[Refuses To Go Outside!]

Percy started refusing to go into the backyard a few days ago. His normal routine was out back (3 steps down from the deck) first thing in the morning and last thing at night, as well as sometimes during the day if he wanted to go out to potty or if I wanted him to before I needed to leave the house. Then something started bothering him and he got really anxious in the yard and then just refused to go. I had to either pull him by the collar--but then he'd try to get right back up on the deck--or I just finally decided to put a leash on him and pull and once in the yard, walk him around until he peed. I thought it had something to do with the rainy wet weather, but he still wouldn't go the other day when it was sunny. I also tried high-value treats, but he's just not that food motivated, so that didn't work. I tried just leaving the back door open and sitting out on the deck or wandering around the yard in hopes that he'd follow me around, but that didn't work either.

 

I decided to go with GeorgeofNE's advice and just make him go. Last night, as he stood at the top of the steps on the deck, I just shoved from behind until he went, and then I closed the gate at the top of the steps, which luckily we didn't remove once the kids were grown, like I had planned to. He looked a little panicky and wanted to come back up but I just kept telling him to go potty. Once I did, I opened the gate and he came back up.

 

This morning he was reluctant to even go to the back door. I pulled him outside by his collar and did the same thing as last night with the shoving from behind and closing the gate. After he peed and came back in and ate, he was at the door again. He likes to look out. I opened it and left it open. After a while he went on the deck. Then after a while down to the yard and right back up. Then eventually down to the yard again where he wandered around and pooped. So hopefully he's over it now. The good thign was that there was no morning poop in the yard. He just saved it for the morning walk. We were down to 2 poops/day instead of 3. Oh well. Hopefully he's over his yard-phobia.

 

I will note that he's not an anxious dog and he's very compliant. The pulling/shoving/forcing didn't seem to do any damage.

[Licking Himself Raw]

There are days I'm ready to bathe Percy in bactine.

[Wound On Knee]

The bactine worked great for me. He basically gave up licking. But before I got that advice, I was able to keep him bandaged with vet wrap, which I guess isn't working for you. :/

[Difficult Situation - Any Way Out?]

I don't have a spook, but after 3 months of having Percy, he still rarely plays and when he does play with a toy, it last about 30 seconds before he's had enough. He's so easy that I haven't done much training, but he's not food motivated, so it's hard when I do try.

I don't have a spook, but after 3 months of having Percy, he still rarely plays and when he does play with a toy, it last about 30 seconds before he's had enough. He's so easy that I haven't done much training, but he's not food motivated, so it's hard when I do try.

[Poo]

I'm so tired of this poop situation. It had gotten a little better a few weeks ago, but is now bad and unpredictable. Sometimes it's pretty good, but more often it's worse than ever. I don't know if it's the hooks, the food, or what. I have too many variables. I'm currently using Advantage Multi only for hooks. Started nextguard in the beginning of this month, but that was over a week ago, so I don't think that's it. Changed food from chicken to lamb (both kirkland) hoping things would get better, but they didn't. I'm switching back to chicken. He's only been on lamb a couple weeks and his poop was never good on it--there was one day when it was good. Other than that, it's mostly been worse. Also started diatomaceous earth a week ago for hooks. I know some are against that, but I'm giving it a try. I've only read that it improves things after a week or two, not makes things worse. He also had his teeth cleaned, which through things off for a couple days.

 

*sigh* I'm going to get him back on chicken (it has dried beet pulp) and continue with the DE, Advantage Multi, and Nextgard and try not to change anything else for a while. The only other variable is treats, which I can't really get my husband to stop giving him. He gets one or two/day during the evening during the week (hard biscuit treats) and many more on the weekend when husband is home.

 

The only good thing is that usually the timing is at least predictable. He goes in the yard first thing in the morning, again on the morning walk (goes twice on the walk if he didn't go in the yard) and again on the afternoon walk. Sometimes he goes before bed, but not usually. I feel like the volume has gone down at least. Each poop is smaller. But his bad poops are like when we first got him--very runny. It had gotten to the point where the worst was soft with a little runny on top.

