GreytNut

OK, heading back out to the grocery store for peroxide, Super Glue, Dawn and baking soda. Thanks! Happy tail! It's bad enough having little blood splotches all over the carpet. Having them on the walls and ceiling... well the thought of that just makes me shudder. Good luck!

I was clipping toenails today and was on Tiny's very last nail when he decided he'd had enough and jerked his leg right as I was closing the blade. I quicked him. It bled a lot. I applied a styptic pad until the nail stopped bleeding, then we went back in the house. A cookie made him forget all about it. A couple of hours later I went grocery shopping, and when I came home there were little blood spots and smears all over the house. Apparently the nail started bleeding again. So 1) How do I keep the nail from bleeding again? Does Tiny need to go to the vet? and 2) How do I get blood stains (hundreds of them!) out of light beige carpet?

It sounds like your street is made of some very sharp composite materials. It might not be a matter of her having tender feet so much as that the road is made of wicked stuff. I would suggest having her wear booties whenever you walk her, or maybe taking her for a ride to someplace with more forgiving surfaces to walk on.

You must go to my vet. They're the only greyhound-savvy place in the area, so I still go to them... but man, they charge an arm and a leg. There's another clinic a short distance away that charges 1/3 that price, but since Raven goes into malignant hyperthermia every time she goes under anesthesia, I'd rather pay the extra $$$ to have her with people who are ready for it. The reason large animal vets don't charge as much is because their clientele won't pay for it (especially in rural farming areas). If old Bossy cow faces a potential $12,000 vet bill, then Bossy is going to be a hamburger. The exception would be high-end horse show/competition folks who have the means to plunk down big bucks without batting an eyelash.

She looks great for a retired racer. If she was actively racing she would probably be a few pounds lighter. I'm of the opinion that retired hounds should have a tiny bit more padding (just a tiny bit, though). If she starts to lose that nice tuck, I'd say she's getting too heavy.

I do, but I have respiratory problems that seem to be exacerbated by fine particulate matter (i.e. dust, pulverized dog nails).

I've been using Dasuquin for Raven with good results. You give a double dose for the first few weeks, then cut back to a maintenance dose. She used to do this exaggerated bunny hop around the yard when she tried to run, and now she hardly even limps.

Argus got 4 50mg Tramadol 4 times a day toward the end when he had osteo. That high of a dose would not be safe for long-term use, but we weren't concerned about long-term effects at that point, so I just gave him as much as I possibly could without killing him. That was the max the vet said a 75 lb. dog could handle. He was also on extended-relief morphine twice daily. If I had it to do over, I would also have asked for an anti-inflammatory such as Deramaxx because I think it would've helped the swelling. Ask your vet, but you can probably increase your dog's dosage, and/or add medications to help alleviate the pain as becomes more problematic.

If it helps, there wasn't anything you could have done if you had known. I'm truly sorry, and I know how rotten it is. Our beautiful Argus lived only 2 weeks from the time he first started limping (aggressive osteosarcoma) and for the first few days we thought he was just milking a tiny boo-boo for all it was worth because he was a consummate drama queen. Treasure the days that you have with Sobe. Spoil him rotten. Take lots and lots of pictures. They'll mean a lot to you later.

I miss Millicent.

How about James? He's gorgeous!

Raven has the same problem. She is incontinent when she sleeps and leaves pee spots. It's not behavioral, it's medical. First thing is to get him to the vet to see if he doesn't have an infection or kidney problems. If he doesn't, he'll probably be put on meds to control the incontinence.

Raven has always bounced into the back like a pro. Argus had to be lifted in the first few times, and then he figured it out and jumped in all on his own. Tiny still has to be helped, but he's so... NOT tiny... that we've had to come to a compromise because lifting him was horrible for both of us. He now puts his front end into the car, then waits for me to give his back end a boost. It works.

She only get a single 1 mg capsule once a week, so the dose is pretty low. She doesn't show any signs of actually being in estrus, false or otherwise.

I've had Raven on DES for spay incontinence for several weeks now and it's working great. No complaints. But I've noticed that Raven is suddenly much more interesting to Tiny. He's always sniffing her and won't leave her alone. When we're out on walks, other male dogs all want to check her out. She doesn't show any symptoms of a UTI or vaginal infection. Could it be that the DES (a synthetic estrogen) makes her smell like an intact female? Thank goodness she's patient. She doesn't like the attention but she hasn't bitten anyone (yet). I feel like I should hand the poor girl a can of mace to carry, but alas, no opposable thumbs.

Do not use acetaminophen. Do you have baby aspirin in your medicine chest?

Argus (80 lbs.) started with 2 50 mg Tramadol and 2 extended-release morphine per day. By the end he was up to 16 of the Tramadol tablets per day, along with the 2 morphine pills. We gave him 4 tablets every 6 hours in his last few days. I never noticed that the Tramadol made him dopey, but the morphine did.

