GreytNut

You know, Raven is much more blase about falls than I am. I have a coronary when she tumbles. She finds her feet again, shakes herself off and proceeds with her business. Raven weighs about 53 lbs. soaking wet right now. She has always been a skinny little noodle of a dog with a fickle appetite. She's been cavalier about the need to eat lately (this comes and goes in cycles and always has... I don't think she's sick). I am a bit nervous about giving her drugs that might depress her already not-so-great enthusiasm toward food but we'll see what happens.

Raven is due to go in for her exam soon and I'll ask if the vet thinks Gabapentin or a combo of drugs might help her. I didn't think that it was pain that was the problem. I thought that it was just feebleness. FWIW, I agree with Susan that exercise is important to helping her keep what butt muscles she has. It's why I still let her run around in the yard, even though I cover my eyes every time she rounds a corner. Lately it's been so bitter, nasty cold that neither of the hounds have wanted to leave the house, even wrapped up. Today was the first reasonable day we've had in a while, and I made a point of taking Miss Raven out for zoomies. She mostly just puttered around the yard sniffing things, but she did get up and go a few times. It was nice to see. There is a dog next door that loves to race up and down the fenceline with her, and when he's out in the yard he can really get her going. It sounds like there's quite a lot of us dealing with similar difficulties.

Raven is 13 now and in generally good health, but she's getting wobbly. Most of her issues are with her hind end. She can't stand for very long without her hind end shaking. Lifting one of her front paws to do toenail duty or put her arm through her jammies is enough to almost sit her down. She still likes to run in the yard, but sometimes her hind end gives out altogether and she wipes out. It takes a monumental effort for her to get up from a lying down position. Is there anything that can be done for hind end weakness, or is that just one of the inevitable consequences of being an old doggie?

I have been using Taste of the Wild High Prairie, which is their bison and venison formula. They do very well on it, they like it and I can feed them less of it than any other food I've tried. Therefore we have a lot less poop, and it works out to be very economical as well. I get sticker shock every time I buy a bag - it works out to almost $50 after tax for a 33-lb. bag - but remind myself that it lasts a lot longer than foods with a lower purchase price.

When Riley smiles he's relaxed and happy. Usually he's leaning against my legs and wagging his tail. He wiggles and prances. He'll show most of his teeth. It's obvious from his body language that he's smiling and not snarling. When he bares his teeth he shows just his fangs. He is stiff and the look in his eyes is not nice. At that point I have about 2 seconds to stop what I'm doing or I'll get bitten. This usually happens during nail trimming time and it's why I muzzle him now.

No real advice other than to watch closely and keep other male dogs from approaching if possible. If they're licking his penis, you might have him checked by a vet for a sheath infection. When my boy Tiny had an infection other dogs were fascinated with his penis - it was my first clue that something was wrong with him. You have my sympathy. Riley seems to attract humpers as well, and his reaction is violent. The dog down the street is missing part of an ear as a result. I am very reluctant to allow unknown dogs to interact with him in case they turn out to be humpers because Riley will tear into them.

All of my hounds have been squishy love bugs, but 3 out of 4 don't/didn't care to be touched while they were in their beds. Their beds are their safe havens and greyhounds (like other dogs) can be funny about being messed with while they're asleep. My girl doesn't care if you approach her or pet her while she's sleeping but she's the odd one out. However, all of mine have loved to come up to me while I'm sitting on the couch and shove their heads in my armpit or flip my hand onto their heads for lovins. Tiny and Riley had/have a fixation with rubbing against me like giant cats... swishing and swirling around my legs. Raven is crazy for tummy rubs. If you ask her if she wants one, she will flip over and present her tummy. They are all individuals, and some are cuddlier than others. Some take a while to warm up. Some are very cuddly but on their own terms, when they feel like it. I agree that you should tell your adoption group what you're looking for so they can give you a love bug. Even so, always be cautious when you approach a sleeping or resting dog, and respect their personal space.

I do not allow my dogs' teeth to touch human skin for any reason, ever. It is perfectly fine for dogs to play bitey face with each other. I would not permit them to do it with a human. Accidents happen, and when you have a dog with sharp teeth those accidents can be serious. If you need to go to the ER with a dog bite to the face, your dog is likely to face unfortunate consequences whether the bite was intentional or not. If your dog decides to engage in this sort of play with another person because you allow him to do it with you, that other person is going to understandably freak out and likely believe that he or she is being attacked. I had to beg my neighbor not to call Animal Control on Tiny when he was new to my household and had a play-biting fixation. He playfully nipped said neighbor's child. It was all in fun from Tiny's perspective and no harm was meant or done, but it was not fun to that child's parent and I put a stop to that behavior before it happened again. If Tiny had gone for that child's face--in play or not--my neighbor would have seen to it that he was on the euthanasia table before I could say "Boo." For your own safety and for your dog's, I would strongly suggest that you not allow him to do this with you no matter how much he enjoys it. There are plenty of safe games you can enjoy with your hound without putting your safety at risk or subjecting him to possible impoundment if an accident happens.

