Sighthounds4me

Sighthounds are good at that. If they have the gene for ticking, you will see more and more as they get older. My Cooper, though not a Grey, is a perfect example. When he came to us at 16 months old, he had some ticking on his otherwise white legs. But now 6 years old, his legs are very heavily ticked. It's VERY normal, and expected, so nothing to worry about! Kind fun, actually!

Oh, and, I use a shedding blade, designed for horses for shedding Greyhounds. You can find them at big box pet stores, but they would be cheaper if you have a farm supply store near you.

I wouldn't worry about either the shedding or the balding thighs. I assume this is a new dog off the track? First, the shedding: If this is a new dog off the track (say, 6 months or less), it's probably that he is shedding his "track coat," and it will be replaced by his pet coat. Many times, a Greyhound will have a soft, fuzzy, dull coat on the track, which is shed and replaced by a silkier, smoother coat in the pet home. There are many reasons I have heard for this shed, not the least of which is diet. If he is not new off the track, I would attribute it to seasonal shedding. All dogs go through this, especially those in colder climates. The difference is, though, that instead of warmer days, it has more to do with light: the longer the days get, the more the dog will shed. Regarding the bald thighs: Many Greyhounds have this. Newer theories have to do with hormonal changes incurred while being heavily trained on the track. The training messes with the hormones, and causes the folicles not to produce hair. Often, this will come back when the dog is retired, and adopts a more sedintary lifestyle. You see this with heavily raced Whippets, too, so I personally do not think this has anything to do with "crate rub" like other people may say. Besides, human women who train for marathons and other physical exertions can experience similar hormonal issues, most notably a disruption in monthly cycles.

I'm so sorry to hear this, Sue! My thoughts are with you. I'm so sorry to hear this, Sue! My thoughts are with you.

Males can often alert to a female who has an infection. If they've never been used, their instinct does not know how to tell the difference between a sexually ready bitch, or one with an infection. Naples has had an vaginal infection again...she is on antibiotics now. Anytime she has one, my boys tell me. Yes, even the neutered one! So, it could be the infection. I would go through the course of antibiotics, and see what happens. If the boys are still inteested, take her back in. She either needs a longer course of antibiotics, or an ultrasound to see if there is anything in there.

Best of luck! I will pray for you and Clark!

Agreed on the adult food. An all-stages food should be fine. Also, watch the protien levels - too much can be a problem, and cause issues like this. I would actually avoid the supplements. Many are high in protien, thus can cause problems like this.

I agree with Burpdog - go ahead with the dental. It's possible that he has mouth pain that's causing this, and a dental will solve that. Good luck, Sara!

Presley was a love. Only a few months short of his 13th birthday, he was the last of the litter to hang on. His eyesight and hearing were almost gone, and he needed help getting up and down the stairs. But he never failed to greet "his" people (and that included everyone he knew, not just family members) with a huge, happy, toothy smile, and a heavy lean. He loved having his ears scratched. He was deeply loved by his heart-human, the breeders' daughter. She knew the moment he was born that they were meant for each other. I feel so badly for her. He passed away quietly in his sleep last night. I am in tears, and I barely knew him. I can't imagine how she feels. Please say a prayer. We'll miss you, Presley! You were one of a kind!

Been there! Manero needed surgery a few years ago when he cut his foot - he had actually severed an artery! I doubt you boy's is that bad, though! Best of luck!

Been there on myself. Can you buy Steri Strips, and apply them yourself? The last time I needed sutures, one wound was deeper than I think the PA thought. I think it should have had a two-layer closure. Anyway, when I went back in to have them taken out, the corner of the first wound opened up a bit. So they applied steri strips for a couple of extra days, to make sure the wounds would heal right. I took them off after a couple more days, and the wounds were fine. All you'd need to do is stop by a good pharmacy, and ask the pharmacist to help you find what you need! Good luck! *ETA: I would only recommend steri strips if the clipped hair has not grown back in significantly. If it has, you'll pull hair when you remove the strips, and that'll hurt like crazy!!

