IAMs

I've struck out and started an Etsy store. I only have one item right now but I'm pretty sure this is the place to start! Please check out my greyhound pillowcase and if you like it consider purchasing and/or telling a friend! Thanks everyone! https://www.etsy.com/shop/CreekwoodStudio

Meandmy (Jenn), I tried to message and it wouldn't let me saying you can't receive messages. Can you e-mail me and then I'll respond with address? greyhoundgal2@gmail.com Thanks, leigh

Thank you!

Does anyone by chance have the life size greyhound pattern by Lenora Conlon? We lost 2 pups in the last year and our 4 yr old is still struggling. Thought I'd make her a big greyhound stuffy. TIA leigh

We are headed out on a family vacation shortly to Kitty Hawk, NC. Are there any good beach spots to let the pup run? TIA!

Hi folks - I'm in the process of creating a guidance document for our foster families that have agreed to take on puppies! Does anyone have this already in their files? Would you be willing to share so I don't have to completely reinvent the wheel? Thanks in advance, leigh

Hey Everyone - I'll admit that after everything we went through with Maya (rare intestinal cancer) I was hoping to have a couple of hounds with no intestinal issues. It appears this is not to be. If you wouldn't mind I will recap a synopsis of what's been going on and would love some opinions, experiences, and thoughts about what could be plaguing Ashe. It's a long read but I could really use some advice. Thanks everyone! - leigh Synopsis: Pup: Ashe 4yr (almost) male Problem 1: A recurring problem with seasonal allergies (undiagnosed - assumed allergies). He will just break out along his stomach and groin and have small patches of hair missing near his feet on up to and sometimes above his ankles. He ends up on prednisone at least once a year to knock back the rash/bumps and itching. The vet tries to avoid using prednisone if she can. When he breaks out I wipe down his skin with medicated pads and hope to get it under control so he won't need prednisone. Problem 2: We thought he had food allergies too but now I'm not too sure maybe Irritable Bowel Syndrome? Food: For a while we were feeding Nature's Domain grain-free salmon meal and sweet potato, and then the pattern started (it's possible this started with the food he was on prior to Nature's Domain I just can't recall right now)........... 1. He starts to have aversions to his food and won't eat unless we put some soft food (I and Love and You brand) on as a topper, 2. Usually in the middle of the night the LOUD gurgly tummy starts shortly followed by loose stool leading to diarrhea occasionally with a red mucus coating, 3. He fasts for a day, 4. He gets boiled chicken, brown rice (he goes out and eats grass so since rice is also a grass seems logical to include), sweet potato, and fortiflora for meals for a few days, 5. We transition back to his food. 6. Nice firm stools once again. After this happened a couple of times our vet suggested trying Science Diet Id - Ashe promptly threw up the first bowl he had and wouldn't touch it again! So we then tried Blue Basics duck and potato since duck is considered a novel protein. Everything was fine but a little after a meal he would start to open and close is mouth as if he had an itch on the top of his mouth. I thought maybe he was allergic to something in the food so we switched to the Blue Basics Lamb and potato. This however resulted in unbearable stink bombs from our other pup so back onto duck we went. Now, the pattern has started with the Blue Basics Duck and potato. We are considering trying raw but beyond that really don't have ideas on how to move forward. It should be noted that Ollie (18mo pup) has not had any problems with any of the foods (except lamb) so I'm fairly confident the foods have not been tainted. Vet visits: We have gone to the vet many, many times and have yet to find anything. Fecal: Multiple fecal samples have come back negative for parasites, nothing abnormal was detected in a sample of the bloody mucus I took in. Blood work: A full and complete blood panel has been run with EVERYTHING coming back normal. I don't recall what was all tested for right now but it was extensively comprehensive. I can find out if someone feels it would be helpful to know exactly. Ultrasound: This is the vet's next recommended step at the tune of $350 for a specialist. I haven't done this yet as all it will tell me is if part of his digestive tract is inflammed and I can guarantee something will be, he has sporadic diarrhea! It also won't tell me if he has cancer, my understanding at least. I am wondering a - what could be going on and b - could the allergies and tummy issues be related and linked to his immune system? Thanks again for your help!

