Scoutsmom

I have a Kurunda bed, the XL size I think. It has a plastic frame, not aluminum. I've had it for years and it has stood the test of time. My current dog loves it -- she lays on it and surveys the neighborhood.. Others have been mixed, some liked it and some didn't.

Sounds to me like you are doing everything right. The only thing I might suggest is when he is sleeping in his crate, bring in your healthy cat and sit down with the cat on your lap, stroking the cat. Winston will probably get up and come over to sniff the cat and that is fine. If he gets too excited correct him and maybe the cat will swat him. In my house, I have 2 cats and one dog. One cat lives in my back bedroom. She is very shy and elderly and only comes out when the house is quiet. The other cat generally lives in my bedroom and the kitchen. She only goes into the living to sit on the back of the couch and watch birds. My grey spends most of her time in the living room, except at bedtime when she comes into my room. So yes, dogs and cats have territories and they will work it out.

Poor girl. what a horrible introduction to her new neighborhood. I remember when my Henry was new, the wind moved a branch on a small tree and he attempted to bolt. I landed face down on the sidewalk and broke my glasses, BUT I held on to the leash so he didn't get away. I think we all have similar stories. The big D is undoubtedly from stress. Just remember, this too shall pass and soon you will both enjoy your walks (although she may not want to go near that dangerous tree).

Welcome Ankh and Ankh's people! My Tess (who also is fighting hookworms) says black dogs with white chests are the best

I'm so sorry.

At 14 years old, I feel that a dental should be the very last choice. But I'm not a vet. I've had lots of dentals done on my greys but never when they are over 10 years old. When my Henry,, who had horrible teeth, became an elderly dog, my vet just said it wasn't worth it. So I would look at all of your other options first. I would think antibiotics could be tried. If you do decide it needs to be done, I would not let a general practitioner vet do it. There are vets that specialize in dentistry and I would find one. They cost more but know how to deal with risky procedures. If the tests show cancer, I would consult with a cancer specialist before anything is done.

How is Luke doing?

You went much too fast with introductions and are very lucky your cat survived. Even though initial introductions went okay, you need to plan for at least 2 weeks and likely more before you can let the animals be alone together. A cat standing still is very different from a cat that is moving, perhaps running, and kicks off your dog's chase instincts. Remember that dog has been bred for centuries to chase and kill animals. Greyhounds have killed cats. That said some greyhounds learn to live quite peacefully with cats. I've had 8 that did, and 2 that I had to return as I just could not trust them with my cats. If you can't easily break the dog's concentration on the cat, it is likely hopeless. But if you can get them to look at you there is hope. There are several threads on here about introducing grey's and cats. Basically training consists of going very slow and making sure your cat has a place to escape the dog. I use a back bedroom. Initially the door is kept closed. I may walk the dog in on leash and muzzled to let him sniff the cat. After a couple days, I put a baby gate in the doorway. Next I will prop the gate up, so the cat and not the dog can get under it. If the dog ignores the cat, he is praised. If the dog acts interested, he is corrected with a sharp "no" The muzzle is still used if there is a chance the dog and cat may meet. Eventually they can meet when the dog is unmuzzled as long as I am in the room. The key to all of this is going slowly and making sure the cat is safe. If you have a cat with claws who will swat your dog, it will go a long way to teaching the dog to leave the cat alone. If you have a timid cat that runs, you will have a harder time teaching the dog.

Of course there are other reasons for bloody diarrhea, the hooks are just the most likely cause. But it could be something like Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Hooks are easier to deal with.

My dog Tess came with hookworms. These are not the hookworms most vets are used to seeing. These came from racing kennels in the south and are very resistant to being killed. There was a good article about them about a year ago in a veterinary journal on parasites. I don't remember the name. If you do google search for scholarly journals--greyhounds and hookworms--you will find it. We put Tess on Advantage Plus and Panacur. Each time she was given the Panacur she had massive bloody diarrhea and she spent several days in the hospital. My Vet switched to Drontal with the Advantage which was easier on my girl (and the carpet). After several months of the treatment we got the 3 clear months. My vet kept her on the Advantage Plus and tested her again in three months. Unfortunately the hooks are back, but not as many so we are doing the protocol again.

Don't forget, in addition to outdoor beds, she needs outdoor toys. Indoor toys that go out, often get soggy and kind of gross, so they need to stay indoors and let the outdoor toys stay out where you don't really need to touch them. I had a girl that loved squashed empty milk jugs. They have that wonderful sour milk smell, and make neat crunchy noises when you bite on them, plus you can bang them against things. That's what she told me anyways. She would steal them from my recycling bin and the night before garbage day I would collect them from the yardand then she would start again with new jugs.

