cgs

No way to get them firm all day? I just started using the carrot stuff and it was like a miracle--firmer in the morning after using it just once the night before. But then looser through the day. This morning Percy went 4 times in a row when I let him out and the last was much looser than the first. I hate if he goes on someone's lawn because it's so hard to pick up. I try to keep him to the wooded areas. What is the IAMS green bag--I've seen a few different green bags. One is sensitive stomach--that one looks like decent ingredients. The other is I guess just regular.

What product are you using?

The carrot stuff is miraculous! Firmer, more pickupable poop after just one serving! Hallelujah!

Yeah, the rescue lady told me someone recently returned a dog because he was pooping in the crate. She thought they weren't taking him out enough. I do think he was desperate. He pooped in the house once, but I really don't know when he did that. I leave him downstairs while I'm upstairs, but if I hear him start walking around, I go down. Anyway, I don't know if he was just scared by the wind (though he hasn't seemed bothered by it throughout the day today, but it was dark, first really windy night, and he was alone) or if it was the little piece of plant upsetting his tummy, or just general diarrhea that he couldn't hold in. I feel bad because he did whine around 4:30am, but I didn't hear him. I may go back to sleeping on the couch for a couple nights. He pooped in the yard this morning and that's been all. He ate (more rice and kibble) and no more since then, even on a walk. So we'll see what comes out later and how firm it is! I just got some of that dehydrated carrot stuff that people here recommend. After him having to be in the crate with poop, I'm not sure how I'll get him back in there today or tonight. He was already so reluctant to go in last night. He hung his head down and leaned it against my leg. So pitiful. I tried to get him to come upstairs where he could sleep in our room, but he wouldn't go.

Don't you need to get him downstairs quickly in the morning to go out? That was my worry with ours. Now I'm relatively confident he'll go down ok, but he's still not going up, so he's still sleeping in the crate downstairs with us upstairs. I think one day he'll just come up on his own. Today he got halfway up for some cheese, but then turned around and went down. I didn't think he could turn around! And he kind of flew/leapt down, so that wasn't great. Hardwood at the bottom with just a small space before hitting a wall. (Stairs are carpeted.) Since I don't need him to be upstairs, I can give him time. But it seems you need him to go down in the morning!

My guy is having more trouble with up than down, so this is entirely theoretical, but I wonder if it would help to have someone stand in front of him as he goes down so he can't see the whole scary staircase. Mine was also terrified to go near the top of the staircase, but I shoved him toward it and took hold of his harness and then he just went, so thankfully I'm not dealing with him being stuck upstairs. It's just hard to get him up there. For what it's worth, the only treat that gets Percy to do anything is American cheese.

Yeah, he's going Thursday and they said to bring a sample. So gross, but I'll do it. Hopefully he'll poop in the morning that day. He's been resting comfortably, so I think he's ok. I think he only got a very small bit of the plant--I can see the bite mark on the leaf--and he barfed it up. I'm guessing pooping in the crate was just related to either diarrhea--he's had loose poop, but it was controlled--and/or being scared of the wind. My daughter said she heard him around 4:30am, which would have been shortly after my husband left for work. Husband said he didn't hear anything. So I think he pooped in the crate sometime between 4:30 and 6am. It's so windy today--gusts over 60mph. Not sure about waking him, at least not very far.

Everything is going really well. But this morning I heard him whining around 6am. He sleeps in a crate in the living room and we're upstairs. I thought he was probably scared of the sound of the wind, since we're having really high winds. I ignored him for about 10 minutes, but then went downstairs. He'd pooped in the crate. He had pooped last night before bed. Then, while I was cleaning up, he came over to me kind of dry heaving. Nothing came up at first but a few minutes later he barfed. In the barf was a small leaf, which I think is from an inside plant. We have 3 plants and I know what 2 of them are, but don't know what kind this one is because it came from my husband's office, but it's a common houseplant that's viney. I don't know if the poop in the crate and the barf are related. Any suggestions for what to to tonight? I'm wondering if I should sleep on the couch again so I can take him out if he needs to go. I also put white rice in his food last night to try to firm up his poop. Could rice have made things worse? I gave him more this morning so we'll see how he does. Other than this, he's been doing really well and this isn't his fault. He's really good about going to the door when he needs to go out. (The whining in the crate is the first vocalizing I've heard from him. ) He's been learning fast. Learned to leave the trash alone the first day. He's getting better about not nosing at the counter while I'm making dinner. He's starting to do better with the stairs. He's even been conveniently pooping near public trash cans on walks.

Thanks for the link. That's really helpful. I know his racing weight was 70lbs, but I have no idea what he weighs now. He goes to the vet in a week,so I'll find out. I feel like his hip bones really protrude and I think his ribs show more than in the healthy pictures in that link. But he has a shiny black coat, so the light glinting off might make them seem more visible.

No advice, but poor boy! That's a lot to go through! I hope he settles as he heals and feels more comfortable. We just got our guy last Saturday too.

