sobesmom

About 6 weeks ago, I posted that Sobe had pulled a muscele and was limping after coming in from a run in the yar(apparently) and a few days later, it had swelled up huge. I was concerned, and took him to the vet. He did a bunch of tests, X-rays, the works, and concluded - badly pulled muscle - broken blood vessels - big heomotoma. Here's some antibiotics, and pain meds. It will take several weeks for the hemotoma to dissipate. Well... it didn't dissipate. It got bigger. I took him back. The vet shared my concern. This is NOT a hemotoma - what is it? A tumor? No... nothing showing on the bone in the x-rays. So- we sedated him, took a biopsy. The results came back Hemangiosarcoma. Rare - usually presents in Golden Retrievers. The cancer grows in blood vessels in the spleen or stomach - then spreads - and shows tumors in other body parts. Or - starts in the blood vessels in body parts - the BLOWS - and throws up a huge tumor overnight. I felt so guilty --- that I didn't do enough sooner, didn't know that the vet was wrong, and it wasn't a hemotoma. He won't be 9 until next month. NOT that old. But - after I did my own research. 90% of the time - this cancer is not detectible until it fully metasticizes - throws out its spawn. Visible tumors go from 0 to 5 inches overnight once that happens. Sobe dropped 5 lb. in 3 day. At the next appointments - a week later - 5 more lbs. Still eating his normal amount of food. Thursday - when the results came back - the vet told me that with the form of cancer - coming on this hard and strong - he may have 7 to 10 DAYS. This has happened so fast. He only showed a problem 6 weeks ago. And we went through most of that time thinking that it's a bad boo-boo, he'll limp and be sore, but it will be FINE. Now - my dog is DYING. Soon. I've done the research. This is 100% deadly. No surgery, or chemo, or anything will give him recovery. I'm in shock. I just can't comprehend this. My boy... my grumpy old man... my baby boy ... my FIRST greyhound...is going to die. And there's nothing I can do about it. I'm keeping him VERY comfortable. Very happy. Switched him to all homecooked beef and chicken. It's all I can do. This is aweful. I'm still in shock. ETA - I re-read my post... and it's a mess of typos and half-words and mis-spellings...I should fix that - but ...I just don't care. You get the point. It's taken me 4 days to get up the stregnth to post here. To put it in words. Because that makes it more real. It's almost too personal to share - but I wanted to because I know so many others have been through it. So - please pardon my grammar - I really don't give a ** about that right now.

Well... now you've got the oddball. Time to switch gears. I've had to do that recently with my current foster (on a diffent issue) after having a dozen fosters learn easily the way we taught. This one doesn't "get" it. CRAP! I'd suggest "the suitcase method". Put a harness on the dog. Walk up the steps, slowly, with the dog in a harness, you supporting all the way - lots of treats for every step. Over and over. Lots of support, both physically (with the harness) and verbally - and with Treats. Lots of treats.

Sobe's alway been my "big boy". He's a big male, and very broad at the head, shoulders, and hips. We've always, for fun, compared the width of the points of his hipbones, to the hipbones of all our fosters, and only 1 has been as "wide" as Sobe. His bone structure is very wide for a grey - but he's also quite tall. He also is prone to pack on the pounds VERY easily. We joke that "like his mommy (ME) - if he LOOKS at a cookie he'll gain 5 lb.!" So - we've always been very careful about Sobe's food - and treats. Our other grey, Diana - is just the opposite. You can feed her until she'll burst - and she's ALWAYS super-skinny! Sobe got hurt a while ago. Pulled a muscle - got a huge hemotoma. The vet did a million ttests - and decided - it'll go away - eventually. In the meantime - Sobe is dropping weight. A Lot. He's still eating his normal amount of the normal food - although, with very little interest. His ribs started showing. Now - his backspines are starting to show. I've NEVER seen Sobe's backspines. Diana's yes, foster's yes. But NEVER Sobe's. Heck - I've never seen more than a "shadow" of 2 ribs on him - ever. He's not "too thin". He's not even as thin as our Diana yat - but - he's.....THINNING. Visibly. And he's still eating the same amounts of the same foods. No worms. Does injury make a dog ---- thin?