[Diamond Naturals Change?]

The bag of lamb I bought a few weeks ago has a best by date of Apr 2019. Same with the chicken bag I bought today. Which makes me think that the original chicken bag I bought in February probably also had a best by date of Dec 2018 or later. So I don't think he was ever on the old formula--if the kirkland adult formula even changed at all.

 

I think he likes the taste of chicken better. He always eats like he's starving, but with just 25% chicken at dinner tonight, he scarfed it down faster than usual--at least it seems that way to me. Since he was only on 100% lamb for about 2 weeks, I can probably switch back to chicken fairly fast.

 

I also offered him some kibble from the bag of IAMS he rejected a while ago to see if it was better now that he likes food more, though he's still picky. He still wanted nothing to do with it.

[Diamond Naturals Change?]

According to Diamond, they added yeast in September then upped it in December. Both my dogs reacted to the December change in formula.

 

They have an 800 number on the bag and a "Guarantee of Quality". If the expiration date is December 2018 or later, it will be the new formula.

 

At least it isn't another recall (yet. I hope).

 

Where can you find this info? I use Kirkland, which is made by Diamond, but I don't use the Kirkland Nature's Domain (which I think would be equivalent to Diamond Naturals). I use the regular adult formula, which would be the same as regular Diamond. I recently switched Percy from chicken to lamb, thinking the lower protein might help his poo, but it's been worse so I'm switching back to chicken. Now I'm wondering if they changed something.

[Greyhound And New Baby - Best Practice]

Thank everyone that's really helpful stuff. Very interesting re: carrying things around.

 

 

I heard about this when I went to pick out our greyhound. I brought our little dog and when she'd had enough, I picked her up. The rescue lady said to put her down because for some reason that she didn't really explain, they'll think it's food or something if you're carrying it. That said, Percy has never had a problem or even a hint of a problem when I pick Lulu up. I can walk right by his face carrying her and he doesn't care. So I think your dogs will get used to it pretty quickly if they even have an issue at all.

[Need B4 Tomorrow- Schedule & Location Of Sleep & Questions]

How's it been going?

[More Sofa, More Problems]

Wow you learn something new every day! I hate lamb so that won't be a problem in our house.

[Licking Himself Raw]

The bactine is working great.

[Licking Himself Raw]

I ran out and got some and sprayed it on. He sniffed at it and then just put his head down. So far so good!

[Need B4 Tomorrow- Schedule & Location Of Sleep & Questions]

I've only been at this for 3 months and got a dog that had never been in a house, so this is just my very limited experience....

 

As much as I read that these guys need routine, we don't have a strict routine. Here's our loose routine:

--up between 7:15 and 7:45. Percy sleeps in our room (not in our bed) and I get up and shower while he and the other dog wait.

--outside for pee/poop first thing. He does usually poop first thing in the morning.

--breakfast. So this is now between 7:30 and 8.

--walk between 9:30 and 11. Yup, no routine. He doesn't need to go out an hour after eating. He just lies around until it's walk time.

--walk again between 3 and 5 (and it's now almost 5:30 and we haven't gone yet. It's hot, But we'll go soon).

--dinner between 5 and 6.

--short walk after dinner now that it's warm and light, but we didn't do this when it was cold and dark

--outside for final potty around 9:30.

 

So he goes from 9:30 to 7:30 with no problem. When I was trying to get a pee sample for the vet and followed him around with a bag in the morning, he wouldn't even pee. He didn't pee until our walk 2 hours later.

 

 

 

Should I not attempt to commit to waking that early? I just don't see though how I can do everything I need to do in the mornings before we start school consistently unless we are up that early. 'm struggling with having to do so much in the morning and am currently tired.

