Bizeebee

Hey Daks - for what it's worth we've had our new(ish) guy on the Prison Protocol since Sept 1. You can read about it here: http://prisongreyhounds.org/Hookworm%207-2018.pdf We haven't tested again since starting but ours doesnt have any bad reactions to the meds so we're going to keep treating through the winter to let the freezing temps kill any of the buggers left in our yard. I'd rather hit them hard (as long as he's doing ok) and not have to deal with it for years (as some people have). Oh and don't count on poop to tell you anything about worm count. IMO pick-up-ability has more to do with food, ours had fine poops when he tested positive.

Our new hound (4 yr old male, former racer, gotcha day Aug18 2018, second grey we've had) has been such a great dog so far, EXCEPT for first thing in the morning. He waits for our alarm to sound before he gets up (and wants us up), but when he does he's so uncontrollably excited that he's a bit of a hazard to himself and us. At first it seemed more about getting fed because he'd calm down quite a bit after his breakfast and calmly go outside, but lately he is developing a habit of beginning to pee (dribbling or even just giving in and going), before we feed or can even get the coat on to let him out into the yard! We're right there to do the big "NO" and open the door sans coat, but definitely need some ideas for the best way(s) to remedy the situation. We've switched to letting him out immediately (and breakfast afterward) but he remains a maniac. Before this, we'd been working on calming him down by asking him to lie down (into sphinx) before we'd fill his bowl/open the door. He does pretty well obeying the command but now the pee will start flowing while he's in sphinx so that's a non-starter. It's getting cold here (Wisconsin) so we need to be able to get the coat on before he pees and we'd obviously like for the pee to happen outside. Secondary to that, we'd like to figure out how to train him to calm down during this time, because it is only a matter of time before his morning antics cause an injury to himself or one of us. My first thought is to put a belly band on him before bed and to take it off right before we open the door for him in the morning, but is the belly band going help train the "don't pee in the house" behavior? Or is it just a band-aid to save our floors? How do we train "calm down" when the only time the command is necessary is when he's so amped up that he can't focus and pees in the house? One thing that concerns me is that when he pees (outside) he takes FOREVER, longer than any dog I've had or known. This guy could win contests, I swear. His stream becomes weak & slow right away and then it's like he's peeing in morse code, starting and stopping (he doesn't move around or mark). He's not a marker on walks or in the yard (or in the house), he just stands and waits for it to all come on out. He's been that slow that since we got him, which concerned me initially but the urinalysis done in Sept came back clear. It feels behavioral because it is only happening at one time of the day, but his slow flow also has me worried that it could be medical, despite the uneventful test and nothing else of note. Thoughts?? Hopefully anticipating some questions that might be asked (can you tell how much time I spend on GT?): He seems to drink a normal amount, the dish is usually not dry at feeding time when we refill, but we'll start keeping better track of how much water we're giving/he's getting. He had a urinalysis in mid Sept which did not show anything significant. He definitely has the ability to hold it for 8-9 hrs, and does not get this hyper or leaky at any other time, like when we come home from work, etc.

We're a couple months into the Prison Protocol and realized that the two meds (Advantage Multi and Drontal Plus) cover pretty much everything except for ticks What do others using the protocol do for tick prevention? We're wary of combo products, we don't want to double up on meds that are for the other bugs, since we know he's already covered, but we're having a hard time finding anything just for ticks. What do you guys like/use?

Looking for opinions from this greyt group! I've been lurking for a while but could now use some insight, or to be told that I'm overthinking it! We've had our new grey (Bismarck) for about a month now and have been debating changing his food, for a couple of reasons: 1) He is on Purina One SmartBlend Chicken & Rice - I know, I know, full of all the "crap" they say not to feed your dog (corn/soy/wheat). But it's what he was on at the kennel and when he came home he refused to eat anything else. We try not to give in completely to the hype about the need for super fancy dog food, but we're thinking he should be on something better. Especially judging by the volume of poop, it seems like there is plenty that is not being absorbed. 2) We're hoping to find something that makes him feel more full, especially overnight. (All those fillers certainly don't seem to be doing it). We currently feed a morning meal, an after work meal, and a right before bed meal which also includes some Olewo carrots, but he still wakes up acting like he's not been fed for days and days (potty-schmotty, I must eat now!!!). On the other hand, we've been hesitant to switch food because by all measurable accounts it agrees with him very well. He is not gassy/gurgly, he's not overly itchy/yeasty, his coat/skin are in great shape, we're monitoring his weight but it is in a good place, and his poops aren't perfect but they are 'fine' - much better than we expected during a hookworm infection. (We're one month into the Prison Protocol treatment) And I wonder if it's even possible for a dog to feel full when they have hookworms? It seems like I've read here that a lot of people see a big change in their hounds' hunger once the worms are gone. Do the hooks cause the higher volume of poop/poor absorption? Even as their numbers wax & wane during the treatment period? Or is the volume more likely the result of a food full of fillers? Both? Does it make any sense to try to change food while we're still dealing with hooks? And, if he's doing this well, does it make sense to try to change it at all? Any and all insight and opinions are appreciated