Sighthounds4me

OMG, Bev!!! I'mso sorry!! MANY prayers for you, Darcy, and the rest of your family (furry and two-legged).

Ooooo - that stuff sounds AMAZING!!!

Wouldn't changing the bag and putting the used one in a trash bag accomplish the same thing without having to buy a flea collar to destroy? Yes it would, but if you have an old-school cloth bag, or bagless, it might be wisest to do the flea collar. You can do pure neem oil on paper bits, or some other oil that kills fleas (lavendar, tea tree, etc). You can also use fresh lavendar if you have some. Diatomaceous earth would work, too. And all are rather readily available to any consumer.

I really like the natural approach whenever possible. I have used a Neem-based shampoo on dogs with fleas with good success. The one I like is from Nature's Specialties. It's really good stuff, and is very concentrated. You do have to lather it up, then leave it on for a few minutes. But it is really soothing to the skin, too, so it might help the dermatitis often associated with flea bites. You can also buy sprays that are neem-based, for your furniture, bedding, etc. If you'd like, you can buy a flea collar, cut it into pieces, and vacuum it up. It will then kill fleas (and other critters) in your vacuum bag, preventing them from getting back out.

You can try tea tree oil, if the dog will tolerate it. It's pretty stinky, though, and really affects them. Manero, for example, gets CRAZY when he smells it - he hates it, and wants to get away. You can also try Bag Balm to moisturize the heck out of it. I've had excema (sometimes it comes back), and I find that the combo of tea tree oil and super-duper moisturizing helps a lot. And, if the skin scraping shows bacterial, viral, and/or fungal problems, the tea tree oil will help. It's a natural anti-microbial!

This time of the year, it is seasonal, just like in spring. Most dogs (males and spayed females) shed in spring and fall. Even Greyhounds, who are reputed to be non-shed dogs (ANY dog with hair is GOING to shed, though!) But if there is significant shedding no matter the season, you may want to have a vet check. Could be thyroid, but without other symptoms, I'd be inclinmed to think something else. Like skin issues, for example. If it's merely dry skin, I'd try a supplement like Hair of the Dog by Doc's blend (yes, another cheap plug). You can find the link in my signature.

Probably saliva stains. Nothing to worry about. Naples get this too, because she's lost so many teeth over the years.

We go through KV Vet supply (www.kvvet.com). We actually get the off-brand Heartgard, Iverhart Max (treats against the same as Interceptor), for A LOT less money.

I had to talk DH into chipping the dogs. His arguement was that the Greyhound has tattooed ears. Fine, I said. But what if the shelter has no idea what the tats mean? (VERY common). And what if they become illegible with age? And, he said, th eboys are tattooed in the inner thigh (National Dog Registry). But, they are so hairy that I can't even see the tats, even though I know where they are, and what they are. Not a foolproof plan. So, they all wear collars with ID tags, and are tattooed and microchipped. I just feel better that way...

You can try super glue (yes, really) to stop the bleeding, if you can't get it to stop any other wat. Then to keep the ear from flapping around, take an old pair of pantyhose, cut the foot end off, so if forms a sleeve, trin to the right length, and place over his head. You can cut a hole for the other ear if you want to, as well.

To keep her teefers away from the bandages, place a stool cup (or apply duct tape) to a kennel muzzle, then place it on her face. Usually works like a charm. We had a foot injury almost two years ago: Manero needed surgery to repair an artery. Unfortunately, he's not used to wearing a muzzle, so bandaging was an uphill battle. After about a week, we figured he was mostly healed, so we only bandaged to go outside. He did fine, and never bothered the sutrues...

I own an intact male (non-Grey, show dog). He can be a treat at times. Overall, his behavior is not a big deal, but he does need to be watched around other male dogs - he can take exception to others at times, and this is not uncommon in intact males. Believe it or not, his major issues are with neutered males, so we have to be careful about them getting in his face. It is correct that there are not many health problems associated with intact males. But personally, if I have a pet that I do not intend to show or breed, I will neuter. There is no reason not to (short of health issues in the boy, prior to the surgery), and it's such a simple procedure in the boys. They recover very quickly, too. Also stated are the possiblities of unwanted litters. It does happen where an intact dog gets out. Obviously, those of us with intact animals are FAR MORE careful, but accidents happen, even to the best people. To the Mags123 - I am curious, where are you located? I suspect outside the US, as I do not know of any US adoption groups that don't alter the animal prior to adoption...

Unfortunately, there can be a bit to worry about. No, neutered males cannot impregnate a bitch, but they can breed her. And sometimes, that can cause injury, either from the bitch not being receptive, therefore snapping at the male, or an inexperienced male being aggressive in the way he mounts her, or separates a tie. Inexperienced owners contribute to this by not knowing what to expect. Mind you, the above scenarios are rare, but with dogs who have never been bred, and people who have never dealt with breeding dogs, it can lead to injury. My suggestion would be to separate her from the male, whenever possible. At the very least, crate her or the boys...