Your dog-walker is probably thinking of the cloth muzzles which fit snugly over a dog's snout to prevent biting and inhibit barking. Those do keep a dog from opening its mouth and panting. Regarding those, she's right. I would never leave a dog unattended in one of those. A basket-style turnout muzzle, however, is designed to be worn comfortably for longer periods and allows panting, drinking, barking, and even eating small bits that can fit through the mesh (i.e. treats, pieces of kibble). What they won't allow is biting other dogs or grabbing and chewing something. So your cabinets, venison, etc. are safe. In theory it's possible for them to get caught on something, but I've never had it happen and I suspect they could probably pull the muzzle off with a good hard tug if that was the case. I'd say go for it. In your case Zero is much less safe unmuzzled than muzzled. And seriously, we all love our dogs too much to regularly do and/or suggest something that we know to be inherently unsafe or inhumane.

I think that you have it all figured out. I think would be the best option, if favor of the cat(s) & dogs. That's exactly what we do. The cats stay in the master bedroom during the day and whenever we can't supervise. Their litter, food, water and toys are in there (this also keeps the dogs out of the "sandy candy"). When we're there to chaperone, we close the dog door and let the cats roam the house. For added safety for canines and felines alike, the dog door opens into an enclosed run. When we have our new place built, the run will actually have a top on it. This will keep the cats from escaping if somehow they do get out, and it will also keep critters from coming in through our dog door. Believe me, you don't ever want a raccoon in your house. I am still very diligent about not letting the cats get out. I know they would in a heartbeat if I let them. While both our hounds are cat-safe indoors, they have expressed a desire to kill outdoor cats. I'm not sure if they would do it to ours if they only got as far as the run, but prefer not to find out.

I might be hesitant to crate for 10 hours at a stretch simply because my own dogs can't "hold it" that long and need access to a dog door to relieve themselves. Zero might actually do okay with it. But muzzling with a basket-style muzzle, especially if you line the part that hits the nose with something soft, is perfectly acceptable IMHO. It prevents him from destroying your house and possibly getting injured by eating something harmful. I've seen greyhounds tossing stuffies with muzzles on, so yes they can still play with toys. They can't grab them and squeak them, but they're quite adept at using their feet and the muzzle itself to swat toys around. I would buy a good baby gate and keep Zero out of the problem areas. If he can't get in there, he can't cause trouble in there. But ultimately, all of these are treating the symptoms, not the cause. It sounds like he still has a lot of puppy exuberance and is making trouble not out of malice, but out of boredom and pent-up energy. Is it possible for you to come home during lunch breaks, or to hire a trusted neighbor to take Zero for a walk for a small fee? That would be cheaper than hiring a pro.

What a sweetheart. I'm sorry you lost him.

Have you considered other incontinence meds? Proin is not your only option. We're using DES for Raven's incontinence and it's worked wonders for her. The vet wanted to give her Proin but I was leery of it after reading about the nasty reactions some GTers' dogs had, so he proposed DES as a safer alternative. It is a synthetic estrogen. He said if you regularly give it more than 2 or 3 times per week it can increase the risk of osteosarcoma later in life. Otherwise it's generally very well tolerated. We only give it once a week and Raven is already 10, so the risk is minimal. It is such a relief not to have a pee-soaked pup!

Ouch! I'm sorry you got bit. Been there, done that. I would think that when you picked him up, one or a combination of the following happened: 1) You startled him 2) You accidentally hurt him or 3) He was defending his space. You've already discovered that picking him up while he's resting is a bad idea, but try not to approach him at all until you're sure that he's well and truly awake and cognizant. Many dogs, not just greyhounds, react badly when they're approached and/or handled while they're sleeping or resting. Imagine you were sleeping in your bed and all of a sudden someone grabbed you. You'd freak out, hit them in the face and then ask questions later. Maybe it was someone you loved and trusted and you feel bad for hitting them, but how were you supposed to know? Yes, it hurts as much emotionally as it does physically when your dog bites you, but try not to take it too personally. It truly sounds as if Zero didn't mean to hurt you. He was startled and acted on a reflex. If you feel that he was defending the couch, then he needs to stay off the couch until he learns who it belongs to, but that doesn't sound like what happened. You might try confining him to one area of the house that's dog proofed when you leave so that he doesn't get into things he shouldn't. Muzzling him when you're not home will keep him from chewing cabinets, etc. This may be a silly question, but do you give him chewies or chew toys on a regular basis? Dogs love to chew, and if they aren't given something appropriate to chew on they'll find something inappropriate instead. Not only is this frustrating for you, but it can be dangerous for him.

I used to use Imodium for diarrhea with Raven, who had frequent bouts with it. I have found that red raspberry leaf capsules (2 caps twice daily) work much better. You can find them at health food stores. Bonus: It works like a charm for human GI upset and for menstrual cramps. Pedialyte will help with dehydration and restore his electrolyte balance.

He's probably quiet and relaxed because the Deramaxx is controlling his pain. I would keep him on it as long as he tolerates it well and as long as the vet recommends it. We had Argus on it for a while after an injury (75 mg tablets) and it did wonders for him. We didn't notice any stomach upset.