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Thank you, Sobesmom! Your advice is great. It's so helpful to hear from others who have dealt with this. Thankfully in this case, we don't have small children around (it's only me and Howard at home) and only have older kids occasionally visiting (grand kids) - we'll be very careful with them around Yogi and if Yogi wants to rest he'll go to his crate. I do really like the idea of the treat when we call to him to wake him up. I think that will work well with him - he loves his food. The reminder that Yogi isn't being mean, just overwhelmed and confused a bit is such a good reminder. Sometimes that's easy to forget that in a bad moment, but it's exactly the truth. It's back to work this morning and we'll be getting into our work week routine. Yogi is so improved even this morning from yesterday - he's really calmed down and seems to be relaxing a bit. He's such a good boy. Pat

Thanks for the help with this - especially the idea of tossing treats! We'll definitely try that. On a good note, Yogi had a very good day today. Three times when he was laying down in the living room (after a very long walk this morning), he did not react when Howard or I walked past him. We called to him first so we knew was awake, and he was aware of where we were, and he handled it well. We'll continue working hard with him on this and we'll be careful as we're going through it, but he's doing well. Pat

This past Friday, we brought home Yogi! Things are going well. Yogi is a different personality than what I'm used to, so it's a learning experience for me as well! He's very outgoing and wants to be included in everything that's going on. He's a very affectionate dog and just wants to be near you all the time. This morning is the first morning since he arrived Friday afternoon that he isn't glued to my hip. He's beginning to settle in and find his place here. (We have two other greyhounds). He is very food intense so we're careful at feeding time. He LOVES stuffies - every day he empties the toy box and plays with everything. The best toys (in his opinion) end up in his crate. Housebreaking is going extremely well - no accidents whatsoever in the house and no marking. Of course, I take him out every two or so hours, but he seems to have made the connection that pee & poop = outside. He's the easiest one I've had in that area. He's very interested in the upstairs of our house, but hasn't yet quite figured out the stairs. We'll work with him on that after a few more days. The big issue he has is sleep/space aggression. If he's laying down and you walk closely by him (even if he's not sleeping but just laying down), he'll jump up and snap at you. Once he's up, he's absolutely fine with us - affectionate, happy, etc. - it's the laying down position. He seems a bit more reactive to my husband than with me so we're being sure to have him feed him, let him out of his crate etc. I really think this is because he's never slept openly in a room before - always in a crate or kennel - and is part of his transition to home. But it's an issue I haven't had any experience with yet. Our plan for now is to make him get up any time he's laying down (he does that readily) and we need to walk by him (of course, he always picks the high traffic areas to lay down in…) I'd love to hear any tips/suggestions to help our new guy with this. In every other way, he's a real sweetheart. Pat

I just talked some more with the adopter and she says it's mostly bed guarding. If the pug walks by too close to the bed or accidentally steps on the bed, she'll growl and try to nip. Any thoughts on how to best address this? I imagine the pug will learn to stay away from her bed soon. Pat

One of our recent adopters is having a bit of a problem with the greyhound guarding items (bed, toys, etc.) from their other non-greyhound (pug). They've had the greyhound only a few weeks, but things are going very well except for this. The dogs get along fine as long as there isn't something that each of them wants. I expect this will get better in time as the greyhound settles in, but I'm looking for some written information that I might give to the adopter to help her manage the situation. I've suggested Jean Donaldson's book, "Mine!" but am wondering if there's anything else I can recommend? Pat

Thanks for filling me in on this. I did a search again and Walmart.com says they don't have Tramadol.....I can always go into the store and ask a person about it. Pat That's what we use for arthritis. I just couldn't afford the deramax bill either, and I worry that the kinds of problems that class has caused in humans might crop up in dogs. I forget, maybe 4 years, no problems. $8 at Target for 200mg/day. Tramadol IS the generic for Ultram. I read an article in the Whole Dog Journal that said dogs with arthritis should be on Tramadol and none of the other NSAIDS. You have to discuss with your Vet. My guys get their blood tested every 6 months and their kidney and liver functions have remained really good. That's what we use for arthritis. I just couldn't afford the deramax bill either, and I worry that the kinds of problems that class has caused in humans might crop up in dogs. I forget, maybe 4 years, no problems. $8 at Target for 200mg/day. Tramadol IS the generic for Ultram. I read an article in the Whole Dog Journal that said dogs with arthritis should be on Tramadol and none of the other NSAIDS. You have to discuss with your Vet. My guys get their blood tested every 6 months and their kidney and liver functions have remained really good.

I've been following this thread with great interest as I'm trying hard to reduce some of my medication costs. I visited the Walmart website and when I did a search for Tramadol I got a message saying there is no generic form available through Walmart. Is there a different name I can use? Thanks for any help. Pat

My boy, Tally, has been on Previcox for a long time and it's helped him a great deal. I was/am in the same situation as you re: the cost of the Previcox from my vet. I did search online and found it at drsfostersmith.com for half of what my vet charges. My vet does charge $5 for writing script, but after the first time she didn't charge me anything for it. Good luck. Pat

I buy many of my medications through Foster and Smith - I've been using them for several years now. Often, their prices are very, very good, although it's good to shop around a bit. I've never had a problem with anything I've ordered through them. Pat

I'm thinking of you and Missile, Ann Marie. I hope the dental is done soon. I know what you mean - I'd want to be home too. Let us know what the final result is on extractions, etc. Pat

Thanks for checking in, Amber. Chick is doing okay. She does have cancer - either lymphoma or thymoma. She is scheduled for an additional ultrasound and biopsy on Friday to try to determine which cancer it is. We have made the decision not to have surgery because of the location of the tumor in her chest. So after determining which cancer it is, we will work out a plan to keep her as comfortable as we can for as long as we can. She is doing very well with her feeding schedule of 4 meals a day of mushy food. She hasn't regurgitated or vomited in over two weeks. She's on Cisapride for motility of the food and it seems to be helping her. I'll keep you posted.

