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phall

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Everything posted by phall

  1. I'm replying to your question of adopting two greyhounds at the same time and the concern re bonding with you. Three years ago I lost all three of my greyhounds to a variety of health issues - old age, cancer, kidney disease. I was at the point of not having any dogs which I couldn't stand. I always want to have more than one greyhound at a time, so I decided to bring two home at the same time. (They actually arrived at my home two weeks apart.) One was 2 years old, one was 3 years old. They had not met before coming to me, so maybe that was a factor in how they settled in at my house. They got along well (still do) and have bonded. But they both have also bonded tightly with me. It wasn't an issue at all. Good luck as you sort through all this.
  2. I always use Majestic Collars spook harness. I'm currently using it for my shy girl, and have used them for years on the various greyhounds. They are great. www.majesticcollars.com.
  3. Yes - I've been there as well. I tried forcing Lucas, which resulted in him avoiding coming near me, so I gave up and just waited for him to show me he had to go out. He never did have an accident in the house. When he indicated he needed to go (going near the door the way he typically did) and he'd finally run out, I would wait for him and bring him back in immediately so that he didn't have to stay out there very long. That seems to help him and he's gotten better. Now he'll go out regularly but not want to stay out there, which is fine.
  4. There is also information on this on the website of the Greyhound Health Initiative.
  5. I will be there! Arriving Wednesday. Can't wait to get there already!
  6. Yes - I had that with my girl, Sox. Even when she was at the adoption kennel, she wouldn't take treats from anyone's hands. I've had her 3 years now and it took her over a year to take a treat from me. Now she will, but she won't from anyone else.
  7. This happens occasionally with my girl, Sox. Same as Val, Sox is hesitant to eat when the gurglies start. What usually works for me is I fix Sox a small meal of her regular food (add a little hot water if you feed only dry) but add something a bit special to it - some pieces of cooked chicken or pieces of cheese - whatever she really likes. This it just to get her started eating. Once she starts eating she usually finishes the small meal and then she's back on her regular schedule of feeding. It varies sometimes with Sox - if I get that small meal to her right away when the gurgley stomach starts, she may eat that small meal right then and the stomach noises stop. Other times she isn't interested in eating even that small meal until a few hours later and after the noises stop. I experiment with whatever I need to get her started eating that small meal. Good luck.
  8. I'm so sorry for all you've been through. Toffy is lucky to have you. Toffy had a traumatic experience with Duchess, as did you, and it will take time for him to readjust. I had a greyhound a few years ago (he has since passed away from kidney disease) that had a difficult/traumatic experience. It was a bit different from what you went through. I did get the help of a certified canine behaviorist (at Tufts here in MA) and he guided me/helped me with ways to work with my boy and help him to readjust. Star (my boy) was always a bit anxious around vets because of the painful injury he had even after working with the behaviorist, but he got much better in time. Is there a behaviorist near you? (The behaviorist I worked with said greyhounds (dogs) CAN get PTSD).
  9. I use Pets Best Insurance and have good experiences with them. I currently have 80% coverage with a $300 deductible per incident. They have other options too. No issue from year to year something becoming pre-existing.
  10. I'm gone for about 9-10 hours a day for work and I have a dog walker that comes in mid-day. She can walk the dogs and or play with them in our fenced yard. My two greyhounds are adjusted perfectly to this, although they are ready for walking and playing with me when I get home since they've been along and quiet for so much of the day.. Having the break mid-day helps them a lot.
  11. I hate to hear this - I get a couple of prescriptions through them and they've always been great to deal with.
  12. I'll be there! I'm going without dogs, so have a room at the Aspire. Can't wait to see everyone!
  13. Thanks, everyone, for sharing what has worked for you. I checked out the two links on the ramps - both look good and I will research them a bit further. The Solvit one I also found at chewy.com. Hopefully a ramp will work for the girl I may be fostering. If not, I'll use it for my boy Lucas - he's blind and isn't comfortable jumping into the back of my SUV. He does use the ramp I have without any problem. Tonight I will check out the slings some of you recommended. Thanks again.
  14. Hi Folks, There's a chance I may be fostering a greyhound girl that is recovering from a serious injury to her back end. In anticipation that this does happen, I'm looking into both a ramp to use for my car and for a back-end sling. For the ramp, I currently have one but it's very old and hard to extend. It also has approx. 3" high rigid sides on it. Because of this, it takes up quite a bit of space in the back of my car (the sides don't fold) - too much space with multiple greyhounds in the car. I'm going to research good quality ramps that fold completely flat. Anyone have any recommendations? (I'm not handy at all, so don't want to attempt making one.) For a back-end sling - I have a good sling that helps with the back-end - from about mid-waist down, made by Carol Becker of God's Greyts. It works wonderfully for dogs with spine/back issues. I will be using this, but would also like to have something that fits right around where the back legs meet the back and that will be helpful specifically in raising the back end when trying to do stairs. Any recommendations on this? Thanks in advance. Pat
  15. I completely agree with the others who have responded. The Golden was out of control and your greyhound had had enough of his behavior. He was telling him to back off (and it was deserved). I can understand your friend's friend being scared, but actually your greyhound did well - even while worked up and with the Golden coming back for round 2, he did not react to a stranger petting him. I think you have a great dog.
