Bizeebee

This isn't quite correct. All dogs require taurine for good cardiac health, but most should not require supplementation of taurine so long as their diet is balanced and contains sufficient nutrients. When the diet is correct, dogs synthesize their own taurine from those nutrients.

Are you jogging somewhere with grass or other plants? It's getting to be spring and all manner of environmental allergies tend to pop up - maybe she's itchy. Try giving her legs a wipe down before coming inside and see if that changes anything?

Even in a rural area, you can make reports to the authorities about violent dogs off leash. A paper trail is better than nothing, and law enforcement might enjoy having something to do if it's that quiet. And there should be Animal Control that would probably cover the whole county if you're in a sparsely populated area. Having to pay to pick up their dogs a couple times would maybe teach idiots to get a tie out line. Something else you could try, if these dogs are more of the aggressively friendly variety, is to go on walks without your dog, with a stick or dog whistle and try to instill fear of you into the neighborhood dogs. No guarantees the fear would translate when you also had your dog with you, but maybe worth a shot? IF you'd feel safe doing that. We had an issue with a small, yappy, basically untrained, white fluffy thing that used to live next door to us, and they would let him out off leash, unsupervised all the time. At that time we had a greyhound who would have killed that thing in two shakes if conditions were correct. When I hear people talk about aggressive dogs in your situation, my mind kind of defaults to that sort of scenario - where in the end it would have been seen as my dog's fault even though he wasn't the instigator because he would have easily "won" that altercation. One good punt (only a couple feet) and that yapper got the message.

Do you live/walk somewhere where it's legal for these dogs to be off leash and loose like that? You obviously have to weigh the social consequences of doing this, but if this was me in my dogs-must-be-leashed neighborhood I'd be trying to take some video of the offending dogs, their behavior, and ideally the yards they are coming from and call the non-emergency police line or whatever local authority is appropriate to report this. Unless this is allowed where you are, dogs off leash and loose are, at best, a nuisance and at worst a safety concern for people and all dogs present. If you know the people who own these dogs talking to them first is probably a good first step, but that's easier said than done sometimes. My personal feeling is that irresponsible owners should be called out or fined for that kind of crappy (illegal?) behavior, especially if it is not a one-time-whoops situation. A reprimand or fine is much better than their dog being injured by a much larger animal, which is probably going to happen eventually.

As far as I can tell, being a Olewo carrot user, the dehydrated ones don't rehydrate into little slices of carrots, like what you would have if you grated them. They are broken down more, so when they are rehydrated they are a mash, not distinguishable as carrot pieces. I assume that makes them work a bit better as far as digestion and firming up the poop. For us, at least, pumpkin comes out just like it went in (and doesn't help much), whereas the carrots change the poop's color but are definitely more digested and it all comes out pretty homogeneous.

Any chance she also ate the wrappers/liners of the cupcakes? If so, and if it would have been multiple wrappers, and if she definitely hasn't passed them then you might think about heading to the vet. Especially if they were foil or something other than paper.

First I wanted to say so sorry that you guys are going through this It's hard to tell how long this has been going on, but if it's more than a couple of days, I think if it was me I'd be seeking out a vet nearby, maybe an emergency vet would be best in this situation (as far as not having to go through an unnecessary new-patient workup), who would start with fluids and focusing on getting him hydrated. Ultimately, no vet can make you run tests that you don't want, but it sounds like he may need some medical intervention for the dehydration. Rehydration treatment shouldn't require a greyhound specific vet, I wouldn't think, though maybe others would know more about that. You could also call your old vet for an opinion. They might recommend getting certain tests, even if you have to use a new vet to do it. As far as probiotics, we have had good luck with this one that we order on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LNQQ85Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 And we like Olewo carrots (rehydrated with water) to help firm things up. Also from Amazon. Have you ever used any drugs/supplements for stress before? If it is stress (and it sounds like it is) then reducing it is probably an important step. Sticking to a strict routine and maybe trying a pheromone diffuser or other remedy that you've used before or are comfortable with.

Has she had diarrhea (bloody or non) pretty consistently since the last time you posted about it (a couple weeks ago)? Because, while I know some dogs have had bad poops the whole time they were dealing with hooks (we didn't but others can weigh in on that), if the diarrhea was a new thing and still going on I'd be wondering if she could use a course of metronidazole or if something else was up. Especially if you're doing a bland diet and it isn't helping.

Did you ever figure out what was going on with your pup? Ours has some overlapping symptoms/behaviors so I'm curious to hear from anyone who's dealt with the same.

