GreytNut
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Posts posted by GreytNut
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Every one of my hounds has been OK with indoor cats, some more so than others. I wouldn't leave Riley or Sarge alone with a cat but they are fine with supervision.
Every one of my hounds has expressed a desire to kill outdoor cats, even the ones that would let an indoor cat tap dance on their heads. In one case a friend had an indoor/outdoor cat. Argus was fine with the cat inside, even a little afraid of him. When we met the same cat outside one day Argus tried to eat him.
It seems to be a totally different set of rules outside.
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Everybody seems to be feeling better today. They got rice and boiled chicken and no more diarrhea or throwing up.
They aren't left out in the yard, but they do have 24/7 access to a dog run. They can come and go via pet door from the house into the run as they please to relieve themselves or to sunbathe in warm weather. The rest of the yard is available only when we're out with them. We did put up a screen around the run so that they aren't visible from the street (we were worried about loose dogs seeing them and trying to jump the fence). But it's a small town and everybody knows they're there. They do see them when we take them out to play in the main yard since our fence is chain link. They do see them when we take them on walks. And they do talk amongst themselves. I think someone spotted them during playtime or on a walk, thought they were too thin and tossed food over the fence into the dog run.
The sign only went onto the fence yesterday after everyone got sick. Hopefully whoever did it (I'm sure their intentions were good, although misguided) will read the sign and respect it. Otherwise we've got to stop giving them unrestricted access to the run. That would be unfortunate because little Lora has a bladder the size of a marble, but it is what it is.
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They are guzzling water. No vomit for a while, so hopefully the worst has passed.
If all is still well tomorrow, we'll try plain rice and some low-sodium chicken broth or boiled chicken to ease them back into eating.
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Today all three dogs have diarrhea and have been vomiting. One threw up what looked like a chunk of tomato. I suspect a neighbor has been feeding them table scraps. On more than one occasion I've overheard people walking by mention that they looked gaunt, but I don't know who's doing it.
I made this sign to go on our fence, which I hope will deter future attempts to fatten them up.
PLEASE DO NOT FEED US!
We are on medically restricted diets and non-prescription food and treats make us VERY, VERY SICK!
We are slender because we are retired racing greyhounds - but we are at exactly the weight we are supposed to be.
THANK YOU!
P.S. - If you would like to give us a treat, please ring the doorbell and our humans will give you treats that we can safely eat.In the meantime, should we just let them get it out of their systems and not feed them for 24 hours while they clear it out, then slowly reintroduce food? There's no blood and nobody seems to be in terrible distress, just lots of Big D and occasional vomit. DH thinks we should feed them rice but I'm not sure that will really help. I also think giving their systems a chance to rest before feeding them anything at all seems wise.
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I wish people would abandon these thoughts. Pain control contributes to the healing process. There has been countless studies proving a pet with their pain controlled heals much quicker. U of Penn has many published studies. Sorry but, to allow a pet to remain in pain is not only cruel it's unexceptable in today's standards.
Even veterinarians seem to disagree with each other on this. The e-vet was adamant about not overdoing it on the pain meds lest they rip open their sutures, but our regular vet gave us a bunch more Rimadyl and a bunch of Tramadol to go with it. Sarge was whimpering after the wound flushing and it sounded like a little old man crying. Now he's comfortable, and he isn't going bonkers. He wags his tail when I walk by and he seems much happier, but he's still immobile for the most part. Riley doesn't seem to be in any pain now so he's off meds other than the antibiotics.
Sarge goes in tomorrow to have his wound debrided. That sounds like about as much fun as... well, having a wound debrided.
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Everybody's doing fine. Riley had his bandage changed and all looks well. Sarge's wound has greatly improved. I was correct in that the foul-smelling stuff was just the last of the old pus and junk being cleared out of the wound. The vet flushed it again and the inside of the wound looked bright red and healthy although some of the tissue around it isn't in great shape. She left the wound wide open so it can continue to drain. He goes back on Thursday to have it debrided under sedation. He had to go back into the Cone of Shame because he couldn't leave it alone. Riley gets to go cone-free because he's behaving himself. We are continuing with anti-bees and Rimadyl.
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They go back to get their bandages changed tomorrow evening. They weren't able to get Sarge's shoulder bandaged, though he's got a compression bandage on his leg to help the swelling. He is leaking foul-smelling liquid but there's less of it than there was, the wound isn't swollen or hot anymore and I think he's just draining out the rest of the crap that was in there. He isn't keen on me looking at it or touching it so tomorrow we'll know more.
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We went back to the vet, and they flushed out Sarge's wound. They also drew some fluid out of his leg. He seems a lot happier. Riley also got checked out. His nose opened up but they think it'll be OK. Both of them are now extensively bandaged. Riley was messing up his leg because even though he couldn't lick it, he was mashing his cone against it trying to get at it. The vet's office has a collection of T-shirts and they found some that would fit each of them, so they now have T-shirts tied on to cover the bandages. If they leave this arrangement alone we'll keep the cones off. If they start messing with them the cones have to go back on. We need to go back on Sunday to have them checked out again, the wound flushed again and bandages changed.
