turbotaina

The pain going downwards makes me think shoulder/neck. Imagine walking down stairs on all fours - your weight is being pushed towards the front. Going upstairs, it's primarily the hind end that is the motor. It's tough seeing her so uncomfortable She may be tucking downwards to try to use her rear legs as motor at the walk, taking pressure off her front end. Wonder if she's got a disc issue up in the thoracic vertebrae? Hope you can get some answers tomorrow

My dog Turbo (in my avatar), was a bit...difficult when I first adopted him and I started off wondering what I'd gotten myself into. He was a cool dog, and I liked him immediately when I pulled him off the track hauler, but when I adopted him about 2 months later, we just didn't hit it off immediately. A month in and we started bonding a bit after he had been attacked by another dog and I had to nurse him post-surgery. A year in and I couldn't have imagined my life without him. He turned into my best friend, my travel companion and just a really wonderful, irreplaceable buddy. I was completely heartbroken when I lost him. We adopted another dog quickly because Turbo had turned into my (then depressed) husband's de facto therapy dog. My husband chose our next greyhound, Heyokha, who is not a dog I would have chosen. He was very, very different from Turbo, though I knew I wouldn't have the same dog. We took a while to bond also (mostly because he kept trying to kill my cats ). He's been a challenging dog, but he's very, very smart and we've grown on each other. Crow was pretty easy to love because he's dumb as a brick and really snuggley (Though his puppy barking when he's bored drives us *all* nuts.) All this to day, yeah, it can take time. Some dogs are immediate, some take a while.

Not true: Seresto repels as well. Additionally, topicals that contain permethrin (e.g., Advantix) also repel ticks, fleas, mosquitoes, etc. I'm personally not a fan of permethrin, though I know plenty of greyhound owners use it without issue. I've used both Preventic and Seresto collars with no issues whatsoever (currently use Seresto). I've also used Frontline and Revolution topicals with no issues whatsoever. Environmental factors, including warmer winters and habitat loss that results in wild tick-carrying animals in close proximity to humans, are increasing tick ranges and population, so the tick problem will only get worse. The majority of all dogs tolerate some form of tick preventative just fine. In my opinion, the risk of tick borne disease and potential death therefrom is too great to go without a proven preventative.

I'm so sorry for your loss He was a beautiful boy.

I've got one that gets hot super quick. He's black and in 50 degree weather, he's panting. I did get him one of those reflective coats. Not sure if it helps much or not, though they do get good reviews in general. My husband refuses to use it on him (it's a bit...disco-looking) and he's the one who does the morning walks. The one I got was from Clean Run and they specialize in agility stuff, so have an interest in keeping dogs cool. Maybe you can find something similar in the UK?

So sorry for your loss, Bill

So sorry for your loss, Craig I remember Charley and your beautiful photos. My thoughts are with you and your wife.

Um, yeah, you *can* (some trained groomers do it). But I wouldn't. It's gross. Heyokha has anal gland issues (he's had 2 ruptures, so it's an ongoing thing we have to monitor). When the vet expressed them one time, they shot out all over his lab coat and he didn't have a spare. Which is to say that it's pretty gross stuff, even for a professional. Moreover, since you're not a vet, you won't really know what to look for in terms of what the output should be like, if there's an infection, etc. And really, do you want your dog associating you with that? Best to leave it to the professionals, imo. I do As far as checking them yourself, yes, your vet can probably show you what to look for. With Heyokha, it was obvious when one side was over-full (aside from the fact he was licking incessantly).

I think more important than sex, you should look for a dog that has similar energy and play drives to your existing dog. The female you met might have been generally snappy, or she may have been nervous or have had bad experiences meeting other dogs in the past. There are plenty of super sweet females out there. FWIW, I have two males and they don't particularly care for each other, but do live together well enough. They rarely or never play, run, or sleep together (except when they want the same sunbeam on the human's bed ), nor do they seek each other out. They don't even particularly like going on walks together since they go at different speeds. When Crow has his "puppy" moments, Heyokha may show teeth and growl to try to get Crow to stop his annoying shriek-y "puppy" barking (never mind Crow is 5 ), but it typically doesn't escalate to anything more than that. So yeah, energy level = very important

Yep. Crow doesn't do well on chicken food, but can eat chicken jerky (not fresh, but still less processed than kibble) just fine. So he's on a pork based food and H is on a fish-based food. H does OK with chicken digestion-wise, but his skin is better on fish.