Hello from Green Bay! I know you from the GPA WI forum, too. (I mostly lurk there)

Hello from another fellow cheesehead! Welcome aboard.

Hello, fellow Wisconsinite! I am from the Green Bay area (and buried in snow, as I am sure you can relate!). My name is Sarah. I live with my husband Bill, a Greyhound, Naples, three Borzoi, Manero, Cooper, and Indigo (the semi-permanent foster), and a cat, Ziploc.

First thing I would try is a humidifier, assuming you live in a cold climate. Indoor heating is very drying to skin - I know I am using a ton of lotion on my own skin this year. Next, you can look into supplementation with something more than fish oil. That is a good start, but often, there is not enough to make much of a difference. I like Hair of the Dog as a supplement. It is a balanced supply of Omega fatty acids, and really helps improve skin and coat condition, as well as general health. You can also try a spray leave-on conditioner designed for dogs. I like several brands, but the most readily available include Vet's Best and Miracle Coat - both available at bix box stores. Spray them on very generously, and massage into the skin. (I don't like using human productson dogs. The pH is different, and can cause additional problems. In addition, dandruff shampoos developed for humans can often strip the natural oils, and dry the skin further.) And, as has already been mentioned, daily brushing with a curry type brush is greyt. It'll help distrubute the natural oils more, and therefore keep the skin moisturized.

It's been a weird season so far, weather-wise. I suspect these poor dogs' bodies don't know what to do! I know of several Borzoi that are naked, too, and they SHOULD be hairy! One is my own Cooper - I bushed him out and bathed him last week, and he is still shedding buckets! Poor guy is having a hcek of a time outside. He loves to play in the snow, but I have to limit him right now!

I've used it many times for dentals, and had only very mild stomach discomfort as a result. That does not happen often, and if the abx is given with food, there is far less of a problem. With any antibiotic, though, I also give intestinal prbiotics. Having been on abx other than clindamycin myself, I can tell you that they do make for more bathroom trips! And when one has to go, one REALLY has to go *NOW*! It's always one of your dogs, isn't it, Lynn?

Okay, so we cancelled the appointment! I got home from work this morning, and Naples was doing her spinning thing in her crate, as usual. So I took her outside, to see how she was moving. She jumped off the deck! Yes, I said JUMPED. And she trotted a little, which is a new development. In addtion, I realized early this morning that she has not been wagging her tail - VERY unusual for her. Well, she did this morning (just aks Poor Manero! He got a tail in the eye!). So, considering the improvement, I called the vet office this morning. They thought that if she was doing better, they didn't need to see her. My pocketbook agrees! So, we will continue to keep a close eye on her, and call the vet again if need be. Thanks for all the well-wishes!

Well, things have improved a little, but not a lot. She's still not *right.* She's not steady on her feat, her activity level is nothing close to what it normally is. Today, I let her out to potty when I got home from work, she had a hard time descending the two stairs on the deck. I just don't know what to think. There is nothing specific at all about this. She's just "off." So, I have an appointment tomorrow morning. I will have them do a thorough exam, and bloodwork, then take it from there. I just hope we can figure this out...

Well, now I'm not so sure it's her tummy, unless that is part of the problem. She does seem "brighter," KWIM? She's more alert, and wants to be a part of our day. But she just *can't*. She had to go outside, so I took her out. She was really gingerly walking around the yard. But she urinated twice, including one marking episode. I take that as a good sign. Her urine looked normal for her. She also pooped, and that appeared normal for her. A neighbor is working with a power saw, and when he started cutting, she jumped a little. That's very unusual for her. But she settled back in right away. Earlier, she walked over to me, so I placed my hand *VERY GENTLY* on her belly, to check rigidity. She almost bit me! Obvioulsy, that is painful. So, I went to gently hug her around her shoulders (she normally LOVES this), and got the same reaction. So I am baffled. She's walking like she's painful all over, like when we humans get body aches from the flu or something. And her painful reaction to me touching her seems to support that. But this does not seem life-treatening, so I can't really justify an e-vet trip. On the plus side, she is drinking water, and is VERY interested in food again. She must have really been hurting last night, then. Poor girlie. And I can't even hug her to tell her it's going to be alright.

