turbotaina

Oh, Kristen, I'm so, so sorry

I'm so, so sorry Kristen

Aw, I'm so sorry, Tom & Trish He was a lovely boy.

Cardio, wobblers, hip dysplasia - all no. Racing dogs are bred for function over form, so that weeds out a lot of issues that other pure-bred dogs may have. Cancer, yes. Often misdiagnosed with hypothyroidism, but their thyroid levels are naturally very low. Their bloodwork is a little different than "normal" dogs', but if you have a vet that understands that, you're good. Panus is not unheard of, but it's very easily controlled by eye drops. As noted, also, some have bad teeth, but I don't think it comes from the kennel diet, it's more of a genetic thing. Of my three, I've had one with a bad mouth. My first almost never needed a dental and it looks like the 3rd is similar. The second one needs a dental every year, and I understand his littermate brother is the same. That's about it, really I'm sorry for the loss of your dobie. They are wonderful dogs. I had one in high school and she was the smartest dog I've ever owned Good luck in your future search!

I'm so sorry, Bill

Agree with others regarding not bothering to put a coat on to let him out. Mine are out for just long enough to pee, then they come back in and get ready for breakfast. I have one who is a spazz about feeding time - he jumps and hops and wags his head and rears like a wild pony, but he has to sit before he gets fed. You need the train the behavior you want when he is *not* hyped up, make sure it is *super* reliable, then start working with distractions.

You may need to retrain him to the crate. Serve meals in there, maybe give him a good chew while you are home (leave the door open initially) - make it a happy place and try to break the association with you leaving. But don't force the issue. You can certainly try something like l-theanine or melatonin to see if one or both might help. Most importantly, you need to work on actual alone training though. Have you done that yet? Dr. Patricia McConnell's I'll Be Home Soon is a great place to start. It's short, inexpensive, and packed with great info. If he gets worse or isn't otherwise making progress, you should consult with a rewards based trainer or veterinary behaviorist. The behaviorist can also give you advice concerning prescription anti-anxiety medications, if needed. Or talk to your reg vet, too.

I'm so, so sorry. But what a wonderful life he lived.

I am so, so sorry

I'm so sorry

Last email update I saw, there were still rooms available at the Hyatt

I'm so, so sorry. I lost my first greyhound in much the same way and at the same age. I did an awful lot of second guessing, but if you can't get them out of pain, not even a little (and my guy was on a fentanyl patch), it's the kindest thing to do. And it it's such a gut punch. I'm really sorry

Mo now makes an adjustable leather tag collar that fits the boomerang tags - it's not a breakaway. I bought them at GiG and ordered the Boomerang tags there as well. I love them - they don't rub the fur and they stay put pretty well (I've lost so many tag necklaces over the years, I've given up on them ). And you don't have to worry about a d-ring getting caught in anything

There pretty much *always* a reason for growling and snapping. It's just up to the humans to figure it out How is your dog walker trying to leash him? Is he calling him over, or is he standing over him and leashing him? With the behavior you describe with you and your BF, it sounds like your greyhound has space issues. Do not allow him on the furniture with you; respect his space and do not lean over him; call him to you when you need something from him. Do a search of this forum for space issues and resource guarding. I would recommend that you find a trainer to assist you - make sure it is a rewards based trainer (positive reinforcement). Good luck

Sorry, just coming back here. I feel like it was a month to 6 weeks? Enough time that several vet trips and an ortho trip took place. It was a while. And there was a lot of screaming. A lot. And fear of furniture and dog beds.

Crow had *something* wrong with his stifle, and it might have been a cruciate injury, but if it was, it was minor and healed. He had *a lot* of pain. And the vet felt some fluid in the joint. For serious injuries, the joint will be unstable. I know that for most dogs that are susceptible to the injury (labs, newfies, cockers), there is a concern that when the repaired side is healing, the opposite side will go due to over compensation. Since greyhounds generally have fantastic knees, I don't know if the same concern is there.

Yup. Also, we do year round in MD. I've seen ticks hanging out on tall grass in 28 degree weather with snow on the ground. Better safe than sorry!

I'd have a fecal done - could have parasites.

OP, check out books by Dr. Patricia McConnell, particularly The Other End of the Leash. It's a well written, easy to understand book on dog-human interactions. Might help you understand your dog's behavior (which is, as others noted, perfectly normal). I have a growler, too. He *has* bitten me, but it was a warning snap, didn't hurt (he got my ponytail) and it was utterly my fault for doing something stupid and not listening to his initial growl (I was sniffing the futon he was lying on, trying to see if the cat had peed on it ).

No! Per day divided into 2 meals So your kibble is a good protein amount and pretty high in calories - Id give your girl 1.5 cups per day and your boy 2 cups per day

My two male ex-racers are kept in fine fettle at about 900 calories a day (1.25 cups per meal). They weigh 74 and 67 pounds. I feed Fromm's 4 Star (various versions within that line so they get lots of variety) and it has somewhere near 30% protein. So for your female, I would reduce that somewhat, by probably 25% or so, so I'd shoot for 600-ish calories per day. My guys also get plenty of treats, but usually small ones. They also lick my plates, help me clean cereal bowls and generally get bites of anything I'm eating, if it's suitable for dogs. They are horrible beggars as a result . There are lots of fruits and veggies your guys can get without loading them up on calories, so I think you're fine giving bits of banana and carrots Anyway, with regards to weight, you want to always see a tuck and hip bone points are also typically visible (but not stark) on an in-shape dog. I don't go by the 3-ribs-visible thing - I had one guy who raced at 71lbs (but was a tall fellow who hadn't filled out yet) and his retirement weight was about 78 lean, muscular pounds. He even got up to 80 pounds (stealing bread ), and all his ribs were visible, even then - he just had high sprung ribs. Somewhere on here is a post by JJng who offers a nice guide (with pictures!) of retired greyhounds in good weight. A lot depends on your dogs' metabolism, too.

Aw, Nancy, just seeing this. I'm so, so sorry

I agree with Greysmom in that it sounds like there's some underlying anxiety there. I'd recommend going to a veterinary behaviorist and possibly getting him on some medication that would crank down his anxiety a bit.

Some dogs need to run. Turbo was walked every day for two hours, plus turnouts that included lots of zoomies, and if he didn't get his weekly fun run with other greyhounds where he would run at race speeds multiple times with his "girlfriend", he would be bouncing off the walls. There are only so many hours in the day that one is home and available for dog walks. If the OP can find a good enclosed area to play fetch and allow the dog to run and burn energy, that's great and beneficial for the dog. Not all greyhounds are couch potatoes.

It pretty much always works if done correctly. The trick may be finding what motivates the dog. Not all dogs are food motivated, so you may have to work really hard to find something that he'll work for. If you've got one that likes food, you're ahead of the game. Crow *did* learn how to touch a target (my hand) but he is seriously not a smart dog. At all. I love him to death but he may be about the least intelligent greyhound I've ever dealt with. Even my trainers couldn't do anything but laugh at him as he good-naturedly wagged for treats without realizing that he needed to do something - ANYTHING - to get them We did *lots* of targeting because it was the only thing he learned But most dogs do really well with it, so please don't think that clicker training doesn't work because of my example Also, just a note - you don't actually need to use a clicker (some dogs may even be afraid of the sound, so you may want to "charge" it first to see). You can use a marker word, such as "yes" when the action is correct. That's what we used primarily in Heyokha's class because I'm not great balancing a clicker and a treat bag. When I've done it on horseback, I just made a clicker sound with my mouth (careful not to use the clucking sound that makes a horse move faster ).