onrushpam

It sounds like your dog has developed a true phobia. Drugs can be a huge help in helping him get past it. Long term drugs like Prozac or Buspar can be very helpful, but take weeks before you even know if it will help. Short-term, Xanax can be an excellent aid in managing fear responses. It varies a lot in how long it takes for it to take effect. It's supposed to be relatively quick-acting. But, with some dogs it seems to take 60-90 minutes. Go to this blog and read about Reagan's problems. There's some really helpful info there.

Humidty and hound acclimation are both huge factors... Several years ago, we nearly lost a dog that ran a practice run late in the day. The temp was only 80 degrees, but it was VERY humid. The dog had a fuzzy coat and wasn't well acclimated. She nearly died. (Not one of my dogs... a dog running at a trial where I was on the field committee.) As Heather said, ground condition is also important. Hot ground (especially if dry) will literally burn the pads off a dog. IMHO, if in doubt, don't do it. There is NO WAY I would run a dog in GA in July. (Well, we did it once back in the days when GANG ran night trials, and it turned out to be a COLD weekend. But, even that was nuts... more so for the humans than the hounds... we finished the trial at 4 AM!) You are your dog's caretaker and your dog deserves every consideration for his/her health and well-being. If in doubt, just say NO.

Put leftover bites of your dinner into a little plastic freezer container and just add to it... Bits of chicken/steak/shrimp/etc... whatever you have that can be cut into tiny bites and frozen. Back in the days when I was doing lots of obedience training, I would order a bigger steak or prime rib or chicken portion than I knew I could eat when we went out to dinner. I'd take a go-box home and chop the leftovers up for training treats. That said, you should also set aside part of your dog's daily meal of kibble to use. You need a combo of "acceptable" and 'WOW!" training treats. If you will be training daily, you must account for the treats in the dog's daily calorie count! In a pinch, Gwaltney's chicken hot dogs are pretty good for an in-between treat. Slice into "nickles" and nuke.

Awww, Bev, I'm SO sorry to read about both Tetley and Poppy! Y'all have such HUGE hearts to care for these oldsters so well. Many hugs to both of you and all the remaining Doyle doggies!

Staph lesions don't really ooze. They'll get little crusty scabs and if you pick at them, a tuft of hair will come off with each one. For some reason, it tends to concentrate around the hip area, in front of the tail. But, my cocker used to also get them in her "arm pits" and all the way up her back. I know this is gross, but my cocker would lie on my lap and I'd pull those little tufts of hair out and she'd groan with pleasure. My DH was completely skeeved by it! It's too funny that most of your boy's littermates are or have been at JCKC! We've placed two of them and I think we're getting another one next week! Small world!

I've had LOTS of experience with skin staph. Let me guess... he's white or light fawn? (If not, it doesn't mean anything... it's just more common in light-colored dogs.) The best thing you can do is get some Malaseb shampoo. Actually, I have a GALLON of it and could send you some, if you'll send me your mailing address. Wash him with it as often as you can... more than once a week. Or, get some Chlorhexidene wound flush and dilute it with water and spray it everywhere you see the little staph scabbies. I had a cocker (mostly white) with chronic, chronic staff. We fought it for YEARS, with frequent antibiotics, shots, etc. FINALLY a vet told me to use the Chlorhexidene shampoo. We got it cleared up and it never came back. (That was before they made Malaseb, which is more gentle on the skin.) Don had a litter of teensy baby puppies with it (all white dogs) and we saved them by literally "painting" them (with a paint brush) with diluted Chlorhexidene. This sort of staph is just usually just annoying and itchy and a pain to clear up on adult dogs. It can kill puppies. FYI, if your dogs has little scabbie things, give a good sniff. Staph smells like really dirty socks. It is very common in hot, humid areas. One vet told me she sees 100s of dogs with it every summer... mostly white poodles, bichons, etc., etc.