Our new grey is settling in nicely. I hope you have good luck with yours too. They're so sweet. This isn't advice, but just my experience over the 5 days we've had him--our house is really quiet. It's just me home most of the day and I don't usually have the tv or radio on. He's been content in his bed downstairs with total silence while I'm upstairs. When I leave the house, I don't leave anything on. A few cars may go by and there are some dogs barking from time to time and people walking by from time to time, but it's really quiet a lot of the time and he seems fine with it. That's not to say you shouldn't leave something on for company for him, just that maybe some of them don't mind the peace and quiet after a noisy life at the track!

I went to the store and read the ingredients list on iams. I see it's chicken by-product or something as the first ingredient and then 2 corn ingredients, so now I understand the reluctance.

This is an old topic, but relevant to me. We just got our greyhound 5 days ago and his poops are gross. I'm ordering the carrot stuff. We're using Taste of the Wild (I forget which one--maybe Prairie) mixed with his old food. Couple of questions: --for those who have reluctantly switched to Iams green bag, why the reluctance? It looks like decent food. --what is "richer" food or "less rich" food. What makes a food rich? --while I'm waiting for the carrot stuff to arrive (couldn't find a store to buy it at, so had to order it), would rice, help? If so, would white rice or brown rice be better? The vet suggested feeding just chicken and rice to firm up his stool. Would just mixing some rice in his food help?

Wow, a couple of you are feeding1.5 to 3 cups/day total for 70lb dogs. We just got our 70lb male and the rescue lady said to give 2 cups morning and evening and then after a day or two increase to 2.5 each feeding. I've been giving 2 cups in the morning (didn't increase since he doesn't always finish it) and 2.5 at night, which he finishes. When I was only giving 2 at night, he was looking for more. Is this ok? 4-4.5 cups total? I can still see his ribs. We've only had him 5 days.

I hope he doesn't change too much! He's very calm and sweet. But I am expecting worse behavior as he gets more comfortable. He is already resisting the crate. But yes, every day is a little bit different. On day 2 we noticed he was wagging his tail for the first time. Now he wags more. This morning after I let him out to pee, he bounded around the yard. He'd never done that before. He seems pretty smart. He learned quickly to stay away from the trash. I haven't had as much luck with the kitchen counters. He doesn't get anything, but he noses around. He learned very quickly to give our little dog her space. She just looks at him a certain way and he goes in the other directly, lol. She was eating and he wanted to just sniff, but she looked at him when he was still 3 feet away and he turned around. He knows to go to the back door to go out and to the front door to ask for a walk (which he gets when I decide, not him.)

My new greyhound isn't liking his crate. I throw a treat in there and he'll go in, but I think he's catching on and it's going to be harder and harder to get him in there. He sleeps in there at night and I put him in for short periods during the day when I have to go out. He was in there for about an hour yesterday while I ran errands. I didn't see any signs of distress when I got home--no pee or poop, nothing ripped apart. So I think he's ok, but doesn't like it. He pooped in the house sometime yesterday--no idea when since I'm keeping a pretty close eye on him all the time--so I don't trust him out of the crate when I'm not around. But hopefully in a few more weeks, we can just do away with it. It's huge and I'd be happy to see it go. I ordered a kong toy, so hopefully that will help. But I know it will also make a huge mess because he's a total slob when he eats.

I worried about this too after walking my friend's labradoodle and nearly getting my arm yanked off and almost falling. I'm not petite--5'6". We've had our 70lb male for less than a week and he's a perfect gentleman on the leash. A squirrel ran right in our path and his ears perked up and he watched, but that was all. He sees other dogs, and again, the ears might go up, and that's it. A loud noise startled him and he jumped to the side, but didn't try to take off. I tried several at the rescue place and the one other I was considering was pulling at the least. Nothing terrible, but just not as easy. Percy is totally calm.

I applied with Greyhound Welfare too, though in the end I ended up adopting from Greyhound Rescue. Just an easier process. Greyhound Rescue typically doesn't foster, so being in a house is new to our boy. The foster family should be able to tell you a lot. I took our little dog to meet the dogs at Greyhound Rescue. I'm guessing Greyhound Welfare will suggest the same thing. Good luck!

Thanks, I hadn't thought about his behavior changing, but that's a good point. We do seem to be in a honeymoon period, but he's getting more comfortable. Of course, every day will be different I guess. Last night he got up for cheese (bought 2 new kids of treats today and he doesn't like either one) and he went right out and right down the steps...and then turned around and tried to come right back in. I couldn't get him to go potty, so I had to come in and get the leash (with him following) and then walk him around the yard until he peed. This morning I woke up to a pee spot from our small dog (unusual, but not unheard of) and then stepped in a pile of poop in the house as I was getting Percy's food. It was Percy's poop and I have no idea when he did that. I keep an eye on him, but if he's lying quietly downstairs, I'll go upstairs to my computer. When I hear him get up and walk around, I go down and watch him. It had to have happened after I got his dinner last night, but he really was just lying quietly on his bed all evening. It's a mystery and I have a very sensitive nose, so I can't believe I didn't smell it. Not a good start to the day. Today we'll try some alone training. He's ok by himself downstairs in the crate at night, and ok downstairs in his bed while I'm upstairs. He's not super keen on the crate, but I'll crate him and run a quick errand. I've already crated him and left the house in the car for around 5-10 minutes and he seemed fine.

