Sighthounds4me

LOVE this stuff! I usually double Naples' dosage in winter, but so far, I have not needed to. But this stuff is amazing!

Where in the neck is it? I ask, because we have had a similar issue with Naples (will be 10 next week). She had a lump right at the base of her mandible, where it joins the throat. With the advice of a vet, we assumed it was a dental abcess, given her history of horrible teeth, and she has been on antibiotics for two weeks. Hers showed up very quickly. She is muzzled in the yard, and when I put her muzzle on, I place my hand under her chin. In the afternoon, the lump was not there, but right before bed, it was, and it was about the size of a tennis ball! The vet prescribed cephalexin, 750 mg, three times a day. The lump has reduced, and is barely noticeable now. We may have to continue abx for another week, but this may beat it. If not, we will take the next step. There is concern, of course, that it could be something more, like a swollen gland. We shall have to see...

HOTD did better for mine than oils. It makes sense. Oils naturally are going to get things moving rather well.

Great to hear! For those new to the product, though, please note that one week to notice a difference is not typical. Allow at least 4-6 weeks for a noticeable difference. It works from the inside out to make the dog healthier in general, so a difference in the coat can take time.

Sorry to hear of your loss! She was lovely!

I use Hair of the Dog by Doc's Blend. Fantastic stuff. But, in all honesty, if she has not had a bath, I would try that, first. Use a mild shampoo, designed for dogs with dry skin. Follow that with a remoisturizing conditioner, left on for at least 5 minutes, 10 if you can. Follow that with a towle dry, and then a leave-on conditioning spray. I like Plum Silky shampoo, Aloe Remoisturizer, and Quicker Slicker by Nature's Specialties. Nature's Specialties can be tough to find, but you can order from the website (the stuff seems expensive, but remember, the shampoo and conditioner dilute a ton, and the Quicker Slicker goes a long way on a short coated dog, especially if you massage it in). Then, brush the coat daily with something like a curry brush or a Zoom Groom. It will help pull out the dry, dead hair, and promote new growth. It will also stimulate the skin, and distrubute the oils that are present. Simply petting the dog a lot will help, too, because your own oils will get distrubuted. Hope this helps!

I agree with Chris and Cathy. I know plenty of people, in many sighthounds breeds (not just Greyhounds) that have lure- or open-field coursing dogs who coexist peacefully with cats and/or other small animals. But in this case, what you do on your property is your business! How dare they ask, or imply, that you not exercise your dog because they fear for their cats, whom they allow to roam free with no supervision?! How is that your responsibility?! Perhaps if they cared more about their cats, they would keep them safe by taking responsibility to keep them inside the house, or otherwise contained!

Generally, it's not steroids (which would do nothing), and it's not injections. Most often, Greyhound bitches on the track are given synthetic hormones orally. Not terribly different that human women being on the pill.

These are some VERY good points, as well. I, too, am more likely to own an intact male (I have two, currently) than an intact bitch. If I am not a breeder, I see no reason to have an intact bitch. Males are much easier, both because I do not have to deal with the hormonal changes,and because breeding is so much easier, if the breeder wants to use the male. As far as misbehavior...YES YES YES! I will say that in some cases, it may be a bit tougher to train intact dogs. But, that is exactly as I say: in *some* cases, and *a bit* more difficult. It is neither impossible, norsomething to be taken lightly. I know plenty of intact male (and female) dogs that have advanced obedience and agility titles. Many of those are among non-traditional obedience/agility breeds, proving even further that it can be done. So that means that day-to-day manners are not that difficult to maintain. Is it true that *sometimes* those hormones can lead to snarkiness and fighting? Yes. but that is *sometimes,* and it can be managed with proper socialization and training. And that last paragraph...again, I agree, but to a point. For the majority of people, yes. For a few, who have the ability and desire to deal with it, I don't see it as a problem. But, I don't see a need for spay/neuter to be mandatory by law (and anyway, that is taking away a freedom upon which this country was founded!). Education is still the key!