I have found that when the weather gets nasty, leaving pajamas or fleece coats on the hounds will make them a LOT more amenable to using the dog door when duty calls. Before I did that I was occasionally finding little "presents" right inside the dog door on bitterly cold days. I also force them to go out right before I leave for the day or turn in for the night if the weather is particularly nasty and I know they'll be reluctant to go out of their own accord. You'd be amazed how fast a dog can pee when the temperature drops below a certain point.

I like to have them meet for the first time on neutral turf, such as in the driveway or out at the street, with everyone muzzled and leashed. Once they seem OK we let them all into the back yard to get to know each other before we let them into the house. I don't take the muzzles off until I am good and sure that there is harmony. If there is any conflict, I make sure that the offending parties are separated at all times if I can't supervise. Everyone should always be muzzled turing turnouts. Usually greyhounds take well to having fellow greyhound visitors. Most of the conflicts, if there are going to be any, occur if you have a dominant dog and one of your houseguests also turns out to be dominant. Those two you want to keep muzzled and/or separated. Riley, for example, is a megalomaniacal alpha dog who has to be in charge of everyone all of the time and likes to stand over the other dogs just to make sure they know their places. I sometimes babysit an alpha girl who really pushes his buttons. She is crated when I can't supervise, and everyone is muzzled during free play. It is worth noting that you cannot just muzzle one or a couple of dogs. If you muzzle one, muzzle all of them. Feed them as far apart as you can so nobody is intruding into another dog's personal space at meal or treat time.

Better safe than sorry. I'd avoid feeding them any part of the spine or brain. CWD has infected both deer and elk in our area. Since it is a prion that causes the disease and not a bacterial or viral infection, it is not destroyed by cooking or freezing. I hadn't heard about it residing in the marrow - I thought it was strictly a nervous system disease like mad cow. Glad your crew is enjoying the venison! We're getting a chest freezer soon and I hope next deer/antelope/turkey season we'll have some wild game meat in there to share with the hounds.

I have a dog door--well, two actually--and love them. One dog door leads from the house to the garage. The other leads from the garage to a dog run that is separately fenced from the rest of the yard so the hounds can't get too crazy when I'm not there to supervise. I did that on the cheap using T-posts, hog panels, fence clips and zip ties. Surprisingly, it doesn't look bad. The back of the garage is snow fenced to keep the hounds from running out when the garage door opens. Yes, I am the queen of redneck improvisation. The power dog doors have the potential to leave your dog stranded outside if the battery in the transmitter fails. If you live in a very cold climate that can be a life-threatening hazard. The thought of my hounds stuck outside in subzero weather eliminated the temptation for me to get one, though I also had concerns about critters coming in. So far none have. I got cheap dog doors with the intention of upgrading and the one from the garage to the run does blow open in rough weather. If you spring for a quality door like an Patio Pacific Endura Flap or Hale Security door you shouldn't have that problem. Training them to use the door is easiest if you can tape the flap up for the first few days while they get used to it. Then you leave the flap down and entice them through with some yummy treats until they learn to push the flap out of the way. Some learn the ropes right away just by watching other dogs do it. If you can borrow a friend's dog that knows how to use a dog door to demonstrate, that will speed things along.

If he's waking up with a bloodcurdling shriek it's probably a charley horse. If you've ever woken up with a terrible leg cramp you know what I mean. Our dogs can get those too. Argus used to wake up screaming from time to time. He would limp for a few minutes and then all was well. Scared us to death.

The saying is that the dog you bring home is not the dog you'll have in 6 months. They change as they relax, learn the ropes and bond with their new people. Enjoy watching her blossom!

He has access to a dog door and a small run during the day. If he didn't, I'd let him out. I just wouldn't make eye contact, act excited or pet/interact with him for that 15-minute window. I'd just matter-of-factly open the door to let him out.

My cat Evita will play with Raven. They have silly little games like Swat the Hound and peekaboo. They sometimes like to snuggle. Riley is more cat workable than actually cat safe, so he is not permitted to play with the cats. My rules are these: 1) No Contact. Dog is too big, cat can easily be smooshed by an overenthusiastic hound. Cat is allowed to make contact because she's a peanut, provided she doesn't get too amped up herself. Rough play is never allowed. Gentle snuggling is OK. 2) No Chasing. Games of chase can turn deadly serious without warning. 3) No Pestering. When the kitty is done playing, no following her and bothering her for more. If kitty doesn't want to play, don't be obnoxious. This works both ways because if kitty pesters a sleeping hound she can get her head bitten off. 4) No Unsupervised Interaction. Ever. No exceptions.