Hey Everyone - I'll admit that after everything we went through with Maya (rare intestinal cancer) I was hoping to have a couple of hounds with no intestinal issues. It appears this is not to be. If you wouldn't mind I will recap a synopsis of what's been going on and would love some opinions, experiences, and thoughts about what could be plaguing Ashe. It's a long read but I could really use some advice. Thanks everyone! - leigh Synopsis: Pup: Ashe 4yr (almost) male Problem 1: A recurring problem with seasonal allergies (undiagnosed - assumed allergies). He will just break out along his stomach and groin and have small patches of hair missing near his feet on up to and sometimes above his ankles. He ends up on prednisone at least once a year to knock back the rash/bumps and itching. The vet tries to avoid using prednisone if she can. When he breaks out I wipe down his skin with medicated pads and hope to get it under control so he won't need prednisone. Problem 2: We thought he had food allergies too but now I'm not too sure maybe Irritable Bowel Syndrome? Food: For a while we were feeding Nature's Domain grain-free salmon meal and sweet potato, and then the pattern started (it's possible this started with the food he was on prior to Nature's Domain I just can't recall right now)........... 1. He starts to have aversions to his food and won't eat unless we put some soft food (I and Love and You brand) on as a topper, 2. Usually in the middle of the night the LOUD gurgly tummy starts shortly followed by loose stool leading to diarrhea occasionally with a red mucus coating, 3. He fasts for a day, 4. He gets boiled chicken, brown rice (he goes out and eats grass so since rice is also a grass seems logical to include), sweet potato, and fortiflora for meals for a few days, 5. We transition back to his food. 6. Nice firm stools once again. After this happened a couple of times our vet suggested trying Science Diet Id - Ashe promptly threw up the first bowl he had and wouldn't touch it again! So we then tried Blue Basics duck and potato since duck is considered a novel protein. Everything was fine but a little after a meal he would start to open and close is mouth as if he had an itch on the top of his mouth. I thought maybe he was allergic to something in the food so we switched to the Blue Basics Lamb and potato. This however resulted in unbearable stink bombs from our other pup so back onto duck we went. Now, the pattern has started with the Blue Basics Duck and potato. We are considering trying raw but beyond that really don't have ideas on how to move forward. It should be noted that Ollie (18mo pup) has not had any problems with any of the foods (except lamb) so I'm fairly confident the foods have not been tainted. Vet visits: We have gone to the vet many, many times and have yet to find anything. Fecal: Multiple fecal samples have come back negative for parasites, nothing abnormal was detected in a sample of the bloody mucus I took in. Blood work: A full and complete blood panel has been run with EVERYTHING coming back normal. I don't recall what was all tested for right now but it was extensively comprehensive. I can find out if someone feels it would be helpful to know exactly. Ultrasound: This is the vet's next recommended step at the tune of $350 for a specialist. I haven't done this yet as all it will tell me is if part of his digestive tract is inflammed and I can guarantee something will be, he has sporadic diarrhea! It also won't tell me if he has cancer, my understanding at least. I am wondering a) what could be going on and could the allergies and tummy issues be related and linked to his immune system? Thanks again for your help!

Our sweet girl, Maya, passed away October 30th of 2013. We adopted her when she was just 18 months old, and we had the good fortune of having her as part of our lives for 8.5 years. She was 10 when she passed. As I was cleaning the den tonight, I found an old SD card and threw it into my computer... and I found some great videos of Maya from a few years ago. That sent me digging through old videos, and I came upon a couple videos and pictures that brought a smile to my face and tears to my eyes. I Could Lose Myself in Those Eyes Maya always had a soulful look... very caring and curious. This picture was taken just after we adopted her in 2004. She was, as was her usual, soaking up some sunshine in the backyard. Halloween Dress Up We loved to torture dress her up in fun Halloween costumes. This was my personal favorite. Scrambled Eggs for Breakfast Austin is a very dog-friendly city, and many of the restaurants allow pets on their patios. We went for an outing one morning and followed it up with breakfast on the patio. Most of the other customers didn't even know she was there. http://youtu.be/CFZgUyXTiho Those Boots Maya suffered from corns from years... not just on one or two feet, but on all four. She got used to her TheraPaw booties and got to the point that, when she saw them come out of the closet, she got excited because she knew a walk was in her future. This is BY FAR my favorite sound! http://youtu.be/fMaMHtes7-I Strike a Pose Modeling the TheraPaws, Maya was always willing to strike a pose... on a hike, of course. Chattering for PetSmart Maya chattered every once in a while... treats, walks, toys, etc. On this day, I asked her if she wanted to go to PetSmart to get some dog food. She was very excited to go! http://youtu.be/e5PjKeDOysI One of Our Last Walks A couple weekends before she passed (maybe even the very weekend before her passing), we took the pups for a walk on one of our favorite trails. About half way through, Maya found a comfy spot in the tall grass and decided it was time for a break. She rested for a bit and, when she was ready to continue, hopped up and started hiking again. These are two of my favorite photos that I have of my sweet girl. I think of her every single day. Although our sweet boy, Ollie, has helped to fill the void, the hole she left will never be completely filled. Maya was our first greyhound, and she's the grey to which all others will be compared. -Joel