Exactly, and any large dog I own will always be spayed/neutered late, assuming I am allowed to do so by contract (whether is is from a rescue or a breeder). I will say that I have seen many males with prostate troubles, who are intact, especially the older they get. I am still debating about neutering Manero after he completes his UKC championship... Oh, and I should say, too, that I am no longer certain I am a huge proponant of altering pets. Now, the disclaimers I attach to that are these: in the US, there are many, many idiotic pet owners who should probably be spayed and neutered themselve. To let them have intact animals only increases the numbers of pets who will never know the joys of having a happy home. Also, for the average pet owner, altering their pets is a good thing. Many can't/don't want to deal with the potential issues of having intact pets...they don't want to keep them contained and supervised, to prevent unwanted litters, etc. For those that can/want to be responsible, I do not see a problem. But that is a culture that needs to change, and is unlikely to anytime soon. Thus the bills and laws we are seeing being proposed all over the nation. I remember years ago, it was never a thought...when I was a kid, none of my pets were altered. And only if we *wanted* them to, were there ever any breedings. That's what being responsible means, much like Marion is stating. However, I will also say this: for responsible rescue and adoption organizations, like most Greyhound adoption organizations, altering is the way to go. Otherwise, it would only make the overpopulation problem worse, because you'd have many, many people getting their hands on intact animals, telling the organization anything they want to hear ("Yes, I will get the pet altered...of COURSE I will!" wink wink, nudge, nudge). I shudder that our local shelter does not alter pets before placing them. How many more land in that shelter as a result?

OMG - I did not see this before! I am so sorry for your loss, Jonathan!

The oil might be helping with the hair growth. But it might be the fact that she's on a higher fat/lower protein diet than she had at the track, too. If you are interested in a non-oil supplement, I can give you a suggestion. But at this point, I would let her settle in, run a curry comb, hound glove or "Zoom Groom" over her daily, and play wait and see. She may do just fine without any supplements.

I would think it is the antibiotics. I know I personally often have GI upset when I am on antibiotics... I would try reducing the amount of food daily, as others suggested. My Greyhound, Naples, gets about 4 cups of food daily, split into two meals. That is a lot for many Greyhounds, but she is active, running a lot. Her metabolism is still very high, though she is almost 10. In your case, you could probably do 3 cups of food daily, split into two meals, with one heaping tablespoon of canned. I would also look into a probiotic. If you have a good farm and fleet store near you, check out the horse and/or cattle section for a probiotic powder that you can use. We use one called Probios, which we buy from the horse section of our local farm and fleet store. It works VERY well, and is quite inexpensive! The reason I suggest probiotics is because when antibiotics are given, they kill the good bacteria in the gut, as well as the bad. We need to replace them, or risk the GI problems you describe. And I agree with Lindsay ^ when she suggests a different food, and eliminating the oil...

Adams spot on (as opposed to the spray) contains permethrin, just like Bio-Spot. I did not even know they had a spot-on! Guess that shows I need to do more research before spouting off with so much knowlege! I do know that the spray and shampoo are safe on sighthounds, though. Any other Adams product, I can't say.

Adams is pyrethrin-based. Pyrethrin is a derivitive of certain chrysanthymums, IIRC. It is safely used on sighthounds, when used according to package directions. Biospot is permethrin-based. Permethrin is a synthetic form of pyrethrin, and is NOT safe on sighthounds or cats.

I COULD NOT AGREE MORE! I would definitely lose confidence in my vet too...

Now that is an answer I don't have. The breeder we work with advises us that puberty should hit in Borzoi around 18 months. I would imagine in an IG, it would be earlier, given that he's a smaller dog, and would mature faster.