He probably shouldn't be outside alone yet anyway. You don't know yet what he'll get into, or if he's a fence jumper. You will also probably want to reinforce good pottying behaviors while he is out there doing his business. He's definitely still in the settling in period; these dogs aren't really meant to be thrown in the deep end when they come home - even if he was already fostered.

Whiney while out walking is interesting, is she reacting to seeing other dogs or critters? Whining because she's ready to be done and you are not? She really shouldn't be bored on a walk. How do you deal/react to that behavior while walking? Assuming you don't muzzle her, when does the chewing happen - when you're around, not around? How old is she? Especially if she's young, are you confident she's getting enough exercise? Fostering with intent is definitely a good option, though it depends a bit on how confident you are that your adoption group knows what "kind" of SA he has. Some dogs are fine with a dog or a human, some need a human around to not feel SA. If they are correct he will probably get along nicely with you guys. On the other hand, I'm less confident (from my own very recent, but obviously anecdotal, experience) that a second dog will fix the behavioral problems of the first. Unless the behavior issues are SA-related, and therefore cured by another pack member, you'll just end up with another dog, all the work that goes with that, and still potentially have a dog with some behavioral problems. At that point you just need to make sure you actually want a second one. If you do, then awesome! And it will be a fringe benefit if it helps out #1. If what's most important to you is dealing with #1's issues, then I'd be more cautious before making the leap. We actually are currently fostering a bounce, also wanting to see if having another dog around would help with our dog's different, but similarly troublesome behavioral issues. It isn't. And for us, getting his issues fixed are our first priority and a second dog (even a sweet one) hinders that.

Oh ya, as soon as I put them on they're both head butting me like giant kitty-cats to get them off. But we're going on hour three of them dead asleep on the cam.

Does anyone know how deep these companies dive into vet records to establish what is pre-existing? We've been investigating some issues with our guy pretty thoroughly, so there've been a lot of tests for things that weren't there. The vet even thought she saw something that might be a bladder stone, but no crystals in the urine, and two weeks later it was nowhere to be found - meaning it probably wasn't there in the first place, but it's in the record Is something like that going to mean that he'll never be covered for a future bladder stone? Or other bladder issue? Is a documented specific upper GI issue going to disqualify him from any future GI issue?

If you're interested in a relatively easy/cheap camera setup, we use an old smartphone and the free app Manything. Basically the old phone is the camera and you can monitor them (and even talk to them) live with your current phone or a computer.

We just picked up a returned 3yo girl to foster and I was wondering if people had some 'best practice' tips for having a foster/new hound with your perma-hound (ours is a 4yo boy). We've fostered before but it was before we had our guy. Neither can be crated - she pees blood it's so stressful and we just never did with him - and our house is too open concept for separation with gates. Since this is day 1 we have them both muzzled but hanging out together with limited freedom in the house and I can keep an eye/ear on them with a nanny cam while I'm at work. Does that seem like a good idea? They clearly don't love the muzzles but both laid down to snooze about 3min after I left so it's not that bad. It's also a fringe benefit to know she can't get into/chew much of anything with the muzzle on. Or is the muzzling overkill? They've done fine together so far when we were there, except for one snarky moment which I think was more communication than anything. But I'd hate to take any chances with either of them; ours is the poster child for the thin skinned greyhound. Is there a point where they can graduate to no muzzles while we're gone? Or is it just best practice to do it for the 10ish days she'll be with us? Any tips/tricks are welcomed. Any female tips as well - we're used to boys!

Hi All! I've lately fallen down the rabbit hole of food trial researching as well as joined the facebook group about Nutritional Dilated Cardiomyopathy in dogs (which I highly recommend everyone join) and found this interesting article I think a lot of GT'ers should take a look at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/vms3.125 This was a study done last year at UC-Davis to DNA test commercially available limited ingredient/single protein dog foods to see if they actually only included the protein specified on their label and ingredients list. Almost every formula showed DNA from mammals that were not listed on the label, and one actually did not include the main protein advertised! While they don't get super specific in pointing out which brand is guilty of which contamination, none of the brands surveyed come out looking great, and they all are brands that I've seen GT'ers discuss and probably use. This contamination could be intentional or simply because machines are used for multiple formulas and contamination happens, but either way I think for anyone intentionally trying to feed a novel or single protein diet because of allergies/sensitivities it's important to know that your kibble might not really be free of other protein contamination. And that you might be paying more for a label that isn't really true.

