Sighthounds4me

When I worked for a groomer, we used a specific shampoo (hard to find, so I won't post the name here - you won't find it in time!). We left it rather concentrated, and used A LOT. We also scrubbed it in very well, and left it to soak for a good long time. Then we rinsed, partially dried, and applied a copious amount of the Nature's Miracle skunk product. It helped A LOT, but the key is to leave it on till it's dry, and DO NOT rinse! I have never had occasion to use the peroxide, baking soda, dishsoap remedy. But I would imagine the peroxide might bleach the coat. However, since everyone says it works so well, I always keep the makings on hand, since we do have skunks around here!

That's what I am thinking. It looks fine right now, so I am going to try the wait-and-see approach. As for brave, no! Just determined. And dumb! But cute and lovable!

Yeah - no peroxide on dark brown carpet! LOL Capture works well, especially if followed by a steam cleaner loaded with enzymatic cleaner.

When I cam home from work today, I let the dogs out as usual. That was about 2:20. Naples came inside with seemingly no problems, I sat down to relax. DH came home about 4:00, and noticed blood on the carpet and dog beds. Huh. Where'd that come from? No one was limping. Manero had no blood anywhere on his coat (usually the first noticeable thing, if he's bleeding). So, I started with Naples. She has blood on the bottom of her right front foot. Weird. She's not limping, and I saw no blood anywhere outside, on the linoleum leading into the family room. WEIRD! So, for now, I cleaned it up with saline, and wrapped it with vet wrap, and a folded 3" x 3" gauze pad "packed" into the webbing. I suspect it's nothing. but we just spent a TON of money on Cooper's dental last week. Our accounts can't take another hit! I will unwrap soon, and look at it again. It's not threatening to life or limb, so we'll take her to the vet tomorrow if we have to. I just hope it's a small scratch, and easily treated! ETA: I really wish all patients were like Naples, though! She does not care one bit what I do to her. She stood like a rock as I poked and prodded, and has, for the most part, left the wrap alone! The only problem she had was standing - she's getting up there in years, and has a hard time standing now. I can't blame her! She's still so patient, though!

I'm guessing he's cold. Naples does this all the time. At 11 years old, you'd think she'd have figured out that if she goes out, does business, and hurries back in, she would not get as cold. But noooooooo... she has not figured that out... She get's distracted all the time, "forgets" to do her business, then she'll limp to the door like we beat her. I would certainly check all the things mentioned above. But if you find nothing, it's probably safe to assume he's cold, and that's the cause of the limping.

That's what I was thinking. I always do this after a dental with extractions, and have never had trouble.

There are many folks on GT that have shy/spooky dogs. I wouldn't automatically assume it was caused by abuse at the tracks unless I had some evidence to back it up. I came into the world of retired racers knowing nothing about the industry and was ripe to believe all the propaganda about abuse, but I still had to see it to believe it. I have visited a few tracks and puppy farms (albeit just a few) and my experience is that the dogs are healthy, happy and reasonably well cared for. While it's true they are not being treated as pets, the places I visited and the ppl I met there would not tolerate any abuse of the dogs in their care. It just wouldn't make sense for them to abuse the very animal that they need to go out and make the money. Phew. You said it before I could. Thanks Sheila. Yup - you both got it before I could. But I wanted to add that I concur with Sheila's statements! I also want to add that spooky dogs are often just spooky. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to it. I believe someone suggested once that the dog Tumble Bug, an known spook, in the pedigree can contribute. But IMO, he's so far back now, that it's unlikely his genes will contribute much anymore.

The key is to use a large gauge chain. One large enough that they can't swallow it, and don't even think of it.

Hey, welcome back! I have not had a ton of experience with older dogs (yet), especially those not eating well. But my thoughts, based on a friend's experience with an older Greyhound is the smellier, the better. My friend's thought was that her girl was losing her sense of smell, and thus her desire to eat. But if she mixed in something really smelly, Ellie ate better. JMO...

If you are looking for an "obedience level" down, going over on one hip is actually better - it takes them longer to get up, and you will see the physical cues before he does, so you can correct him. If you just want him to down as good manners, there is nothing wrong with him being comfortable. What i have always done if a dog does not get the treat luring them down from a sit... I will take the front legs at the elbows, and escort them into a down, then PRAISE! Eventually, they get it.

I think the fact that the listing is "fat," not a specific source. If it were me, a generic source would be a flag. Which animal? Does it vary from batch to batch? Now, that's assuming it is generically listed like that. I find the ingredients so hard to read, that I cannot find it. If it's a specified source, then fine. ETA: I see chicken fat, so being a specific source, that makes it fine by me. All foods I have ever fed have some specified source of fat (usually chicken), and IMHO, it's a good thing! Essential, as a matter of fact.