I live with an intact male (actually two, but one is too young for the hormones at this time). My males are not Greyhounds, and they are show/breeding prospects, thus the fact they are intact. I can tell you that personality is a highly individual thing, and not usually attributed to the gonads. Manero can be moody, but I am not sure how much of that is due to his being intact. I'd like to think that neutering will solve that, but I doubt it will. As far as the desire to escape, there may or may not be a reason to do so. In our case, we have had him about 4.5 years, and he has never shown any desire to escape to find a mate. Most often, if a dog has never been bred, he has no reason to seek it out, because, though the instinct is there, he has no idea how to act on it. Obviously, that is a generalization, but that has been my (limited) experience. Regarding marking: marking behavior is a learned thing, and not something strictly reserved for intact males. I have seen plenty of neutered males who lift their leg, and plenty of intact males that do not. I have also seen bitches that mark, and in fact, I have one! As far as humping, that is another thing that can be trained. Again, this is something that Manero has never shown any desire to do. But if he did, he'd be told NO in a heartbeat...it is something that you can prevent! And bone growth: there are a lot of differences between the growth and development between an intact dog and a nuetered one. But realistically, for the pet dog, who will never race, lure-course, run agility, or other physical activity, it would not be enough to sway me not to neuter a small dog like an IG. In a big dog, like a Greyhound, I probably would wait till at least 18 months in a male. But that's just me, and it's because the development and maturation is much slower in a big dog. My short answer to you is this: if I were you, I would call the rescue, and find out what procedure they asked for. If they say neuther, ask them to follow-up with the vet that did the procedure, and ask what's up. Then, if it's discovered that only a vasectomy was done, and the rescue asked for a full neuter, it is up to the original vet to complete the job.

Yup...I keep a little vial of Quik Stop in my tack box, right next to the nail clipper. It comes out, and sits on the grooming table every time I clip. I want it handy. Only rarely do I need it, but it never goes bad, so I always have it on hand...

We do one called Probios. We find it at our local farm and fleet store, in the horse and cattle section. It's very inexpensive, and the dogs love it!

She gets probiotics daily. Not in the form of yogurt, but in a powder. I'm not directly concerned with curing the problem. That is not what I asked about. Instead, I am curious to know if this is simply an "old Greyhound" thing, that can develop over time, or something else.

Are they red because the dog licks them? Saliva turns the hair reddish in color, if there is prolonged exposure. If that is the case, I would think he has an allergy of some type, that is causing itching, and he is licking in response to the itch. Try giving Benadryl, and seeing if that helps the issue. If it does, have an allergy.

This thread in Food and dietary got me thinking about gas in Greyhounds. When we first adopted Naples, we had a few issues with gas, and I was not terribly surprised. Once she got settled in, and her gut got used to the food, she was fine. Then we adopted Gunnar. He was about 9 at the time, and had gas like you would not believe. We tried many different foods, probiotics, medical check-ups, the works. Nothing could pinpoint a problem, so we assumed it was just him. Now that Naples is older (will be 10 in December), she has started to have gas like his. It's not constant. It's not everyday. As one would expect, it gets worse when she has to defacate. But it is more than it used to be. She has not had a food change in two years. There have been a few upheavals in the home (new additions, canine and feline), but she always deals with changes like that without a blink of the eye - she's very adaptable like that. So, my question is, is this something that can be expected of older Greyhounds? or, as suggested in the thread posted above, could this be a sign of something else? She is very bright and active, as usual. No other changes, other than a little slowing down, due to her age. Thoughts?

I was going to suggest an ophthamalogist, if you have one in the area. We are lucky, we have one very close to us, and he is VERY good.

Though I am a huge proponent of a supplement developed and marketed by friends of mine, I agree with the wait, better food, and daily brushing approach. When we have fosters, we do not supplement them, at the request of our adoption group. But their coats improve just because we put them on a higher fat food than what they get at the track. Daily brushing helps, too. As far as bathing, make sure you use a GOOD shampoo, especially if it also conditions. A conditioner would be good too, to prevent itching. And no more than once a month.