfort but other than that she's not concerned so I will focus on trying to keep him cool and look at walking separately. This was the first time that me and Charlie had left Daisy (other than her dental) and she was so pleased to see him when he got back.

That's an idea and I might give it a go, although I feel that it's good to get him out for at least a stretch of the legs. I've also been looking at cooling jackets which might be worth a try.

Thanks all and sorry for slow responses, I hadn't checked the 'follow this topic'box. Yes I'll mention to the vet while I'm there but not worry until then as this sounds like it's quite common. I've thought about walking separately previously but I'm not sure any of us could bare it! Maybe I should try (I'd be leaving him with my girlfriend) - is there a best/least upsetting way to go about walking separately?

Hi, We've got two hounds a female 7yo (Daisy) and a male 6 1/2 yo (Charlie). Both ex-racers. Our female was diagnosed with arthritis which was more advanced than would be expected for her age. However, after initial treatment with anti-inflammatories she seems to have forgotten all about this and is desperate for walks and zoomies several times a day. However our Charlie has always been fairly slow - before we got Daisy, Charlie was happy with very short walks and, although compliant, was never overly excited at the prospect or going out. Then we got Daisy who lives for walks. It's always been clear that Charlie has a naturally slower pace than Daisy (and another couple of greyhounds I walk regularly) and he tires a lot sooner than the others. Charlie also seems to feel the heat more (he's nearly 100% black) and if the sun is out while he's walking he'll pant and go even slower. Our usual routine is 30 mins in the morning on lead and 45 mins in the evening on the lead, probably a couple of garden runarounds in between. Now the weather is getting warmer I'm noticing that Charlie is very slow, even a 30 minute walk in the early morning sun seems to leave him quite tired towards the end and in need of encouragement to keep walking. Aside from this he seems his usual self. He's eating like a horse, still wants to play with me lots. I'm just wondering if this is something I should be worried about or if some dogs just have much lower exercise requirements than others. I know that sometimes 8 year old are described as seniors but it seems early for Charlie to be slowing down because he's 'old'. I've got his boosters coming up soon so I was going to mention to the vet but often their advice is to 'wait and see' and I'm never sure if I'm just another neurotic owner. I'm just wondering if I should be insistent on a blood test or anything like that - is there anything in particular he should be tested for? Any thoughts much appreciated.

Thanks all for your suggestions. Neylasmom that's a really clear explanation of CC&D thank you for your as-always wise words.

Thanks very much that has given me a few things to try. I saw some dog earmuffs - I wondered if these would help on a noisy day!! FR - I like this idea - the problem is when Charlie is stressed he completely 'zones out' and has no interest in food at all. Did you have to get over this hurdle?

In 2014 we adopted Charlie. He seemed fairly fearless initially and the firework season came with little problem. Then we got Daisy, terrified of everything right in the middle of firework season. It was like the pair of them got worse together. However after the fireworks stopped Daisy seemed to forget about then but Charlie became jumpy with other similar sounding noises. We can't open fizzy drinks or beer in the house because the hiss it makes sends Charlie running to hide. We have a clay pigeon shoot in the area on a Sunday and we have problems getting Charlie out of the house, this soon turns into acting fearful of anything that could be called a bang - a car door slamming in the distance or a lorry going over a bump. It doesn't seem like Charlie is getting any better, probably getting worse if anything. After he's been scared it can take a couple of days for him to fully relax on walks. I just wondered if anyone has any ideas to help us make progress in the right direction.

Thank you both - that is incredibly helpful stuff and much appreciated. I did start cleaning teeth standing up but through trial and error it seems to work better with them lying down - ideally sitting up but Charlie sometimes falls asleep during brushings now. I have also been using a dental scraper to remove small bits of plaque.

I've been brushing Charlie's teeth daily since we got him and Daisy had a dental just before Christmas and I've been religiously brushing on a nightly basis. I didn't clean Daisy's teeth before her dental as I was worried about putting her off if her gums were already a little inflamed. She's being pretty compliant, one difficulty is she tries to eat the toothpaste while I'm trying to brush but I can get most of her teeth. I'm trying to be thorough but there's a few things I'm wondering if some more seasoned brushers could help with: 1. If their mouth is closed some of the back bottom teeth are difficult to get at - is there a way of getting to them? 2. Is it just one tooth that's at the top back, completely out of sight? I have been listening for the sound of the brush on this one - is this a case of guesswork? There's sometimes a little bit of blood on the brush and I assume this means I'm sometimes catching the gum. 3. The video I watched showed the brush being used back and forwards rather than circles - is back and forth the way to go? 4. Front teeth - neither hound is keen on their front teeth being brushed and we leave this until last as this is where they are less patient. I just do these as quickly as possible. 5. While being as thorough as possible I'm cleaning their teeth quite quickly (not as long as I spend on mine). Is this the way to go? I'm trying to build up but probably reckon on about 45 seconds - 1 minute per dog. Any tips gratefully appreciated.

Have you tried one of those microfibe ones that goes over your finger - I started with one of those because I think it's easier than a brush - it looks like it takes dirt off (judging by the residue on the cloth after brushing). I ended up moving on to a brush as I didn't feel like it was very easy to clean but I found it easier to use than a brush and tolerated well.

I also think that on principle this could be helpful - especially if it provides the opportunity to assess oral health and then you would be made aware of anything needing treatment under sedation.