I find myself really missing the little guy! It's been almost a year since he passed, and I am shocked. I was never really close to him. He was DH's cat before I came on the scene, and "came with the package." He was a very sweet cat, and rather well behaved. He never met an enemy, and loved everyone. He was always there - ready to purr on you after a bad day. I really miss him. I was never a cat person. I still consider myself a dog person, tolerant of other people's cats. I find myself thinking about wanting another cat. WHAT is WRONG with me?! I went to the local shelter toda, to take a look at a dog labled on the website as a Saluki mix (NO Saluki in that dog, BTW), and found myself looking at and playing with the cats. I don't want another one. No cat will ever measure up to King, and I don't want to deal with training one. But still - it's got me thinking...

I agree with this too. Generally, my dogs are very healthy, so I don't have major concerns with general health, outside of prevention. So, in that case, a non-Grey savvy vet would be fine. But, I have a sighthound who needed emergency foot surgery. Since it was emergent, our vet could not do it, so we took him to a different vet. They gave him drugs that should not be given to a sighthound. They let him wake up on the surgical table, and he thrashed and threw himself off. They are LUCKY that he did not cause himself injury, or they'd have had an ANGRY owner, and an ANGRIER breeder (who is a vet) up their noses! ALl I'm saying is that for "normal" stuff, non-Grey savvy vets are fine, but for anything that requires a little know-how, it's best to do a little research.

I agree - if the travel needs to happen, it's worth it. We travel about 40 minutes one way for our vet, and couldn't be happier. However, I have to say, just because the vet has Greys of his own does not mean that he "knows" Greys. Our first vet was one who owned a Grey. But he was a moron, who had no idea. In addition, he was awful at hiring the "right" people. That may not mean much, but we almost lost Naples once to their negligence (she went into septic shock following a dental. Now we put her on antibiotics several days before the dental, as well as after). The vet we now see has a wonderful staff. They may not know all there is to know, but they refer to the head two guys if they have questions. Or, they ask us! In addition, it's really nice to have a vet who understands what Greys are supposed to be. The last time I took Naples in, it was for a "hoo-hoo" infection. We weighed her at the start, like usual, and both of us were surprised at her weight. She looks good, but weighed more than suspected (must be muscle!). But I said the numbers don't matter, as long as she looks good. He agreed, and said she looks greyt - he can see her last couple ribs, so she looks very healthy. That means a lot to me - non-Grey savvy vets would think she was underweight...

I help two friends with their Whippets. They do straight racing (they are very good at it, too). They always have pools of water available, and that's the first thing I head for after a heat. Soak the dog, head to tail, then walk out the dog (to prevent cramping). I start out walking at a pretty good clip, then gradually slow down, till the panting calms a bit. Then I offer water, and walk a bit more. Then the dog is crated (still wet), and offered more water. This was the protocol recommended by those who have done this for a long time. We've never had a problem, even in hot, humid weather.

I have no experience with Dr. Couto, but from everything I have read and heard, he is an absolute Godsend to Greyhounds and Greyhounds' people! May he find an answer soon... But, I do know what it means to have a second opinion. A few years ago, our Gunnar (now gone), started coughing. We took him in, and they did an chest x-ray. They said they saw a mass in his chest, and it was inoperable. Mind you, they did ONE view, and barely looked at the film. So, a couple weeks after the diagnosis, we decided we needed a second opinion. We went to a vet about 30 miles away, because the adoption group that we were with used him. And, he had done over 300 Greyhound spays/neuters after the local track had closed meny years before. This guy (and his staff) KNOW Greyhounds. So, he took a look at the film, and didn't see a mass. He asked his other vets to look at the film, and they did not see a mass. They then did their own fims, and found cloudiness in the lungs, but no mass. They decided that the coughing could be attributed to the cloudiness, which they thought was allergy-related. Gunnar went on Pred and Theophilline for a week or so, and was FINE afterward. We then switched to this vet, despite the distance, and have been VERY HAPPY since.

If it's white, and he's neutered, it's likely pus. Indicative of an infection (probably a sheath infection). I'd get him to the vet for a checkup...

We've used it on ourselves and on the doggers. No problems, and it has been recommended by several vets we know. We either throw it into their mouths the "traditional way," or wrap it in cheese if we don't want to fight them.

Prayers...

I just saw this, Sara! I'm so sorry!

Oh, CRAP! I missed a few days of GT, and this is what I missed! Damn... DeVon, I'm SO SORRY! Don't worry, though, Gunnar will be happy to show her around the Bridge.

King was a barn cat that DH had taken with 3 littermates from his sister's ranch. He was about 9 months old when he went to live with DH and his ex. When DH moved out after the divorce, King went with him. Then I moved in, and we all lived happily ever after. About a month ago, King stopped eating regularly. This was very unusual, but he did not start to lose weight right away. We thought he was getting finicky, so we bought a different food. He ate for a little while, then stopped again. Then he started to lose weight. He lost about 4-5 pounds in two weeks. We took him to the vet, who found his liver values to be very high. Everything else was normal. Long story short, he was dying, if we couldn't do anything about it. We tried supportive care. But we couldn't get meds into him, and he would not eat. He lost more weight, and we helped him to the Bridge last evening. He's there now, cuddled with one of "his" dogs, Gunnar. Sleep well, King.