First, I want to say THANKS for everyone's advice on Ollie losing the fur on the underside of his neck. It's gotten a bit better. We're pretty sure he was losing his winter fur. Anyway, we've noticed something else that has us puzzled. The left side of his nose seems red and rough to the touch, almost feeling like its a scabbed over area. It's maybe a bit inflamed, too... but it's hard to tell. Nothing has changed in terms of routines or behaviors. He doesn't react when you touch his nose. It's just us trying to figure out what might be going on. Any ideas? left side, side view, close up, no flash left side, side view, slightly farther out, no flash left side, diagonal view, close up, no flash right side (unaffected side), diagonal view, close up, no flash Thoughts? -Joel

I'm not too worried about the Vectra 3D. Both of our pups have been on Vectra 3D for about six months, and we haven't noticed anything like mentioned in the previous threads. There's been no skin irritation, no eye irritation, etc. It's been a good product that has done a good job repelling all the nasty little critters that like to hitchhike on our pups. I'll still look into it, but at this point, we're guessing it's him A) blowing out his coat as the heat of summer gets into full swing, losing his puppy coat , or C) a combination of these two. Again, I'll keep y'all posted. -Joel

On our vet's recommendation, we switched to Vectra 3D. It has worked great (mosquitos, too). I checked their site for side effects and nothing was mention about hair loss. I'm hoping that it is just him shedding for the summer. We went to a play day yesterday with our greyhound group, and a LOT of them were shedding a lot of hair. (When we left, the floor seemed covered in hair!!) Thanks for all your support, y'all. As things continue, I'll keep you in the loop. -Joel

We've had Ollie since last November. He was 4 months old when we adopted him, so he's almost one year old now (July 15th). He's always had great looking fur... no issues at all. Over the last couple days, I've noticed that he's losing what appears to be a LOT of hair on the underside of his neck. We thought it was possibly just from his collar, but he's been wearing the same collar for months, and the hair loss has only recently showed itself. Aside from the underside of his neck, it also appears he's losing hair on his legs and belly. Here's a picture of Ollie laying on the bed (zoomed out for perspective): http://i855.photobucket.com/albums/ab112/greyhoundguy/Greytalk/9AD8EF37-C1FF-4DC9-8CD5-4538E2700E07_zpsculezobe.jpg Here's another picture, reframed for a better look. Here's a third picture, this one was taken as he roached for us (so you can see the other side). The only changes we've made lately have been in their diet. We switched from Nutro Choice to Nature's Domain (aka Taste of the Wild). Since the switch, Ashe has seemingly stopped showing any allergic issues (which we would see before in the form of red dots on his underbelly). To us, it seems like a much higher quality food... but could it be the reason for Ollie's hair loss? We could add in coconut oil (which I read about in a few other posts), but other than that -- I'm at a loss. Any ideas? -Joel

Fantastic. Simply fantastic!! -Joel

Hey Everyone - Thank you for your advice, we head out this weekend and I can't wait!!! For food I've settled on mixing Sojos Complete (Beef) with his regular kibble. During our test run at home he loved the Sojos (freeze dried raw) and tolerated it great. I'm excited because a days worth of food for him weights just over a pound and water is plentiful along the trail so rehydrating won't be problematic. I also purchased a few high protein high fat treats for along the trail if he needs a little pick me up. Although heavier I did pick up some Zuke's power bones because Ashe LOVES them. For water, I've read up on it and the basic gist I get is don't worry to much about it. So, I'll continue to offer him water every time I take some and bribe him with a treat in the bottom if needed. Thanks folks! <<Picture of food and treats to come>> Leigh Roweboy - I have never thought to do that and I say go ahead and try it if you like it can't hurt. I frequently take Ashe out with me and occasionally he gets a little scratched up, I just make sure to always have his first aid kit with me. That being said I've never had any serious gouges happen just minor cuts and scrapes and the occasional cactus spines. Our first greyhound, Maya, had really thin skin and we became pros at first aid with her.