 

I thought an advantage of homeschooling was that you could have more flexibility and not be on that crazy schedule where kids have to get up at the crack of dawn and rush to the bus stop! I had a group of friends that homeschooled. I know everyone is different, but maybe you can start school later. Or if your kids are old enough, have them take the dog out for a quick pee or a walk while you get other things ready.

 

No advice about the bed. Maybe in a new environment, she'll choose to sleep at the foot of the bed if that's where you show her she should be. Or maybe with 2 people in the bed instead of one, she'll want more room for herself and choose her own bed.

[Licking Himself Raw]

Ooh, that sounds good. I had tried some bitter apple around the area, but didn't keep up with spraying it. Can I spray the bactine on the sore? I mean, that's what it's for after all.

[Licking Himself Raw]

Percy keeps licking certain spots until they're raw. I don't think it's allergies or anything like that because it's only 3 spots--2 are related. He came to us with a small scrape and licked at that until it was raw. I thought it would eventually heal, and when it didn't, I kept it bandaged. I took the bandage off yesterday and it looked pretty good so I left it off. But now it's all raw again and I'm back at square 1. Well, not quite all the way back--the raw area is smaller, so that's good at least.

 

While that spot was bandaged (hind leg on the inside), he started licking just below it. Now that spot is raw.

 

The third spot is where he got his IV for dental work. They shaved part of his front leg, and I guess maybe he had a little sore from where the needle went in, and now he's licking that.

 

I tell him no, and he stops, but I'm not always right there. I guess I will just continue to keep him bandaged up, but is there any way to curb this behavior? He licks other areas, I think for comfort--front legs, and belly/penis mostly. He often does this before bed, and I've read here that other dogs do this for comfort. Those spots don't get raw. It's only his licking of the already scraped/raw spots that's a big problem (though I'd love to curb all the licking because it is LOUD.)

[Brand New Boy - Elevated Sdma]

Thanks. I swear I had looked at that, but only remember seeing something elsewhere about greyhounds being studied, and then a study saying that 68% of those they tested had higher levels--which doesn't match their assertion in the link that "most" will still fall in range.

 

In any case, the lab work has comments from the lab tech I guess, saying that kidney disease is probable based on sdma and creat, and then has a note that greys are being studied for sdma levels, but has nothing about the creat actually being normal. I asked the vet if I could call the lab to get them to correct the comments, but she didn't seem to think they'd do it. I may ask again or try another vet--I go to a practice with several--but it might not matter. I'm going to ask the various pet insurance companies if they know this stuff and if it'll be a problem to have those comments on the results.

[Brand New Boy - Elevated Sdma]

It just says it's being researched. The lab analysis didn't even say the creat level was in range for a greyhound. The written comments said kidney disease was probable. I knew it wasn't probable (and so did the vet), but got the urinalysis so he'd have a clean bill if health before getting insurance for him.

[Brand New Boy - Elevated Sdma]

I did get the urinalysis because I might get pet insurance and want to make sure everything is clear going in. The urinalysis was fine. It really does seem like SMDA levels are slightly higher for greys. I just wish they'd write that on the lab work.

[Poo]

So, I after going through a bag of Kirkland chicken, I switched to Kirkland lamb. This was about a week ago. I had to transition faster than I wanted because I was running out of the old food and wasn't able to get the new bag sooner. His poop seems worse again. How much time should I give it before I just decide chicken is better? He's also still go worms and we're no longer doing Drontal. Just Advantage Multi and I was told it might take 6-12 months to clear up because of the larval leak. He usually goes first thing in the morning in the yard, then on the morning walk (mid-morning), again on the afternoon walk, and sometimes a little squirt before bed, but not always. And it's a lot. When I'm picking up with a bag, I try to shovel under the pile with my hand in the bag and scoop up. If I try to just pick it up from the top, it's too much to get in my hand and too mushy to get it all. Not sure if that makes sense. I know he's a big dog, bug sheesh. I'm pretty resigned to living with this 3-4x/day soft to runny poop, but hoping was hoping the lower protein lamb formula would be better. Should I give it more time?