If you haven't already, go take a trip through this site ... You'll see some awesome agility dogs and read the trials and tribulations Jen is having with one of her current young dogs.

We've treated a bunch of dogs with Imizol and only the first one had any problems. Then, we learned how to properly administer it. Since she's not symptomatic and her CBC is okay, I think you're fine to wait and see. I think Houdini might be one of our JCKC pups? I'll be watching for news on how she does.

Lure coursing is a lot of fun for hounds and humans. But, as Heather said, it's not for the occassional weekend warrior. Dogs must be fit and to be fit must run often. You can't run a dog a couple of times a year and expect them to do well and avoid injury. We aren't running any dogs these days... all ours are too old or have injuries or don't want to chase plastic. But, there was a time when we went lure coursing 2-3 weekends each month. I always hate to see people bring dogs out just to run in our local trials and never anywhere else. 2-3 times a year just means those dogs are likely to get hurt. We still go to lure coursing trials every few weeks... just to help and hang out with our friends. We enjoy it, even though we're not running any dogs. Most of those trials are 4-5 hours away from us. I honestly don't like LGRA... the run is too short and I don't like the mash-up at then end when they all pile on the lure. But, some peole love it and feel there is less chance of injury. I do enjoy NOTRA, but it's harder to find those meetings. If you're going to lure course, you must be ready/willing/able to pay the vet bills. We've probably had the worst luck of anybody I've ever known in lure coursing... two injuries that cost a total of $10,000. They happened many years apart. But still, we had to be able to handle vet bills in the thousands. You must also be willing to drive long hours to/from trials and/or work very hard to keep your dogs fit in between.

CHF is a very manageable problem. Our Isaac lived for many years on Furosimide and Enalipril. He died at 14 from osteo. We always knew Vetmedin was there, if needed, but he never needed it. The challenge we faced was keeping weight on Isaac. The heart-diet commercial dog foods are developed assuming a dog with CHF also has a weight problem. So, they are very low calorie. Isaac could not maintain adequate weight on those foods. We fed Isaac a cooked diet of Isaac Stew, supplemented with small amounts of a high-quality kibble. Isaac Stew Load a big slow cooker up with 4-5 chicken leg/thigh quarters (you can get them on sale for cheap) and a cup or so of water (you don't need much water). Cook on low for 8-12 hours. Remove the bones and smoosh them up (they'll be very soft). Transfer the chicken to a BIG stock pot and return the bones to the pot. Add veggies: 1 lb frozen sliced carrots (let these cook for awhile before adding other veg) 1 lb frozen sliced yellow or zucchini squash 1 lb frozen chopped spinach or collard or mixed greens 1-2 big can or 2-4 small cans no-salt tomatoes This will make enough for a couple of weeks. Freeze in big containers and thaw one at a time. I watched the grocery ads and would load up on chicken and veg when on sale. I usually got the chicken for .49 lb, veg 2-for-1, tomatoes 10 cans for $1. We also gave him a multi-vitamin daily. Towards the end, we supplemented with vanilla Ensure Plus (or Publix store-brand).

Sit in a hallway with your back against one wall, feet on the floor at the other wall and your knees up. Lure the dog with REALLY good food to come under your knees. When elbows hit floor, give the treat. Then work it further until the entire body is down... Then, work it to just one leg up, then you are just crouched, etc.... just baby steps. It sounds like a long process, but really will only take a few days. You MUST use very high value food! Steak is my food of choice for this!

I talked with Linda last night... Actually, I've talked with her a lot lately. She seemed to be doing so well! She was such a special person and did so much to help our JCKC hounds. She truly lived for the dogs. I know she's running free of pain, with all her much-loved houndies.