  16. I'm heading down on Wednesday, 10/3. I'm staying in a cottage in Dewey with two long-time friends.
  17. I've had a couple of greys with black nails - one of which I could dremel, but one would not stand the dremel (no matter how gradually we worked on it). What worked best for me was to trim his nails once a week but only taking a very small piece of the tip of the nail off. Since I was only taking a small piece off, I was able to avoid nicking the quick and by doing it once a week the nails didn't get long. Good luck!
  18. When I first brought my girl, Sox, home she would not let me brush her teeth. (She didn't like me touching her ears either). It took time and getting her used to it. As others have said, I didn't push it with her for a couple of months and then very slowly started working with her. (My vet did rule out any gum/teeth issue going on.) At first I just touched the side of her face with my finger and rubbed the area. I did this until she was comfortable with it and didn't mind me doing that. Then I started just putting my finger inside her mouth - on the side. At first she would jerk her head away from me. When she did that, I stopped and the next day tried again. Over time, she was got used to it and was okay with that. Then I started touching/rubbing her teeth with my finger. Again, this took her some time to be comfortable with, but after several weeks or a month of this, she got used to it. I then started using a finger brush. Again, slowly getting her used to it. At first she jerked away from me when I put it in her mouth and I didn't push her, just stopped and tried again the next day. Over time, she got used to that. (I would work with her after I brushed my other greyhound's teeth so she could see me doing it with him.) Now - after a year and a half, she is mostly okay with me brushing her teeth with a finger brush. It took about 6-8 months of gradual, non-pressured work with her. I think the key was working with her daily but not pushing her beyond what she could handle each day. Even now, though, she will not tolerate a toothbrush. I can only use the finger brush. I hope this is helpful. Good luck!
  19. I think this is a nice idea - stretching the event longer into Sunday. I'm thinking some people may extend their time there if there is more to do on Sunday. I'll be curious to see how it works out. For me, I still have to leave early on Sunday because I travel from MA and I work at a school and can't take the Monday off since I took off Thursday and Friday - but that's just my personal work schedule/requirement. When I retire in a few years when I have more time, I may be inclined to stay the extra day at GIG.
  20. I concur - the ophthalmologist we saw was well worth it. We see her once a year unless anything unexpected happens.
  21. Hi Spottydog, My boy, Lucas, has PRA and was diagnosed at about the same age as your girl. From my experience, the loss of vision is gradual and there is light and shadow which deteriorates as it progresses. I can tell that Lucas's sight has gotten worse over the last month or so by the way he walks (head low and extended out as he's trying to see). It depends on the dog, but from what I've learned it typically happens over 12-24 months, but in the end, all vision is lost. It's amazing, though, how well they adapt. People told me that but I was skeptical. I am so proud of Lucas. I wish you and your girl the same and the best.
  22. I use Advantage Multi with no issues. I use flea/tick preventative as well, but stagger it by a few weeks.
  23. Over the years I have crated all my greyhounds at bedtime when they first came into the house. I've set up the crate in the bedroom so he/she would be near me. The length of time each was crated really depended on the dog and how they did in it. Several of my greyhounds absolutely loved their crate, but I've had one or two that did not like it at all. In those cases, I tried leaving them loose but in my bedroom. For one, it worked fine. For the other it didn't - so for him I set up an x-pen near the bed for a short time and that worked for him. It was then only a very short time (a week or two) before I took down the x-pen and let him be loose. He needed that amount of time with some kind of "framework" to get used to being in my home and my routine, and to be totally housebroken.
  24. Seeh2o, thanks so much for your quick reply. Interesting that Kiowa Mon Manny seems to be a common denominator in this. Tracking information like this is very interesting to me and so helpful to know. Your comment about Lucas's ears made me smile. I love that about him - that one floppy ear. It's so darn cute. GreyBoy - Lucas is the same re: seeing fairly well in bright daylight although that is starting to diminish a bit too. This afternoon I washed my utility room floor and moved a chair out of place, not thinking. Lucas bumped into it - but gently and he just moved around it. Night time is definitely more difficult for him, but he's careful when he moves around and isn't anxious at all. He's unbelievable with how he is adapting - I just love this boy. Same as Feisty49 said - about her friend's grey that does zoomies in the yard. Lucas does as well, and chases Sox all over. (Sox wears a bell so that helps with the chase). It's amazing to watch. I'm enjoying this thread - hearing from so many people is great.
  25. Hi seeh2o - I read your post and thought I'd share with you my male greyhound with PRA. I had read that PRA is probably genetic so I'll be interested in learning more about this. His racing name is DC's Terra Nova. He'll be three in September. Greyboy - I hope things are going well with your boy.
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