Sarge is now on a new antibiotic called Simplicef. Hadn't heard of it before. The vet said it's more potent than the Keflex. He gets 200 mg once a day for 10 days.
Much to Riley's chagrin he was outfitted in a coral T-shirt with sparkly beads around the collar. Contrast this with his skull and barbed wire tough-guy collar.
Sarge's shirt is a bit less humiliating.
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OK, going to have to go back to the vet tonight. We got more Rimadyl and they seem to be feeling a lot better pain-wise, but Sarge's wound is starting to exude pus and it smells bad. Whole leg is swollen. I was afraid of that because the vet couldn't get a drain in there. They are both on Keflex 750 mg twice daily but I realize that won't always help if a wound gets abscessed. I think they're going to have to open it up and flush everything out.
We did the Manuka honey but it couldn't really get into the wound to help. For the superficial wounds on Riley's head it did wonders. As an experiment I even dabbed a tiny bit onto a stye on my eyelid and it shrank down to almost nothing overnight. Good stuff.
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I checked with the e-vet and they were reluctant to prescribe more pain meds. They agreed with Susan that if they start feeling too good they will start bouncing around and rip themselves open again. They had given us just enough to take the edge off until they started to feel better on their own. Humans can take more pain meds because they know they still have to be careful, but dogs don't have the same mindfulness and some pain will keep them from getting too frisky. They are moving a lot better today but I'd still prefer to give them a little something. When DH goes into town today he'll stop by and lobby them for at least a couple more days of Rimadyl, nothing too powerful, but enough to at least take the edge off.
We can't muzzle because of Riley's nose (and if you muzzle one you've got to muzzle both) but will look into the DIY Bite-Not collar and also Manuka honey and/or Vetericyn. I know they won't leave the wounds alone. Riley can't reach his leg but he is trying, even if he can only lick the inside of his cone.
Sarge slipped out of his cone last night and went straight for his stitches. We caught him right away though.ETA: Both are on antibiotics for 2 weeks.
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We had a fight over a Dentastix. 5 seconds, an $800 late night trip to the e-vet and lots of stitches later, we could use some advice. Riley's leg was partially degloved but got nicely stitched back together. He has a bunch of small punctures on his head and a laceration on his nose. Sarge has only one major wound but it is a very deep bite to the shoulder muscle. The vet couldn't get a drain in it so it's closed. Both of them are in Cones of Shame. Despite the beatdown, I doubt Riley learned his lesson so from now on they are getting treats in separate rooms.
1) What can we do to make them more comfortable? They came home with some Rimadyl but only for 2 days and today is day 2. They look like they are still in pain, though they are moving easier than they were. 2) What are early signs of wound infections? To me, the wounds look clean and I don't notice any unusual swelling or pus but need to keep an eye on them especially Sarge's shoulder. 3) When can the Cones of Shame come off? After stitches are removed?
I stole my brother's treat right out of his mouth because I didn't think he would fight back.
I fought back.
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I just bought some probiotics from the pharmacy with several different strains, although it was so cold in the car that when I came back from my second grocery stop everything was frozen (it's subzero in western South Dakota right now). Hopefully that doesn't kill them off.
Olewo carrots are on order from Amazon. We'll add them to his food and see if that helps him out. Actually both dogs would probably benefit from it.
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First full day was a success. We think Rudy took his muzzle off (or the walker didn't put it back on) but no damage done!
Good deal!
If Rudy is able to take his muzzle off, you can buy a muzzle keeper (a piece that hooks onto the strap of the muzzle and fastens around the neck) to keep him from removing it. We have one for Riley because he was taking his off too. Places that sell turnout muzzles will also usually sell muzzle keepers.
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Well, Sarge had to go to the vet for an unrelated issue so while we were there he got wormed just so we can rule that out. Since we wormed him we also wormed Riley. He's still got gas but it doesn't seem as bad. Not sure if that's due to the worming or that he's getting used to his food. We're giving him a couple more weeks on TOTW High Prairie before we pull the plug and find another food.
He is on Keflex for an infected sheath now, so that should also do interesting things to his GI system.
We will put probiotics in his food (any suggestions for what kind / how much?) but I think the Keflex will kill them as fast as we put them in. -
Our new addition Sarge needs some assistance. He has gas that can peel paint from the walls, kill birds as they fly overhead and make his humans' eyes water and noses bleed. The whole house smells like poop, and it's just from his gas.
Any ideas for food for a gassy hound? We are feeding Taste of the Wild High Prairie and we do prefer a grain-free food, but at this point we'll feed him whatever will keep him healthy and stop the gaseous emissions. He has some loose poo as well... not exactly diarrhea, just a bit loose. He tested negative for parasites. Riley does great on TOTW High Prairie, but it just isn't working for his new brother.
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All of my hounds have been kleptomaniacs, at least at the beginning. They will steal anything that they can carry. I think the idea of having "things" around that they can collect intrigues them, even if they don't really have any particular interest in an object beyond obtaining it. Over time they have relaxed, and usually the only things they continue to collect are their own toys. Though every once in a while a random object goes missing, and the first thing we ask each other is, "Did you check the dog beds?"