We have not had allergic reactions to them, but have had many cases where they did not dissolve. In fact, one of my boys needs to go back to have another one removed. He had tendon-tightening repair done to a dislocated toe a couple of years ago and still has suture material "surfacing". Our vet's theory is greyhounds don't have enough soft tissue to dissolve/absorb the suture material in some situations. Toes are particularly problematic because there's just nothing there but bone/skin/ligaments. Years ago, we had a dog with a badly broken front leg (shattered) and we had a heck of a time getting the incision to heal. 2-3 years after it finally all healed up, she started licking and messing with it. We thought perhaps a screw had worked loose or something. (Her surgical repair involved a lot of hardware!) It turned out to be undissolved suture material. Our vet pulled something like 6 inches of suture "thread" out of her leg that had been in there for YEARS!

Robin, my sweet boy! I'm so sorry I didn't see this before! I hope you are feeling much better now, having had lots of cookies to soothe away your pain! Maybe your folks should get some rubber-baby-buggy-bumpers for that railing???

I just saw this... Dadgum and Doggonit! The Flashman was one of the first doggies I "connected" with after signing onto Greytalk... This has just been a bad year for the old black boys. I know Flashman met my Isaac and Lynn's Joplin at the bridge for a Greytalk Black Boys Party!

He was Jen's Travis, he was my Jigmo... So, he became Jigmo/Travis for me. I knew he was special the moment I met him. But, he tried to kill my little dog. So, he couldn't stay here. He went to Jen and it was meant to be. It was the most perfect example of the right dog finding the right home! Jigmo/Travis was one of the first 21 dogs we helped rescue from JCKC. He's a big part of what we continue to do. He was a HUGE challenge. He nearly dislocated my arm the first time I tried to walk him on a leash. His prey drive was ENORMOUS! I truly thought I might have met a greyhound that might not be adoptable. I called Jen and begged her to help! That call was the beginning of an awesome partnership between an exceptional dog and an exceptional young woman. The rest is history. Travis will always be in my heart, as he is in Jen's... he was just a special, special dog. A once-in-a-lifetime kind of dog.

I just saw this. If you can possibly swing it, you should take him to Dr. Radcliffe. I've seen him do some AMAZING repairs on badly injured greyhounds. I've not met him. But, based on the experience of several friends, he is very straightforward and will tell you the real deal re: chances of success, etc. And, he doesn't charge a fortune. If it were my dog, I'd be heading there now. Dr. Radcliffe

I can't believe it's been a year... I still haven't got round to putting away the Domboro and latex gloves. We still have bottles of saline in the fridge. Now, our Isaac and Lynn's Joplin are gone, too. It's been a tough year. Many, many hugs to all of you who loved Ranchie!

Oh... another black boy, almost exactly the same age as our Isaac went to the Bridge at almost the same time! He was gorgeous!!! Run free, sweet boy!

Isaac went peacefully to the Rainbow Bridge yesterday. Three years ago, we were told he had only weeks to live when he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. He also survived a couple bouts with oral squamous cell carcinoma in the interim. Several days ago he started limping on his left front. We couldn't see or feel anything obvious and then Friday night as he was walking to the bedroom, we noticed a large, hard lump on the front of his shoulder. It could only be one thing... Isaac was our second greyhound, an AKC hound from Long Island, NY who arrived in our household at 11 weeks of age. He was a half and half with racing blood and AKC dogs in his lineage. We were looking for a show dog that could course as well. He earned his breed championship and was Best of Winners at the GCA National Specialty in 1997. He was also a beautiful courser, so long as there were no otherdogs on the field. He interfered mercilessly and was relegated to being a test dog only. But he looked good doing it. He was also well trained in obedience and kind of trained in agility but never formally competed. If any of you have seen (or have the chance to see) the Animal Planet "Breed All About It" on greyhounds, the show opens with a nekkid black dog running across an expanse of green grass. The narrator says something like "Greyhounds have been running for a thousand years". That black dog is Isaac... it was his 5 seconds of fame! (That program was filmed in 1997, when Isaac was 2 years old). Isaac was such a funny dog... He had such a strong personality. He LOVED to bake himself in the sun and to roll around in the grass. He loved ice cream, grapefruit and fish above all else. He knew the sound of a spoon hitting the bottom of a bowl of ice cream and would come begging to lick the bowl. He knew the sound of grapefruit being sectioned on the cutting board and would come sit and wait for his piece. He loved fish most of all. Friday night, before we discovered his big lump, we went to dinner at our favorite local seafood place. I brought a grouper filet home for him. He snarfed it down, mixed with some kibble that had been ground up in the food processor. He told me he LOVED his fish dinner!! I'm so glad he had a great last meal. Isaac did everything with exuberance. We will miss our goofy boy, but trust that he waits for us with the growing Onrush pack at the Bridge.