When I had started looking for "mature" food for our previous guy, I'd read a lot about how the foods marketed for older dogs really aren't that much different - they just have a different label. We've had good luck with a couple different kirkland varieties, but make sure you aren't paying more for the same thing just for the bag to say "mature." Good luck finding something that agrees with your pup!

I just wanted to include the protocol we used so that my anecdote was accurate

I think we'd discussed with the vet that we've used the carrots in these situations, but did we ask specific permission - no. We've only just given some this morning with breakfast after waiting almost all week for poops to improve. They usually work nicely (no verdict yet today) but they're basically just a band-aid. As for hooks, ugh. We did the Prison Protocol for almost six months and got one negative in Nov and are due for another test soon, now that we're just on the maintenance recommendation (just Advantage Multi as monthly preventative). We'll definitely get a sample over to the vet for another test asap, but it's hard to ignore that this turn of events was perfectly timed with this food switch. I guess I'm just questioning whether I'm totally overthinking this/should have expected this? Has anyone else run into this issue on a veterinary diet? I (maybe naively) figured this food, while expensive and not particularly nutritious, would at least not have this problem. Especially when no other food switches with him have had the same effect. Or, should I just assume it's definitely something else - like hooks or a bug? I'm hopefully going to talk to either of our vets today, but no one is easy to get ahold of

We did the Prison Protocol (so, AM and Drontal on the same day) and did usually notice not-great poops, though not ever liquid, the day after dosing. But Bismarck also didn't have a super high parasite load, so I'm not sure if that makes a difference. We always throw some olewo carrots in the mix if we run into poops like that.

Thank you to all! Our vet (internist) recommended starting with hydrolyzed as opposed to trialing novel proteins/elimination diets because hist test results heavily hinted that he had some upper GI damage and that this would be the best way to help it heal quickly. Our understanding was the only downside was cost of prescription food, which we were fine with. The goal is to find a normal or novel kibble once his folate/cobalamin levels are back up where we want them. (Un)Fortunately, whether it's medical or not, this guy is always starving and will literally eat anything we give him, so that's not a problem. However, we started the transition to a veterinary hydrolyzed food [with no un-hydrolyzed protein] almost a week ago and cut out all animal-protein treats but have had consistently worse poops (pudding) than the entire the time we've had him! His poop hasn't been like this when positive for hookworm, when transitioning to other foods, or even at diagnosis. He seems/acts fine, he's still eating & drinking, there's no urgency or messing in the house, etc, but we're feeling really discouraged. We're giving olewo carrots to help firm him up and they help, but it doesn't seem like they should be necessary with this kind of food. Or is this to be expected with the hydrolyzed food?

I thought I had heard that while on the track, greys get some kibble along with meat and vitamins. Do we think it's safe to assume that the kibble they were getting was from these mainstream brands, that adhere to WSAVA guidelines?

First and foremost, check again and again for hooks or another parasite - especially if he's from the USA. We've also found it's become helpful to look at calories rather than cups. Too much volume can definitely cause softer poops than you want, but if you get a higher calorie food you can get more into him with less volume. Being that young, he probably has more energy and burns through more calories faster than a middle aged hound. Another thing I've wondered about with my own is, is he pooping that many times because he poops every time you let him out? If he's really new he might be thinking, "well, I'm outside, better do my business" whether he would really need to or not. We also find that Olewo carrots work better than pumpkin for firming things up.

Congrats on the breakthrough! That is awesome! I wanted to second the recommendation to keep a journal, not only for progress on your efforts, but really for anyone who's still getting settled with a new dog. We've dealt with some weird maybe-behavior/maybe-medical things with our guy that popped up a couple months after getting him and trying to remember everything little thing that might be important six months later gets to be really overwhelming. Being a random note-taker on everything from poop quality to food transition timing, quickly moving to a more traditional journal has helped us a lot in trying to figure out what's going on with him.

It's hard to tell for sure, but it sounds like you are letting her out into a yard and then waiting by the door for her to do her business and come back? If she's alone out there, she has no idea what you expect her to do; she thinks it's just exploring/do-whatever-she-wants time. You need to go out there with her every time, and give her the reward immediately after doing her business, then again for coming inside promptly. This can eventually transition her being alone when she goes out, but you first have to teach her what's she's supposed to be doing. She's still basically a puppy and fresh off the track, treat this situation more like traditional potty training inside and outside the house. A crate is probably a good option as far as nighttime goes, you also could limit her water a couple hours before bedtime (provided there's no medical reason not to) and make sure she has multiple opportunities to empty the tank before bed. If she's treat motivated, it would also probably be helpful to start training her to tell you when she needs to go out.