[Getting Up Too Early]

Another good night. Not a peep from him from bedtime to morning. He whined when I got in the shower, but that's all. Yay!

[Toothpaste Suggestions]

I got the toothpaste everyone here is recommending. The toothpaste we had for our little dog was old, so I got rid of it. Neither dog likes the new stuff. . Percy didn't like the old stuff either (I think it was Petrodex, but I threw it out and I'm not sure) but Lulu did. I'll keep offering it, maybe put a dab on a treat, and see if they get to like it. It doesn't matter as much with Lulu, as she has long fur and I can just grab onto her chin hair and brush . But with Percy, I'd like to take a gentler approach and make it something he likes, since he's not used to it.

[Getting Up Too Early]

Percy is such a good boy! He's smart and cooperative. He slept in our room again last night. (He does still look a bit sad and confused when I close his crate door at night so he can't go IN). Husband got up at 4 and Percy stood up and walked over the bathroom door and looked at it, but didn't make a peep, then went back to sleep. I didn't say a word. Around 6:30, he got up and seemed ready to start his day--stretching and wagging--I lifted my head to see what he was doing and he whined a bit, but I put my head back down and he settled back down again. I was waiting until 7 to get up, and wanted to be sure to get up before he started whining or getting restless, but he was so quiet and flopped in his bed that I didn't get up until 7:15. Tomorrow husband might do the get up at 5 and leave at 6:30 routine, so we'll see. Then it's the weekend when things change again, but he's getting the hang of it. And my daughter has had 2 nights in a row without being awakened, which is helping.

 

And roo, thanks for understanding the sleep issue. Migraines can be debilitating and, similar to depression, you sometimes just don't know when you're going to have an episode and not be able to function. But some things, like sleep, can mitigate both. I know someone dealing with both migraines and depression. What a nightmare.

[Hyper Greyhound]

I've had my greyhound for nearly two months now, he's been settling in well - however he has recently become more hyper (hes nearly two so still quite young)

I was told how lazy and calm greyhounds where and the adoption kennels told me not to be put off by a young hound as they where also calm!

 

I told my rescue I wanted the calmest laziest dog they had and she said not to take one under 3 years old . I'm guessing he's become more hyper either because of some sort of growth spurt or becoming more of a teenager, or just because he's settling in and feeling more comfortable and able to express himself more.

[Getting Up Too Early]

I actually had not thought about ear plugs, so thanks. I'm trying to avoid baby gates because, well I hate them, but also our house is a somewhat open floorplan and hard to gate off, but there are 2 places we used to put them when the kids were little. Just not sure it would really be all that useful. We're doing baby steps with freedom and so far so good. There have been 2 occasions in the morning when I had to go out before my daughter was awake and I left him out. He probably had between 15 and 30 minutes free. He just seems to go in his crate,lol.

[Feeding Time With Three]

I have a little dog who's always been a grazer. The advice to isolate Maverick until the other dogs are done doesn't make sense if the others are true grazers--having food out pretty much all day. We used to just keep Lulu's bowl full and she ate when she wanted. What we do now is put it down, and pick it back up if she doesn't eat. At some point, she'll ask for it by sitting where her food should be and looking a little forlorn. If her bowl is on the floor, but empty, she'll push it to let us know she wants some food. If it's taken up, she'll either sit until we notice, or she'll grr or whine to get our attention. I put the bowl down, and if she doesn't start eating within the next 15 seconds or so (sometimes she just likes to know it's there but she doesn't actually want to eat), then I'll take it back up. Percy won't go for it when Lulu's eating or when I'm around. He will eat it if no one is looking. So bottom line--she is not being retrained to eat at mealtime, but she does now have to ask for her meals when she wants them.

 

I thought Percy was a grazer when we got him, but it turns out he just didn't have much appetite. Now he scarfs his food.