Our adoption rep is sending us a belly-band to try with our foster. It's NOT that he isn't house-trained - he is. He'll even go to the door when he wants out. He just - pees randomly some days. Sometimes we'll come home and he'll leave a big puddle in the kitchen. Or not. Some days - he'll "squirt" 3 sprinkles on a chair, or the couch. He used to try to mark CONSTANTLY - even pee on his own food bowl - but we've broken him of that. He's MUCH better than he was at first. So - we've been asked to try a belly-band. OK - I'll try anything. Tell me about them? How does this work? Does it "teach" or just "catch"? Will he leave it on? BTW - in this instance, please don't suggest crating. That's a dead-end street on this one. We've got to be more creative.

Not a big deal. Don't read too much into it. Sometimes it can be dominant behavior - but generally, it's just an outlet for excitement. It'll probably stop soon. Honestly - I've seen more females do it than males among spayed/neutered greys.

I know that there is a "proper" way - but I choose to use the way that works best with my dogs. I have Sobe, my easy walker. His leash goes on my left wrist (my weaker wrist) and he walks beautifully with me, and knows voice commands like "stop" "turn" "left" "right". Diana is my "busy" girl. So... she get my right (stronger) arm. Generally .... she walks pressed against my hip...while Sobe is a couple feet ahead (totally "improper") roaming about. But - if Diana sees a rabbit - I have my stronger arm to "correct" her. Our walks are usually easy. Sobe has more slack - and does fine with it. Diana stays close ... and is fine with it. Sobe, as a male, wants to "squirt" on stuff...Diana.... doesn't potty until she get back in her yard. Our walks are totally recreational. They have a big yard for "needs". The "RIGHT" way - IMHO - is what works well for you. "Technically" - I walk my dogs backwards. But - I'm not in a showring. And - I've had many people comment on how "nicely" my dogs walk.

We had a foster like that once. The first time I tried to take him for a walk - we got "stuck" in the middle of my neighbor's yard - and I had to CARRY him home! I'd suggest - walking 10 feet out into your yard - let her do her business. Give a treat, and go back inside. Continue that for a few days. Then walk 20 feet. Give a treat, And back home. Every few days - go a bit farther. Never "push" her comfort level. It only took me a week to get our foster to walk out and about anywhere. Once he'd had a week of NOT being PUSHED past his comfort level --- he trusted me to take him farther. You have a VERY VERY new dog. She's acclimating to A LOT right now. Don't push long walks. Yes, exercise is important - but it IS NOT the most important thing right now. Her stability, and comfort level are. Take it slow. Don't push.

Thanks everybody for the info. Sobe's blob is STILL as big as ever. He doesn't act like he's in pain - but it kills me to see him gimping around on 3 legs. He's very....queit. Not active at all. Kind of .... invisible. Some days, he seems to feel better, and moves faster - then seems to "pay" for it, and seems worse for a while. I'm going to call the vet on Monday - give his status, and see what they say. Probably - the answer will be "more time". I just hate to see him like this. He's just NOT himself. The foster-dog is running AMOK without "THE BOSS" to keep him in line - and our Diana...just seems a bit confused ...and not sure what to do ... not her normal, bouncy, outgoing self - because her brother, THE BOSS.... isn't being... THE BOSS. Geesh - I used to gripe a bit about Sobe being "the old man" ... "the crabby guy"... "the boss of the dogs".....but...I've now come to realize... that this house runs a LOT smoother - and all the dogs KNOW what to do, and how to act.... when "the old man" is running the show! We're currently in a "power vaccuum"!!!!! Nobody's in charge - and nobody knows what to do! I guess I need to do a post in another forum about this new situation.

