GreytXpctations

Personally, I am part of the never group. I think it's even in our adoption contracts (for at least one of the groups that I have worked with). However, my shoes don't fit everyone, so I would offer the following to the good advice posted above: your grey will be a different dog in six or eight months than he is now. It takes a while for their personality to develop and shine through, and for them to learn to respond to you, and for you to learn how responsive they will be to you. I would wait at least that long if you are going to try it, and even then after training with the long lead, tired dog etc. GreyOrchard and others make some good tips above. Then there's that feeling that we have experienced where a grey gets loose, and your heart falls to the bottom of the stomach as his eyes latch onto a squirrel across the street.

That sounds heartbreaking to see such a change in Kit, but I think the advice so far is good advice. My Frida was a spook when I got her almost two years ago. She was afraid of everyone and everything at first and wouldn't willingly come out of her crate for anything. After working with her for a few weeks we checked potential medical causes, but everything came back clear. I wonder if you take a break from the trainer and let Kit set the pace, if that will help her adjust. Does she have any grey friends that can come for a visit in your yard, rather than any trips out into the world? It sounds like she was traumatized between the times that you had her. If so, time and patience may be the only prescription. Let her come to you, or any visiting children, rather than pushing her to do something (other than turnout). We have had a few fosters (including Frida) that were worse than Kit is now when they were right off the track. They all took time and none of them reacted well to being forced to do something they didn't want to do. None of them understood positive reinforcement at first. Kit may have been pushed too hard or too forcebly (maybe by children) between her times in your home. Ours all responded well to being around other greys, but not to big and public busy places like pet stores. Stability and security help, so things that keep their world small and familiar can facilitate their adustment period. Frida was eventually able to do meet and greets, but by then we couldn't let her go. She is still more comfortable meeting with the same grey and people friends in non-busy locations.

We have two right now Carlos and Frida are 9 and 5. Both were the-foster-that-we-couldn't-let-go. You know, that point when you're in Petsmart at your table and people start to seem just a little too interested in "your" foster? But as things are settling down to be more routine over the last year and a half and the house seems a little bigger, we might try fostering again. One of the local rescues is over capacity again, and chronically short of foster parents, so it might be time to jump back in again. Or we might adopt that red brindle on Craigslist.

He is super sensitive to any changes in his diet, and has done well on a kibble diet for years, so I want to stay with something very uniform. Even old standbys like pumpkin, peas or yogurt give him the runs. When I shifted him away from chicken and corn, it had to be so gradual. I thought a game meat grain free food would be good, but then he started getting the crystals. This S/D canned looks like it is 90% rice, but he is tolerating it better than the kennel food he was on when I got him. At least it is just short term to see if the crystals clear up. I've had a few people recommend lamb based foods, but it's such an ordeal to switch him that I want to be sure that it will be once and done.

Yes you are right. It's GREAT not GREYT in Tampa.

Grey Orchard! Hi From Tampa Bay, Florida. All of my own greys and most of my fosters have had Irish lines. I'm going to look for your book on Amazon. I love learning about their history. I think most people really underestimate these dogs, even many of the people that regularily work with them. Hopefully as they get more associated with being pets than with racing, that will change.

I emailed that CL seller but haven't heard back. I heard that GREYT just picked up a red brindle so maybe that was it. I think they buy their dogs from CL, local shelters and other rescues.

We did one this time and on visit number 4 with the old vet, but the results aren't in his file for some reason. The new vet said definitely switch the food. He looks at the old vets paperwork and said she should have recommended this by the second visit and did a swab. The first three antibiotics were basically the same type under three different names. Frida, my other grey, has been on the same shredded chicken diet from her rescue and has had no problems at all, but that food gives Carlos the squirts and he has been upgraded a few times since his rescue days. So one vet says definitely no to the food contributing and the other vet says yes like it's common knowledge. 99% of the info I could find on my own was on food-bashing webs. Can anyone recommend a good middle of the road non-chicken/corn and non-grain-free food? He is transitioning to S/D then on to his new food.

New vet this afternoon for Carlos. Hopefully, better informed than the last one, and we can get to the bottom of things. That sounds terrible for Brandi and painful. My boy has been having actual UTIs with crystals. 4 visits and no fix yet. Visit 5 coming up.

Hi all, thanks. "Sr Lover", I hate seeing dogs on CL, but I think I'm more interested in fostering than adopting at this point.

Hi, I just signed up today, but have been reading the board here for a little while. I used to foster greys in the Tampa Bay area until I adopted my second one and have been out of the grey community for a few years. It is starting to seem like there might be room for one more again as the others get older and quiet down Anyway, I posted elsewhere on the site and thought I should stop here and say hello.

I add about a half cup of water to his 2 cups of food, both meals. I just worry that that will be a half cup of water less that he drinks from his bowl. I'm switching to a new vet, so maybe I'll up the food water and hold off on the food switch for now, so I'm not changing more than one thing at a time. I wonder if your boy's episode was connected to his UTI? Maybe from cleaning back to front, so to speak.

Hi, I'm new here as a member, but have lurked for awhile as a reader. My male grey has had a recurrent UTI that we have noticed may be related to a change in his food, since the dietary timing fits. The vet said not possible, but there seems to be some anecdotal corroboration to this out there on the web. Has anyone else had any experience with UTIs corresponding to a switch to a higher mineral/lower sodium food? I don't want to get into brand wars, but since switching him to a grain free food, which has higher minerals and lower sodium, he has had a UTI that seems to return shortly after the antibiotics runs their course. The logic behind the theory is that lower sodium causes the dog to drink less, and urinate less frequently (anti-stone rx foods are high in sodium to encourage more drinking and dilution of urine), and the higher mineral content raises the ph of the urine, which encourages stones. The stones and UTI can be a sort of chicken/egg thing, apparently. I am going to switch him back to a more mainstream food to see what happens. He doesn't handle changes to his diet very well, but nothing else seems to be working.