This time it's different, though. She doesn't even want food! Early yesterday, she seemed fine. She ate breakfast like normal, ran around the yard like normal, etc. Then Dh and I left the house to run some errands. When we came home, we walked into the house, and smelled poo. We checked her crate first, out of haabit, and saw nothing but a dog.checked around, and found nothing. We assumed it was gas, and ushered the dogs out. Naples pooped, and it appeared normal, not soft, as I'd expect. She hung around with us all evening, seeming normal. I let her out before bed, and she still seemed fine. Got her into her crate to feed her, and she would not eat. That is VERY, VERY, VERY unlike her. So, I took Manero to the bedroom, and left her in the family room with DH, hoping she'd eat. He gave her another 20 minutes or so, and nothing. So he tried to get her into the bedroom, snd she seemed restless, and did not want to come in. She finally did, and roamed around a while before laying down. Then she got up again, and looked very uncomfortable. DH took her back outside, then she did not want to leave the family room. I checked to see if her belly was rigid. It was not, so I was not worried about bloat yet. But she was very tender, and actually thought about biting when I touched her belly. So I scritched her ears, told her I was sorry. Dh stayed in the family room with her all night, in case she needed help. She was restless periodically through the night, but is better this morning. She is still "off," but ate her breakfast (I wanted to fast her 24 hours, but DH didn't think of it. ). She seems a lot more comfortable now, but still tender. I hope this was just a "thing." I don't know what she could have gotten into, but that may be the culprit. She is muzzled with a poop cup outside, and crated if we cannot supervise. As far as I know, she' had no access to anything out of the ordinary. We will keep an eye on her, and get her to the vet if necessary.

Yes, rabies vaccines can be different. There is one good for three years (the most common one I've seen, but I am not in the veterinary profession), and one that is good for only one year. So it seems likely that Lily would need another one, in order to be complient with the law. As for the distemper, that's up for debate. What my boys' breeder (a long-time, well-experienced vet, who works for a shelter) tells me is that to do distemper every three years is plenty. Truth be told, after hthe initial series, about the time the dog turns 2, either they have the immunization, or they don't, and boostering win't make much of a difference at that point. But I do my own vaccinations, escept rabies. That one legally must be done by a vet...

Whips are not caught with Heartgard or those like it. It has to be Interceptor, or one with the same ingredients. HOWEVER, a full-blown infestation has to be treated first - a heartworm preventive does not have enough in it to cure an infestation - that has to be done with Panacur, and in a certain manner (I believe a three-day treatment, followed by three more days after a week, then three more days a week or so later). We use Interceptor, because we had a Borzoi foster bring us Whips a few years ago - they live in the soil, so I don't want to be too careful!

Yeah - bitter apple and the like are more like condiments in my house. It may deter them for a short time, but before long, they are doing what they did before. Tea tree oil is worth a shot with Missy, but remember that it should not be injested in mass quantity. So be very careful, if you choose to use it in this manner.

It is possible that he has an undecended testicle, but these behaviors do not necessarily mean that. The behaviors you see with the girls may have more to do with dominance. I have an intact male, and while he does mark outside, the only time in recent memory he has done so in the house is when the cat had urination issues. I can understand that. But he does urinate over the girls' spots, too, but only after they've finished. We have taught him that. As far as the mounting, it happens! I've seen many neutered males that do this, as well as females. Many times, the mounting is a dominance move - a way of saying "I'm higher in status, and I'll show it by being higher than you physically!" As far as tests, there are blood tests that can be done, to test for levels of testosterone. Then you can have x-rays done - the x-rays may show something, but are not designed for soft tissue, so a vet might prefer to do an ultrasound instead. the next step may be en exploratory surgery.