He's in a crate, so I don't think he would go in his crate, but 11 or more hours seems long. I was worried about him biting at first and it didn't occur to me that I could muzzle him. My daughter, who is braver than I am, was trying to lift/shove him the first time. The next night I wasn't worried about him snapping. He's so docile and gentle. But I'll try with the leash and try again with yummy treats until he gets used to the routine. I'm going to try having more "rules" with walks and not let him mark so much.

He seems to leap up and down the steps when he's tentative about them, so I think it's related to being unsure of them. When he seems more confident, he'll go step by step. So we'll see what happens as he gets better at stairs in general. I've been reading more on here about marking. I think we will try to curtail his excessive marking on walks. He's not as bad as some other posters' dogs, but I think more walking and less peeing would be good. He's very good on the leash, so I can't complain. I tiny tug and he'll walk on. Much better than our little dog. I just need to watch him in yard until he learns where it's ok to pee. I think he's learned not to pee on the deck--he did that 3 times. He seems to have learned not to pee on the shed, but I still say "no" or "eh-eh" when he's sniffing around there. So I just have to do the same with the compost bin. Ok, another problem...in the evening, he plops in his bed while we watch tv. and then it's really hard to get him up to go out. I think he's just tired and comfy, but we're literally trying to lift his 70lb body off the floor! Or trying to entice him with something yummy, but he's not that responsive to food, especially when he's tired like that. Then when we finally get him up and out, he is hesitant to go down the steps. I think the thing with the steps will resolve itself in time--I think it's just harder when he's tired or he's more hesitant in the dark--but getting this lazy boy up for the last potty before bed has got to be easier! I take him out around 9:30. I don't think taking him out any earlier than that would be good. Does anyone else have this problem? Our little dog can be slow to get going too after she's been resting in the evening, but I can just pick her up if I have to! Big dog challenges!

We had a little impromptu dog party at my neighbor's house in her yard. All the neighborhood dogs love her. She's the treat lady. Percy did great! There were 4 other dogs there besides my two and he was the calmest one. He ran around a little bit--first time I've seen him run. He even went up my neighbor's deck stairs--she has maybe 6 or 7 steps and then a landing, so it was a good number for him to try. Everyone joined in the training. He did great coming down and then we got him all the way up, past the landing. He didn't like coming down the first part (maybe didn't like seeing the small landing at the end), but did fine with the second part down to the yard. He's exhausted now, lol. His marking is driving me nuts. I think he's gotten the hang of not marking in the house, but he's marked on our plastic shed and our compost bin outside. He marked on the neighbor's yard furniture. She didn't care. She loves dogs so much. But he must have peed 30 times while we were there. And on walks, it's constant. I'm trying to read up on that--how much to allow. Obviously I want him to pee and not think he shouldn't be peeing, but I think he's marking way too much. I've never had a boy dog. I wanted a girl for this reason. But the rescue lady and others say girl/boy is better than girl/girl, even though I know so many people with girl/girl dog combos. The rescue lady also said boy greyhounds are typically just calmer and easier than the girls, so we went with a boy.He's awesome, but ugh, the marking.

He slept in his crate last night and I slept in my bed, so he was alone. He did fine. So that's good. I think he's regressed on the stairs a little--has no interest in trying them again and is more leaping up the deck steps instead of taking them one at a time. I'm thinking that since he's ok sleeping downstairs alone, I don't need to push the stair thing and can just let him get more used to the deck steps. He's also ok curled up on his bed downstairs during the day while I'm upstairs doing some work. I have so many more questions, but think I might need to start a new thread with a new topic or post in the First Week thread I saw. And I'll search the boards first too.

At first, our little dog, Lulu, just kept looking at us, like why have you ruined my life and when is he leaving. But he doesn't bother her at all. He sniffed her butt once, she gave him a dirty look, and that was it. She seems to be getting used to him and isn't giving us that look anymore. I've taken them on a couple walks together and they do just fine. Not much interaction yet, but no issues at all. She's not territorial about us or about food. He's not territorial about food at all either. I've picked up his bowl while he was eating, just to move it. I've picked up the kibble around his bowl (he's a total slob) and put it back in while he's eating. Lulu has finished his food when he's left some uneaten. He doesn't care.

I had tried that on our deck steps and he really didn't like being "led" on a leash or me trying to pull (however gently) or push (however gently) at all. He would just decide to do it himself instead. But I remembered I had a harness for him and I put that on, thinking that might work better. At first, he wouldn't even go near the top of the steps. But I kind of shoved him toward the stairs and held the harness. I think once he realized I was going to make him go down, he just decided to do it himself. I just held the harness to make sure he didn't go too fast or do a flying leap at the end. He did great! He's not too keen on trying it again. I'll try again in a few hours.