That's usually pretty easy to resolve. Here, when somebody couldn't watch the dog (Joseph), we put him in his crate. Even if the "couldn't watch" period was 2.5 minutes. The person watching needs to be prepared to immediately "Ah-ah! Let's go OUT!" and convey dog outdoors if he lifts his leg. Wouldn't call that dominant, really. He was sleeping and didn't want to be disturbed. Think of how you would feel if somebody tried to roll you out of bed ..... I would work with him on the "Outta the way!" command using positive reinforcement. If you scold and take away his bed, he may get worse -- it shows him that bad things happen when people disturb his sleep, and that's the exact opposite of what you want. When someone has to move a dog who doesn't respond to that command yet, I always recommend snapping the leash on, turning *away* from the dog, cheerful firm "Let's go!", and stride off. Wouldn't smack him, unless just to brush him out of the way / break his focus which I realize might be necessary. Also wouldn't consider this an issue. It's a normal dog thing to attack / act aggressively toward a hurt animal, even if it's your foster brother. Why folks separate seizure dogs and injured dogs when they can't supervise. Actually sounds to me like he's become a fine dog who may occasionally have an ordinary dog reaction to things. You've done a good job with him. You always give such good advice. Thank you. I DO believe that when I asked him to move, he should have. It was NOT in a normal dogbed spot, or normal place that's his place. And - I woke him up gently, talked to him, petted him,etc. When he was FULLY awake - I said "lets go" and pointed - a command he knows. He also knows "off" for furniture, and "back - back back " for back up, and "out" for go out of this room. All were taught with positive reinforcement. So - after trying "nice" - I went with FIRM. When firm got me no response - I moved him. No hard feelings, no punishment other than my saying sternly "you need to move" - but you CAN'T disobey a request, then a command - that you fully understand. IMHO. And - I only moved his bed 5 feet back to its normal position, which is not in front of the bathroom door, where he had dragged it and decided to lie on it. I probably didn't make any of that clear the first time. As far as the other stuff - you're probably right on target. I don't know HOW many time I've told other people - If your dog pees in your house - it's problably YOUR FAULT for not WATCHING! I need to follow my own advice. And DH smacking him in the nose - I didn't like that at all. We don't hit dogs, or people, or anything, in this house. He just panicked and reacted to what he saw - and probably was - the foster attacking Sobe at a time of weakness. He reacted. I understand that it's normal dog behaviour - your example of seizure dogs is a good one. But...it's scary and shocking the first time you see it. A real eye-opener! Thanks again!! ETA- The formatting is funny right now, so this post looks really weird, but I also wanted to say - THANK you also Batmom - for the nice comment and encouragement. He HAS come a long way - and maybe I've just gotten too used to "easy" dogs- and have forgotten that "stuff happens". Maybe these "issues" that I'm worrying about.... aren't really "issues"... just.... incidents... that .... happen.

Oh, I WISH I could borrow her. That's EXACTLY what this little "wanna-be" needs! My Sobe is usually the taskmaster in our house. All the fosters just seem to "listen" to him. He never gets aggressive - might only need to stand up, or make a low growl - if we get a particularly stupid one - I've seen Sobe back him down - just walk him backward - and the naughty dog ends up lying down - and behaving much better after that. Right now, Sobe's hurting, so, he's basically in hiding. So - no help from my bruiser! He's always done such a good job with this stuff - he speaks "dog" WAY better than me!

That looks ouchie! Is she in pain? Sobe's is bigger than that, I'd guess. From the top of his shoulderbone, down to above his elbow. Maybe 3" wide, by 5" long, and sticking out 2" - just guessing. So - If Hallie's is supposed to take a MONTH to go down - am I looking at like 3 MONTHS?????? Oh poor Sobe. He's hobbling on 3 legs. That's GOT to make the rest of his legs ache! CRAP.

That's ginormous!!! Holy crapoly! OUCH!!! Sorry! OK - now my dumb question - I always thought a "hemotoma" was a bruise. Had Lots of those myself. But this is a big swollen ..... thing?

No good advice to add - sounds like you've got it covered. Just wanted to say bummer for you (it always stinks when you're dogsitting and something seems to go "wrong") and for your friend. Hugs to all 3 - you, your friend - and the pup!