What a wonderful life you gave her! She looks so hoppy in that last photo where she is running across the yard. Your house must seem so empty without her presence. I hope Gracie is adjusting well to life as an only dog.

My Henry went thru a period when he was terrified of the stop sign at the corner. We had to cross the street to avoid it.

Do lock the gate. I didn't lock mine and, sure enough, my dog got out. When I got home, she was sleeping soundly on her bed and I probably wouldn't have known of her adventure except my housebound neighbor told me it was very entertaining to watch all the men on the crew trying to catch the escapee. When confronted, the contractor confessed to the mistake and said he now realized why I made such a big deal over them not using that gate.

I adopted my girl, Tess, last May. She is a 7 yr old brood mama. I started her immediately on Advantage Plus and Panacur. She had a very bad reaction to the Panacur (bloody diarrhea and bloody vomit requiring trips to the emergency room). So I switched to Drontal. She got both at the same time, every four weeks. After 6 months we finally got 3 months of worm-free fecal samples (YEAH!!!!). Now she is on monthly Advantage Plus, with fecal tests every 2 months. I've my fingers crossed that she remains worm-free.

One additional thought: do not be surprised if your dog has very runny poo the first couple days. This is the result of stress and possibly changing her food. It will pass in more ways than one.

Until recently I've always had 2 greys and, unlike Cleptogrey, I loop both leashes over my right hand. I then use my left hand to guide them individually or together. For this to work, both leashes must be the same length. I've walked a grey (6 ft leash) and one of my sister's collies (7 ft leash) and find it really difficult to guide both dogs at the same time Also make sure you have different colored leashes so you can easily tell which leash goes to which dog. After a few walks, my dogs have always settled on which positions they want. Mindy liked to walk behind me, Bree wanted to lead us. Tia wanted to be on the outside so she could sniff all those interesting smells and timid Henry wanted to be right beside me so I could protect him.

My advice is to make sure that first day is calm. Don't have neighbors/friends over to see your new family member--they can wait a few days. You should first concentrate on housetraining. Take her out every 1-2 hours to where you want her to go. When she does her business, praise her like she is the best dog ever (of course she is). Watch her closely (some people attach the leash to their waist) when she starts to act like she might need to go (circling, looking uncomfortable) get her out to her bathroom area. If she starts to go in the house,, give a sharp "no" and take her immediately outside (don't take time to put on your jacket, etc). Beyond housebreaking, I wouldn't push her to do anything she doesn't want to do on these first days. She may want to go for a walk, or she may be terrified of the big world out there. Don't stress about it. You just want her to get relaxed in her new home. (Hint: I never walk a new dog along a busy road for at least a month.) As others have said, RELAX. You will not break your dog.

My father has a strip of outdoor carpeting, about 3 feet wide, that he staples to the deck when the rainy season starts (late Sept) and removes it when the rainy season ends (July). The strip runs from the patio door to the steps down to the yard.

I hope you apologized profusely to Grace that your couch isn't wider. After all the fall is all your fault.

You know Grace, you can always have 2 treats at the same time---chicken sausage and peanut butter softies. Just saying... But it does require training your person. Tess (who can never get enough treats and has her person well trained)

My second grey was not quite 2 years old when I got her. She was a sweetheart and I survived her, but ever since I've asked for mature or adult dogs.

I guess I don't understand what you are asking here. All of my greyhounds (I'm on number 8) loved stalking squirrels in my backyard. Some actually caught squirrels. It did not impact how they dealt with other animals--they all lived with my cats without any problems. The only problem I ever had was once Mindy's prey fought back and scratched and bit her. She dropped it immediately and was careful to never get too close to the furry beasts again. I cleaned the wounds and watched her carefully--it healed quickly. I don't think it is possible to stop them being interested in squirrels, it is part of our dog's natural instincts. I consider this to be part of natural selection. Slow stupid squirrels used to be eaten by coyotes, wolves, bobcats, etc. Most of those predators are gone from our cities so the dogs fill a niche. And grey squirrels are not endangered and are not native. If I had the native squirrels in my backyard, I would feel different.

I want to add that many greyhounds are not very accustommed to men when they come home to us. I guess most of the kennel workers are women. So men can be scary especially if they are big and loud. So give your pup time to realize that men can be just as nice as women (and maybe nicer when they get wrapped around a grey paw!). So just go slow and let your dog adjust in her own time. I had a lovely dog, Henry, who was just terrified of men when he came home (and garbage cans, bicycles, stop signs etc.) It took time but his "Uncle" Don became his favorite person. How I miss that boy.

In my house, Tess would think I was giving her the mail to shred. Since she came this spring I have rarely had to use my mechanical shredder. I just put the items on her bed and leave for work. When I come home, I have confetti. (I have become much better at putting away thinks that I don't want shredded.