Compared to other dogs my family had growing up, greyhounds are air ferns. Separation anxiety can occur with any breed of dog. Riley had it at first. What worked for us was alone training. For 15 minutes before I left, I ignored him. For 15 minutes after I returned, I ignored him. My leavings and returnings were very boring. I left him only for a few seconds at first. Then a few minutes. Then half an hour. We worked up to leaving for several hours at a time. My neighbor (whose own dog had separation anxiety and howled terribly) was helpful in letting me know when/if he cried, and for how long. Within a few weeks I could leave him all day. I still do the ignoring thing before and after I go out. It's hard to resist a happy bouncing dog who rejoices when you come home, but making your comings and goings a non-event is very important. A turnout muzzle will help prevent him from chewing things.

Whoooo, that was scary. I'm glad your boy is OK and the coyote made it out relatively unscathed. Did the vet give a rabies booster? Usually if it's been more than 2 weeks since their last booster they'll give them another if the dog has been bitten by a suspected rabid animal. Mine turn into psychopaths when they see a coyote. Even gentle Raven. They get a crazy gleam in their eyes and snarl and bark so hard spit flies from their mouths. You don't need a translator to hear them barking, "Kill! Kill! Kill!" Not sure what it is about coyotes that inspires such hatred, but it's frightening to behold. Several years ago we had a bad experience once involving several coyotes trying to incite my dogs into jumping the fence so they could pack up on them, the dogs flinging themselves against the fence to get at them and me in my pajamas trying to drag two enraged hounds back to the house through 3 1/2 feet of snow without getting bitten. Fun. Not.

All of my dogs have come to me already altered, so I can't really speak to that. However, I have noticed a marked difference amongst cats. I have brought home two unspayed females. The resident spayed females were remarkably violent toward them (more so than cats ordinarily are... they don't usually take well to new cats). In both cases once I had them spayed the residents calmed down.

Tiny did that when I first brought him home. It was bad enough when he did it to me, but when he did it to a neighborhood kid I had nightmares about him being branded a vicious dog. It had to stop. IMO it is never OK for a dog's teeth to touch human skin. What worked was making a yelp or shriek when he bit me, then turning my back to him and folding my arms across my chest. I became a statue and didn't move until he calmed down. He got the point remarkably quickly and I had no further problems. Getting him to stop doing it to my other hound took a while longer. When he couldn't "nit" on humans he took out his excitement on her instead. Sounds like the yelp/statue method is working well for you too! FWIW, head butting can be dangerous in a house with stairs. Tiny was fond of head butting me in the middle of the back (yes, he was that tall), especially when I was at the top of the staircase. I wondered sometimes if he had a million dollar life insurance policy on me and was trying to cash in.

Assuming she has no medical issues such as a vaginal infection that might be causing discomfort, you're probably right... she's getting busy with herself. Raven does this on occasion. So does my boy Riley, for that matter. If there's no company at the house who might be shocked, I pretend not to notice and go find something else to do in another room.

I tried to shield Raven by having the techs entertain her in another exam room while Argus was being put down. It didn't work. She knew exactly what had happened. Now I wish I'd let her "say goodbye" even if that just meant letting her see him/sniff him when he was gone. I don't know that I'd want another dog in the room at the time because sometimes euthanasia doesn't go as smoothly as anticipated (Tiny screamed and fought) and that might be very upsetting. But bringing the other dog in afterward to see the body and let it sink in is probably beneficial.

I found Riley to be very energetic by greyhound standards, which is still a slug by normal dog standards. He was very fond of doing zoomies in the yard and was a bit overfond of chewing. I gave him extra play time in the yard and redirected his oral enthusiasm with lots of chewies. Problem solved! He was also the first of my hounds to really enjoy playing with toys. The rest of the time he was/is like any other greyhound... mostly either sleeping or resting on his bed. Now at age 4 he's a bigger slug than my nearly 13-year-old. He has not outgrown his fondness for toys, however, much to my delight.

Get a turnout muzzle with a poop cup. Slather creamy peanut butter inside the poop cup. Put the muzzle on. You will be protected and your dog will be distracted. Win/win. I have found a cordless Dremel to be much easier to use than the corded variety as it gives you the freedom to chase your fidgety hound without being tethered to the wall. Make sure you tie your hair back first if it is long. Riley is nasty about having his nails done and once came very close to biting me in the face. He lunged at me with jaws wide open and from my perspective it looked like a great white shark coming up from the deep to swallow a seal. He snapped his jaws shut about half an inch from my nose. The message was pretty clear. So now the above method is how I get him done. He still fusses a bit, but mostly he's concerned with licking the PB out of his muzzle and I don't have to worry about losing my nose if he does get snappish.

What happened? Is Dancer OK?