Sobe, my black grey, is my dandruff boy. It's not bad in summer, but in winter - there's "snow" inside! So - we use a humidifier (our DD also gets too "dry" in the winter - coal stove), brush him twice a week. Don't bathe. OK - if he were to go roll in something gross - I would bathe him - but I wouldn't bathe him if he didn't NEED it!. Also - he gets 1 fishoil in the morning food, and one in the evening food. Throughout the spring through Autumn, 1 per day. If he gets really bad, I'll go up to double that - but - ease into it. You can't start out with 4 per day - or you'll get Big D. Ramp up to it. Also - no matter what - if Sobe gets stressed out - he'll blow dandruff like he's a snow-maker at a ski resort! He also starts dropping hair like a maniac dog that's never seen a brush! He can be looking gorgeous here - but if I take him to the vet - by the time he's in the exam room - he looks like a flaky gross shedding mess!!!!! Nothing to to about that. Some dogs just do that. Especially black greys, in my experience - not all black greys though - just some. ETA: If your grey is new - don't assume that she has skin issues. Dandruff is often a sign of stress - like with my Sobe. Not that she's unhappy - but she's dealing with a lot of changes, so don't jump to any conclusions right away. Wait a month or so - then see. In the meantime, brushing and fishoil can't hurt anything! But, once she settles, you may never see dandruff again.

Our current foster has been with us for over 2 months. He was sent here - for boot camp. He's a great dog - but very young - quite dominant acting - super pushy. He was sent here to lean some "manners". OH YEAH. WOW. You couldn't get a bit of food out without him trying to tackle you to take it. Not just be interested and come too close - literally CLIMB on you to grab it! He couldn't have a toy without trying to kill the other dogs for it. A chew bone - forget it! And - he'd eat his food - and "mark" his bowl IMMEDIATELY! EEK!!!! And - try to "mark" any time any dog or person bothered him! Now - he's come SO FAR. He doesn't bother people trying to eat their food. He doesn't bother the other dogs at dog eating times. He plays, like crazy- happy - happy -happy!!! He can have toys all the time - they're all over the house now. He picks them up , plays, then drops them. Another dog might pick it up, he doesn't care. All 3 dogs get rawhide chews every day - no issues. We're VERY VERY proud of how far he's come. BUT - I think we've hit a wall. He's still got some issues. He wants to "mark" sometimes. Even right in front of me! Not all the time - but still once in a while. And - when we leave - he still occasionally pees a little in the kitchen. Just a little "squirt". And - he's still got some "pseudo - dominant" tendancies. He was sleeping the other day, and was in the way - so I gently woke him up. Made sure he was REALLY awake, talked to him, petted him, etc. Then asked him to move. He didn't. Commanded - he didn't. Spoke loudly - and he came up snapping and growling. That got him RREMOVED - scolded - and the dogbed taken away from that location. Momma don't take crap. Also - last night, my grey Sobe, who is injured, got off the couch, slipped on the laminate flor, and was kinda sprawled out, hurting and trying to get his footing. DH immediately get under Sobe and lifted him to help him out - the foster ran up and tried to snap at Sobe. Basically - trying to hurt a dog that was down. DH smacked him in the nose. We've hit a wall with this dog. We've brought him a LONG way - but now - I don't know what to do. Ask for him to go to another foster home that might be better than we can do? Adopt him out - with a TON of stipulations? BTW - not a lot of people lining up to adopt a big male, not cat safe, not small kid safe. He's not awful - he's actually 99% of the time a very, very fun - happy outgoing dog. I just don't know what to do now. I've hit the limit of what I can do for him!

I do agree that walking a dog is a great thing - for many reasons. Exercise, socialization, bonding with owners, to name a few. That said - I currently am not walking my dogs every day. Lots of reasons - time - daylight (actually the lack of it) - location (no sidewalks, our walks are through pastures and woods, currently thick with snow), temperature, etc. Walks right now are really not feasible for us. I COULD do it - with a flashlight, parka, coats for the dogs, whistle to scare away coyotes, bears, foxes, etc, and far more determination than I personally possess! So - because my dogs currently aren't getting walks - we do other things. Our yard is 1 acre. A lot more than many people have for a "turnout lawn". Ample opportunities to run around, at full tilt, walk around, sniff around, etc. Once or twice per day - we go out with the dogs for their "out" and engage them in tossing toys, running with them, playing "fetch" (ok - none of them get the concept), basically making sure they MOVE !!!! On the really cold days - it's a loosing battle though. Picture humans running around, tossing toys, and 3 greyhounds standing at the door begging to be let IN!!! SO - I guess my opinion is that I definately believe in walking your dogs - but - I also believe that if you DON'T walk your dogs - you CAN and SHOULD do other things to stimulate their bodies and brains!