Yep, while greyhounds in general are laid back, I have one that is very, very active, loves hiking and would go on for hours if I let him. He wishes I were a jogger! The other one takes his retirement very seriously, but wants me to play with him. My previous greyhound also loved hiking and walking and would keep going for hours, but was equally content to hang out at home, as long as he could snuggle Just talk to your adoption rep about your needs and the group will very likely be able to accommodate you and your mom. As for when to add the second, with my first greyhound, I always wanted to get him a companion, but after 3 or 4 years of being an only dog, he did NOT want a companion. He'd get in a snit if I fostered and boycott walks! He was OK with a dog staying overnight, maybe two nights, but after that, they needed to leave So we never got a second because by the time we could manage it (bought a house so I didn't have to worry about landlord permissions), he wouldn't have it. With my current dogs, Heyokha was an only for 3 years before we adopted Crow, whom we've had for just over 2 years now. Heyokha is still in a snit. He does not like us sharing our affections/food/attention with another dog. But he manages. So I'd say, do it as soon as you can, if you can't adopt two at the same time (keep in mind, unless you get bounces as Trudy mentioned above, you'll be doing training and home acclimation for TWO dogs instead of one and that may be overwhelming for some).

My friend's GSD had it and he lived a nice long happy life once it was under control. He was on Viokase and I remember it was crazy expensive. I don't recall her using a prescription food for him. I think he lived until 15 or so, which is excellent even for a healthy GSD .

Heyokha used to follow me around the house after I finished flushing his

I need one for me! I know of a good human one in Frederick, but don't have the time to make an appointment. I wish they'd come to the house like the animal ones do!

Jen, are you using Malinda or someone else? Turbo found the adjustments uncomfortable, but never seemed sore afterwards. The results were great - she got him straightened back out and made a huge difference.

Ron, my heart breaks for you. It's a total gut-punch to suddenly go from having one dog who is your very best friend, to coming home to no dog at all. It's been more than 5 years since we lost Turbo suddenly and I still mourn him. Your love of Leia has always shown through every single one of your posts. She clearly had a wonderful life with you and your wife. Your pain is palpable and I'm so, so sorry you're going through this. I'm so, so sorry for your loss.

There are a lot of factors here including your (potential) dog's size, energy level, calories needed to maintain weight and how many calories per cup of food. My first greyhound was about 78-80lbs, very athletic (did *lots* of running) and he ate Evo, which was about 500 Kcals per cup. He got two cups a day and a 26lb bag lasted a month. My current two guys are on Acana which isn't quite as rich, and they're a bit smaller. Heyokha gets about 1.25 c twice a day and Crow gets an even cup twice a day. Each of their foods is about 400 calories per cup. They are both between 70-76 lbs and a 25lb bag lasts them about a month as well (they're on different diets, so I go through two bags a month for two dogs). Crow actually gains weight on that amount because though he's younger, he's a slug. Heyokha has a high metabolism. Iams is probably in the range of 300-350 calories a cup, so you'll feed slightly more. My guess is that a 30 pound bag would probably last a month for an average sized male, maybe longer for a smaller female.

I don't know much about ALT levels, just that they can indicate liver issues and I think there's some sort of connection with both it and elevated creatinine. Someone better versed will have to respond to that. That being said, the creatinine isn't markedly elevated. My greyhounds have always run a 1.6-2.0 there. Turbo's normal was 1.8-2.0 with no kidney issues, so I wouldn't be overly concerned. Do you have earlier numbers? Maybe worth giving milk thistle and rechecking? I just don't know what normal ALT levels are.

I'd up the exercise to begin with. I've got a chewer, too, and he does it when he's bored. Can you give her an hour long walk before you leave? And extend her evening walk? I know dog walkers are spendy, but if your walker can extend the walk, that's ideal. Does she have something *hard* to chew on? My guy loves wood and hard plastic, so we got him a fairly indestructible Nylabone that he works on occasionally. It's a bit big for him, but he'll pick it up and gnaw when he needs to get some energy out.

Sounds like a nice set-up. A group of us hired a pontoon boat one year while at Dewey and took a tour to see the wild ponies on Assateague. The pups enjoyed it just fine, were excited to see the ponies from a distance and settled down and napped when there was nothing to look at. Well, my friend's dog made it her mission to flirt with the captain and insist he pet her while driving

Also WOO-HOO on the cost! :yay

Great news! Glad to hear I won't be seeing you

Yay!

Woot! :yay

Hush your mouth.