I haven't had a greyhound with PRA, but had two cocker spaniels with it... Get some of the Ocuvite vitamins! You can get them at Wally World or other places. There are probably other brands. They really do seem to help slow the progression of PRA. One of my cocker babes finished her CDX obedience title, which involves jumping and retrieving, when she was almost completely blind from PRA. It is AMAZING how well the dogs adapt! I hate to hear about all these greyhounds with PRA... while it is common in many breeds, it has rarely been seen in greyhounds until recently. PRA is a true recessive... both sire and dam must be carriers for it to be passed on.

Sutures in greyhound legs can take a LONG time to resorb/dissolve. I've actually never seen them used externally... only for internal sutures. And, the internal ones don't always dissolve as planned. Our Donald had surgery on a toe more than a year ago. He just KEEPS having little pieces of suture "appear"... poking out from his toe. We keep taking him in to have them removed. He has one now and is licking at it. Wait maybe another week. If the sutures are still there, go have them removed (or do it yourself... it's not hard... just snip the knots off with a human nail clip and pull them out).

There is also a newish drug, Vetmedin, which can do wonders with congestive heart failure, if Enalipril and Lasix aren't doing the trick.

Please know... Ranch was a very pampered house dog with us! He had his own personal servants, Lynn and Kirsten, who came mid-day every day to care for him. Glen and I cared for him every morning and night. He knew comfy beds and toys and lots of good food. He was loved.

On a warm, humid evening at the end of June I went out to the track to load up some lucky doggies leaving JCKC for adoption groups in other states. When I opened the kennel door, a wagging, smiling boy greeted me. I said, “Who are you and where do you belong?” I looked for the only empty crate, gave him a scritch and put him back. I went out to get some paperwork from the van and when I opened the door, there he was again, wagging and smiling at me! So, I stuffed him in the van so I could deal with the departing doggies. Then, I traded him into a more secure crate, gave him a smooch and told him I’d see him soon. I called Susan (our kennel helper) and told her I’d moved Ranch because he was a talented escape artist. A day or so later, Susan called to say Ranch was seriously ill and she was taking him to the vet… That was June 30. From that day, Ranch fought and fought to survive. We tried and tried to save him. It was a group effort. Lynn and Kirsten took turns coming every day to care for him (a LONG trip every day). Glen bathed and babied him every night. Ranchie was the most goodnatured dog. He always greeted us with wags and roos and never complained when we hurt him. As Marilyn said, he was everything anyone would want a greyhound to be. What eventually happened is too long a story… I’ll just give up my blessings to Diane (Burpdog), who wanted to foster/rehab Ranch and especially to Marilyn, who tried SOOOO hard to save him! Marilyn was with him at the end and I hate she had to go through that. She was Ranchie’s angel and it broke her heart to see him go. Ranch was from a stellar litter… a couple of his brothers sold for big dollars at the NGA auction. Ranch ran at several tracks before winding up at JCKC. Over the course of a year, he trickled down from a top track to the bottom. His littermate, Xtra Tough, also trickled down and died at JCKC… one of the unlucky ones who never make it to the adoption kennel. We hoped Ranch would be one of the lucky ones. Thank all of you who have supported us through Ranch’s long journey to the bridge. I know my dear friend Bob is petting Ranch tonight.