I agree - so often, martingales are not fitted correctly. Go with a narrow one, because the narrower they are, the smaller the point of pressure, and the impact on the dog is much greater. He'll feel it more. And make sure it is fitted *right behind* the ears. Then, keep slack in the lead, unless he is pulling. Then, give him a pop backwards, and tell him "No pull!" (or whatever word you'd prefer) When the pulling stops, praise to let him know he is doing the right thing. Use food if you'd like, to keep his focus on you. And above all, make it fun and playful.

Yes, and, the grade percentage was not mentioned in the first post. Nor was it mentioned that the yard is tiny. All that was said was that the OP had a yard, and that 10-15 minute walks could be managed. If it was up to us to infer the rest, sorry, but many of us failed our mind-reading classes! Also keep in mind that many people skim many posts. If things get mentioned more than once, or someone states something obvious, that's life. Take what you can from each post, and leave the rest!

Mental exercise is good too - it tires them out just as much! I often work on obedience like sits and downs. You can do hide and seek with pieces of kibble or treats. You could even take him shopping if you have a pet store near you - you'd get socialization AND mental exercise.

When you do bones, try adding a probiotic to his food. he may just need more of the "good" bacteria to counteract all the excess. I do that here, and even the more sensitive ones have no trouble. Though, I have to admit, I don't have any dogs with TRULY sensitive stomachs. Oops! I hadn't noticed this, or I may not have replied! Any update from the OP?

Warm compress. Maybe a little peroxide to loosen the scab.

Can you crate them (or one), or use an ex-pen? All of mine are crated (except Manero), so they can't mess with anyone while eating. Another thought would be to feed them in different rooms, separated by lots of space and a door or baby gate.

Peanuts are not related to other nuts. They are legumes, and more closely related to peas than to other nuts. Technically, peanuts are not nuts at all, so if a human is allergic to, say, pecans, he is less likely to be allergic to peanuts than to cashews. As far as I know, if peanut butter is safe for dogs, whole peanuts are too. After all, peanut butter is nothing more than squished peanuts, with other additives.

I would, but whenever DH and I get venison, WE eat it! No sharing!! Really, though, there is no reason not to feed venison. It's good stuff, and I bet the dogs would love it!

My fear with Chinese stuff is things like melamine - takes VERY LITTLE to harm or kill a dog. There are few, if any, laws regarding pet food in China, and they will add anything. That has been seen over the last couple years' recalls. Yes, I am being over-cautious. But I also want to send a message to the domestic distributors that many of us WILL NOT purchase products made outside the US and Canada. I would rather pay more for a little more peace of mind that what I am feeding is safe. It's not about the economy for me, though I have very little money. It's about safety, and the desire to keep money in my domestic economy (yes, I do include Canada in that, since the US and Canada have always been so economically friendly).

I've never had trouble with smoked bones. I get the huge beef knockle bones at a local butcher for my guys, and had one incident of poo. Wasn't really diarrhea, but wasn't solid, and it was in the house. From a usually VERY reliable dog. So, whenever I give bones now, I give them all probiotics, and we all do just fine!

Ezactly - I won't buy it, and I don't like to do that, but I don't trust anything made outside of the US and Canada.

Oh, and ditto Nancy B! LOVE her collars!! VERY well made, affordable, and beautiful!

You don't need to buy a "fancy" martingale that is especially wide or ornate, unless you choose to. I have a few, but not because they are necessary to the dog. Rather, it is because I like them. When we adopted Naples, we received a 3/4" wide Lupine martingale (known by Lupine as a "combo" collar on their website). These are not expensive. Many groups provide Premier brand collars, such as those near the bottom of this page. These are even less expensive, and just as safe. Most adoption groups provide one collar of one of these brands, as part of your adoption fee. This is all you NEED, though you may WANT more. I very highly recommend martingales (also known as half-check or humane choke collars), because they are important for safety. Because a sighthound's head is similar in size to his neck, a traditional buckle collar can slip off very easily if the dog should back up. A martingale prevents this by tightening slightly whenever there is tension on the leash. The biggest key is to properly fit these collars. This link will provide information how to do that, and your adoption group should be able to help.

This thread confuses me. Are we talking about a greyhound? .. or a terrier mix? a greyhound/terrier mix? My understanding is that the OP has two dogs now, a Chi and a terrier mix, and is researching Greyhounds. Thus she is asking questions about how to feed, etc.