Sobe came in from a romp in the yard limping a couple weeks ago. No real biggie, he runs too hard sometimes, and pulls a muscle once in a while. Limps a bit for a day, always a different leg, no biggie. The old boy has to "race" with the young dogs sometimes (and he still usually "wins"). But then - after a few days, he was still limping, on a front leg. Then - his shoulder swelled up HUGE! I took him to the vet. The vet thought the worst - tumor - and did xrays, bloodwork, the lot. Discovered (thankfully) - no tumor, no bone issues, no dislocation -basically - NOTHING. He "assumed" a badly pulled muscle - that broke blood vessels - and caused a hemotoma. Pulled a syringe - and yep, just blood. Tested his blood to see if there was some sort of bleeding disorder - nope, clotting time is fine. So - Sent us home with some mild painkillers, and antibiotics as a precautionary measure that the blob doesn't get infected. Now - over 2 weeks later - the shoulder is STILL as swollen as it was - and he still only puts weight on it sporadically. Some days, he seems better and walks on it, and even runs a little in the yard - then - some days, he doesn't put that leg down at all. I'm at a loss. The vet said it would "take a while" for a hemotoma of that size to dissapate. But - what's A WHILE?????? Should I call the vet again? Find a different vet?

My Diana - is a poop-eater. GAK!!! The worst - is when it's freezing outside - she's brought frozen "poopsicles" into the house!!! Nasty! The only thing I've found to works - is a kennel muzzel, with poop gaurd attached. I honestly don't know how to break a dog from it - you can only muzzle. But - you might get a dog that comes in with a muzzle loaded with poop. Once a poop eater - always a poop eater. Sorry.

Sobe raced at 79 lbs.... very thin. He's a pretty big boy - and wide- wide at the shoulders, hips, head. He's broad all over. When we first adopted him - I let him gain too much weight, and he got to 87 lbs. And you couldn't see a rib on him. He got fat. I got better at controlling his weight, and exercise, and he leveled out at about 82 for a long time. I go by looks now, and I try to keep all my dogs showing just a shadow of ribs. Sobe- (like me) will gain weight even thinking about eating a treat. Diana - is a skinny mini - and you just can't get her to look anything but thin. So - I had Sobe at the vet Monday - and he weighed ONLY 76 lbs! He's below race weight! Granted, he's now 9 years old, and his muscle tone is NOTHING like he used to have - but he still looks fine to me - just a shadow of some ribs showing, no back spines showing. I honestly dont think he needs to gain weight - I'm just VERY surprised - that my "chubby boy".....is now lighter. Is this normal?

Trust your gut. It's usually right. If you haven't had a "brand new" grey in a long time - you may have forgotten that darn transition period. Most new greys, young or old, will be squirely for a while, until they figure out what the heck is expected of them! This is a whole new world, and the rules aren't clear at all. Their whole life - they KNEW the rules - they KNEW the routine - and it NEVER CHANGED. Now- EVERYTHING has changed - and what are the rules? Who's in charge? Maybe it's just "new dog transition". But - if your gut tells you this is the wrong dog- it certainly might be. Return, start over. Offer to foster with intent for your group to "test drive" until you find the right dog for your house. Shortly after we adopted our first grey we realized that he couldn't be alone. No amount of alone-training was enough. So - we started fostering - to have another grey in the house. Sobe improved 1000%. Plus, we did some good in the meantime. Foster number 4 - decided to stay. But honestly, fosters number 1,2, and 3...were fine dogs - but NOT the right dogs for this house. I had no problems sending them off to their "right" homes. Fosters number 5-12 also were fine dogs - but none of them would be the perfect fit for this house either. Don't be afraid to foster - let dogs go - and then choose to keep the "right" one. You'll KNOW the right one when it comes along..