Foster boy Jasper was the only one who was determined to take things outside. He would take toys and found objects out to the dog run and I was constantly rounding them up before they could get rained, snowed or peed on. Now that he is in his adoptive home he keeps doing it, mostly just with his own toys. Apparently at any given time you can look outside and see a herd of about 8 toys roaming the yard.
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Geez, that's awful.
Raven went into malignant hyperthermia while having a hematoma removed, but it happened while she was on the table and they were prepared with lots of ice packs just in case. They threw those on her to cool her down. She came out of it OK. I was of the understanding that once they came out of anesthesia they were no longer at risk.
Can your vet do a necropsy to determine the cause?
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Argus (Gable Republic) 2000 - 2007
Tiny (EL Tiny) 2001 - 2010
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No problems with Riley, who has been eating the High Prairie formula. Foster boy Jasper got switched abruptly to TOTW High Prairie from whatever he was eating at the prison (I think it was Pedigree) with no issues, which surprised me. Tummies are happy with no gas or diarrhea.
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I think the group will be as surprised as I was. I've gotten 2 dogs of my own through that program, both of whom were beautifully trained. It could be that 3greytjoys' theory that he's thrown by the change in people and environment is the cause, or it could be that the inmate he was with just didn't teach him. If the latter is the case, they need to know so it can be addressed.
It's almost 900 miles round trip to take him back so that's not happening. I am game to teach him, I just wasn't sure how best to go about it. He's a smart boy and eager to please, with no physical issues that I am aware of, so I think we can pull it off. I won't push him to learn faster than he's comfortable with... whatever he learns before he finds his forever home is whatever he learns. We'll just do our best.
He turned a corner today... this afternoon he tried to climb into my lap. When he realized he wouldn't fit (85 lbs.) he settled for hiding his head in my armpit.
If he keeps THAT up he might not be going anywhere. -
Yep, the adopters will expect it. Jasper went through a cell dog program where he was supposed to learn all of these things. It's one of the ways the group makes the hounds more attractive to potential adopters - they come knowing basic obedience commands. The inmates benefit by learning how to train a dog. I have no clue what happened in this case.
The artificial dog bed "hill" sounds like a great idea. Jasper is still a little protective of his personal space so I'm not sure hug and tuck is the best option for him. Leashing him to keep him from bounding the stairs should work well. I'll keep the clicker and a few treats on me at all times so I can catch him lying down. He does that a lot so it should be pretty easy.
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Foster boy Jasper arrived knowing none of his basic commands (sit, down and stay). This came as a big surprise because he went through a program where he was supposed to have been taught at least that top 3. He's also having trouble with stairs, which he was supposed to have been taught. He takes short staircases by leaping the entire thing and freezes up on steep staircases. I've encouraged Riley to go up and down to show Jasper how it's done. I've also been moving each his paws one at a time for him and placing them on the steps to get him up. When we get to the last few steps he leaps them.
Any adopter will expect that he has learned these things. He could also be spoken for at any time so we've got to work fast.
He is smart and well-behaved. He understood from the get-go that he wasn't supposed to pee in the house and never had an accident. He learned how to get into the car and how to use the dog door just by watching Riley do it. He isn't terribly food-motivated though.
All of my previous hounds have either come preprogrammed with the basics, or have learned stairs by watching their friends, or I haven't felt the need to teach certain commands (Raven never really needed to sit so I never taught her). What is the best way to teach Jasper?
FWIW, we are on totally flat prairie so there aren't a lot of hills to teach "sit" on, which is how I would have done it. I bought a clicker so we do have that to work with.
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Hardware store. You can find one that's just the right size and just the right style.
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Frontline Plus is very widely used on greyhounds with a wide margin of safety (and all of mine have used it with no ill effects).
For a flea problem though, I have found that Advantage works very, very well (more so than Frontline) and also has a wide margin of safety. If you have ticks too Frontline might be the better bet, but if what you want is just a bunch of dead fleas I'd go with Advantage.
A quick call to your vet should help you decide if the product you want to use is safe for your dog, since she has medical issues.
If he keeps THAT up he might not be going anywhere.
Suspect The Neighbors Fed Our Dogs
in Health and Medical discussion
Posted
Population 600 on the South Dakota prairie.... People I've never met before call our dogs by name on walks because they already heard about the strange skinny racing dogs on the corner, or they've come to see them for themselves. We used to have little kids that came to the living room window and called Riley, who would then run out the dog door to meet them in the run so they could reach over the fence and pet him. This concerned me for liability reasons, but it stopped after Riley bit a neighbor's dog that tried to hump him and got an undeserved rep for being nasty.
But as mentioned, the small town rumor mill can also be used to one's advantage. I don't think I want to put out that they were potentially poisoned because that might invite serious investigation (the sheriff lives two streets away) but I will put a bug in the ear of my neighbors to either side that someone fed them scraps and it made them terribly sick. I will ask said neighbors to keep an eye out. 1) If it was either of them, they'll probably stop 2) They will both talk and spread the word and 3) Again assuming it wasn't them (and I don't think it was), they probably will pounce on anyone that they see at the dog run.