Hi Kris, I haven't heard of Dyne - the calorie count sounds good. Do you get at the grocery store? And do you know if the fat content is low? Thanks for your help - I appreciate it. Pat What about Dyne? I have some you can have. It's a liquid about the consistency of syrup and is vanilla flavored. 150 calories per ounce.

Thanks to all of you for your good thoughts and prayers, and for the suggestions to help Chick gain some weight. It helps a lot. I'll keep you posted. Pat

An update on Chick - she had her ultrasound and fine needle aspiration today. Chick has a mass about the size of a golf ball in her chest. The mass isn't solid, but is fluid. We don't know yet what the fluid is. The samples of it went out tonight and we should get the results back in a few days (outside chance of maybe tomorrow). Hopefully that will tell us if it's cancer or not. On another topic, Chick is so very thin right now. Because of her megaesophagus (caused by the mass) she's eating very soft food - canned food mixed with water and cottage cheese. She gets small portions of this 4 times a day. She's gaining back a little weight, but not too much. I think I need to add something high in calories but low in fat (because she has a tendency toward pancreatitis) and it has to be soft and mushy. Any suggestions? Thanks. Pat

I hadn't thought of this - the crate water bottle! That may work - I think I'll give it a try. We have reached a point where she's not always hunting for water - we must have finally gotten enough into her that she's not feeling thirsty all the time. At one point last night, when we offered her a drink, she didn't want it. Never thought I'd be relieved about something like that, but I am. I've read in some places that 7-8 cups of water a day is what dogs should get, but my other two don't drink nearly that much either. With the drinks that we give her and with the water mixed in with her food, I'd say she probably gets about 4-5 cups a day. It seems to be enough for her. The food continues to stay down, so the 4 small meals a day seems to be working with her. Thanks, everyone, for all your help. Pat Although I'm not being much help on the "how much" front, I wonder if a crate water bottle -- the kind that only dispense a little at a time, might be useful for Chick.

Someone else suggested this type of "dancing". Chick may go for that as she loves special attention and trick-type things. I'm going to give it a try. Thanks so much. Pat

Thanks, Batmom. I've eliminated dry food and have switched Chick to canned food with some yogurt and a bit of cooked hamburg (crushed small). I add a bit of warm water to it to really mush it up for her. I have, too, started her on a regime of 4 small meals a day rather than two - so far she's doing pretty well. Everything is staying down. Please keep your fingers crossed that we continue to do well. We've been giving her about a half cup of water to drink every hour and a half or so, and that's working well too. The last time we offered her the water, she declined it and she's not constantly hunting for water any more. I'm feeling a bit better, but very worried about Monday. Thanks to everyone for your well wishes and your concern. Pat

thanks so much for sharing this info - it helps me so much. This is what I'm doing now with Chick and so far we're having good luck with it. I do give her small quanitities of water every hour or so and make her drink slowly (taking her mouth out for a couple of seconds while she drinks so that she isn't gulping it). I'm very lucky in that my husband is home right now and can make sure Chick gets her small meals and bits of water while I"m at work. Thanks again - I appreciate it. Pat

Thanks for this, Amber. I'm going to think about it and maybe talk with people about it - I'm not sure if Chick would handle that, though, given her personality. But it's definitely worth me looking into. Pat Hi Liz, Chick's registered name is KD Rich Chick with her Dam being Bad Mood and her sire being My Rooster. Thanks for your good wishes. I appreciate it. Pat

My 11 year old girl, Chick, was diagnosed today with megaesophagus caused by a mass in her chest. She's scheduled for a fine needle aspirate and additional bloodwork has been sent out to let us know what the mass is. In the meantime, I'm dealing with her megaesophagus and am looking for some advice: My vet said that in order for Chick to keep her food and water down, she needs to sit upright (in a sitting position or with her front feet elevated) for 30 minutes when she eats and drinks. This isn't going to happen - I've tried it and Chick will have nothing to do with eating or drinking in that position. What worked over the weekend for me was to give her 3-4 small meals each day rather than two large meals, and to give her small drinks of water regularly - every hour or so. I'm going to stick to that and see if it continues to work. But Chick always seems thirsty - she's a dog that never refuses water - she's always been that way, so it's hard to tell when she's actually had enough. How much water does she need on a daily basis to keep her from getting dehydrated? At her full weight, she's at 58 pounds. Has anyone dealt with megaesophagus and have recommendations to keep food and water down, besides what I've noted above? Any good links on information on megaesophagus? Also - I live in Ayer, MA - I'd love to have my vet talk with a vet that is experienced in this. My vet is great and I have a lot of trust in her, but she even told me tonight that it's been a long time since she's had a case like this and never on a greyhound. I don't want to switch vets, but I'd love to find someone greyhound savy to talk with her. Thanks for any advice. Pat

Barbara, Carolyn Z. has used and uses artemisinin. She may have some good advice for you. She's away this week, but due to return over the weekend. I'm sending hugs to both you and Rocky. Pat

Poor Argos! That eye looked awful! I hope he's doing much better tonight, Scott. Pat

Thanks for the update, Kris. I've been hoping Demon has been doing okay. Please do keep us posted. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, too, that you caught it early. Pat

Kris, I'm so glad that Demon made it through surgery okay. This has to be so hard with all you've been through with Alex and Morgan. My thoughts are with you and Demon. Pat

Oh Kris, I'm so sorry. I think it's a good idea to get a second opinion. My thoughts are with you. Pat