I read only the initial post - and not the 3 pages of replies, so pardon me if I'm being redundant. It's semi-true that greys aren't super great at "tricks". Austrailian Shephards, will darn near walk through fire for their owners' approval. Greys, really don't see the point of that. Many of them just don't seem to "get" why they should do something for no apparent reason. I HAVE had foster greys that WOULD stand on their heads if I asked them to, though. I depends on the dog. Greys certainly ARE capible of learning. I don't teach a lot of "tricks" to my dogs. I just don't see the need for it. But, the first thing that every grey in my house (my 2 plus 12 fosters) learn - is "Look at me". Just a simple eye contact. My dogs also know commands that matter in MY house. They all know the word "Outside!". They hear it and they run to the door. They all know "git" which means move away. They all know "NO". They know "back back back" which means backup. (small house). They know "out" (which means leave this room). They know "off" (get off the furniture). When they're out in they yard - if I clap my hands once - they know to look at me to see what I want (I don't yell). If I make a "kissy noise" it means come to me (I can't whistle). They know how to walk nicely on-leash. If I point to a bed and say "lie down"... they'll lie down, after circling 3 timees at least. Sobe, on-leash or harness - knows which way to walk if I point. If I raise my hand up flat, they know that means stop and stand still. Do my dogs do tricks? No. I've never found a reason to have a dog sit, or roll over in my house. But -- do my dogs understand what I want from them - and respond to it - ABSOLUTELY. Honestly - I've done very little "training" with my dogs. Just simple repetition, and rewards for behaviour that is needed and expected. I'm not crazy into the "I am alpha" thing - but - through NORMAL living - my dogs know who are the humans in the house. No special effort required. They DO want to live peacefully and happily in the house - and are happy to learn the ropes. Don't over-think it. It's NOT that hard.

With sound, no. My dogs are normally silent. If I DO hear from them - I pay attention! If Sobe barks - I know something very odd is happening. No necessarily bad - just out of the ordinary. I've never heard Diana bark. Ever. In 3 years. Diana does chatter sometimes if she's overwhelmed with joy. Sobe occasionally whines when he lays down if his legs are aching. I only hear a peep out of either of them - maybe once per month. And I ALWAYS pay attention - because it's not normal for them. But they talk all the time. Their movements, body language, ear position, looks. They're constantly "talking", and I usually can tell what they mean.

I'd send in Kulee's blood just to test them!!!!

OK - stupid question. How do I take his temp? In the recum I assume, as the vet does. Can I just buy a normal thermometer? How long do I leave it in? What's a normal temp?

IMHO - NGA greyhounds are a hearty breed of dog. They're bred specifically to be strong, healthy, and free of "inbred" conditions. They're NOT bred to be a certain color, have certain ears, etc. That makes for the strongest, healthiest dogs to be the ones chosen to reproduce. Oh, yeah, and FAST. Please don't spook yourself out by reading the Health and Medical forum. As previously said - this is where we come when we have the occasional issue. I've only posted here a few times ever, and always for pretty minor stuff. In my personal experience (2 greys of my own, a dozen fosters).... the biggest issue I've run into is cuts and scrapes. That dang thin skin - with not a lot of fur - tends to get cut. And - because the skin is stretched so tight - a little cut - can rip open into a BIG cut. At least once a month it seems like one of my greys has a "bungie". Usually it's just a skin tear, and heals itself. Occasionally - if it's on an elbow or shoulder - it rips open wider and we need a stitch or two. When we get "crusty" snow on the ground - THAT can put a little rip in their legs. I don't run my dogs to the vet for every tear in their skin. It happens. They lick it - it's fine. Other than that - I think they're normally just as healthy as your average mutt. Probably healthier than many other pure-breeds. Greys do have a tendency to develop long-bone cancer in the back legs - but - according to the most recent study I've read - not any more prevalant than any other large breed, and less than many. They're not prone to the hip displasia that some other large breeds have.