sobesmom

I don't think there are as many TRUE spooks among greys as some people think. Probably not a much higher percentage than in any other breed (JMO). We had one foster that might have been considered a spook at first. She was afraid of everything, wouldn't leave her crate (which was open), wouldn't allow us to touch her, wouldn't take food from our hands, couldn't be off-leash in the fenced yard because she'd never come in. For 2 weeks. Then she made progress. Then, 2 weeks more, and she got friendly. Then another week - and you wouldn't think it was the same dog. She's happily adopted now, and is still not the "most" outgoing dog - but she's very loving, and affectionate, and happy. Was she a spook? No. Would she have been classified as one when she first came here - yes. There ARE true spooks. Definately. But I really wonder if the percentage is very high.

Thanks. I think I'll consult a vet outside this area.

Our Flint has some, and he's never been on a track... or sand... or spent a minute lying down outside in his life. I think it just happens to some dogs. (shrug) (Our response has been to do nothing.) Yeah, I have "bad skin" too - and I never lay on my face in the dirt! I have noticed that they do go away in time on the greys. Maybe he's just a teenager!

Sobe's breath is getting gakky. For one, he has been getting RMB for a while. We feed kibble, but give bones a couple times per week usually. With a foster in the house, I do bones far less. So - I'm going to get back into the bones. Also - his teeth are wonky. All the little teeth in the front - are basically non-existant. They were that way when we adopted him. I was told he was a nervous crate-chewer at the track, and wore them down to nubs nibbling on his crate. Pretty sure that's true, becuase our group pres had a great relationship with the adoption kennel coordinator at the track. And - he's got a broken canine tooth, over half gone. That happened here, a few years ago, when I tried to crate him once before we figured out how to deal with his wicked SA. The vet won't touch it. Said to just watch it, and see. He doesn't want to extract, for fear of breaking "that little skinny jawbone". So - I don't know if he's just got plaque buildup that's making his breath stinky, or if it's his shredded teeth rotting! I read about extractions for greys all the time - is my vet just not savvy? Mine are the only greys he's ever seen since vet school - a million years ago, btw.

Well.... I obviously don't know about this particular injury. What's it look like? How long? How wide? How deep? I've found myself running to the vet less often than I used to though. With skin tears, nothing deeper, minimal bleeding...if they're not more than and inch long, and less than that wide, I probably wouldn't go to the vet. And, I don't wrap as much now for little wounds. As long as it's just a small skin tear, and stays clean, no reddness, no swelling, no infection, it'll probably heal. A little licking doesn't hurt either. IMHO. And you'd be surprised where hair will grow back. But- that's me. Use your comfort level, and common sense.

Lake water would be a lot cooler than "bath water", so they'd be fine there. I bathe my dogs in quite cool water - much cooler than I'd get in! And, no need to fill the tub! Just dump big cups of water over them, or get (my favorite thing) a shower head with a long hose. I think that sometimes standing in warm water gets to them. Many other breeds "faint" in warm water, but I think that greys, with so little body fat, are especially prone to have their body temp rise too quickly in warm water. Another possible cause, if the bottom of the tub is slippery, the dog may feel insecure and slup down. Put a towel in the bottom of the tub for traction.

I'm a big fan of the taped muzzle myself, as we had a bad incident with a grey that freaked out in an e-collar. As a side note, for a muzzle-escaper, you can get a muzzle-keeper from birdwell (www.birdwellenterprises.com). It's a strap that goes through the strap of the muzzle, then through the collar to keep them from getting the muzzle off. In a pinch, string or a big zip tie through the muzz strap then through the collar works too. Make sure the collar is up high on the neck. The poster board collar might just work. And - if it does - certainly let us know! As you can see - GT is all about sharing ideas! Welcome to GT - I hope some suggestions help, and please post more! (hopefully without injuries!)

Nanas with peels!!! Our favorite!! The ONE thing that Diana will counter-surf. She just can't resist! (not harmful).

And, some people use raw bones instead. We do raw bones here, and don't brush, and the pups have fine teeth. To your original question, I'm pretty sure they don't brush at the track. Too many dogs, too little time. And I know LOTS of dogs owners, of all breeds, that never heard of brushing.

Good question. Not to hijack the thread, but when do they become "seniors"? My Sobe is 7, nearly 8, so if the lifespan is considered 10-12, I'd think he'd be approaching old-age. But I don't see him acting any different than he did when we adopted him at age 4. When do they start to "show" their age?

It seems like some meds are very similar for animals and humans. Am I crazy? Antibiotics - for example - Sobe had (don't remember the name) antibiotic, and DD recently had Amoxicilin (sp?). Is there really a differece? (not that I'm going to give DD dog meds or anything....just curious)

Welcome to GT! Hi to Frankie! I'm in the US, and love reading posts from people in other parts of the world - it's so interesting to hear different points of view! (although we're more alike than different....we ALL love greys!)

We don't usually use Interceptor (heart worm plus other worm preventative) here. We don't have heartworm in this area, so it's not normally recommended. But - a foster came with hookworm. Which, if I understand correctly, goes into the yard from the poop, and infests the soil, and can infect any dog, at any time. We have a fenced yard, and I wasn't picking up the poops immediately (didn't know the foster had hooks). My dogs and the foster have been treated now. But - I assume my yard is now contaminated with hooks. Will putting them on Interceptor monthly prevent them from getting hooks again from the yard?

You've checked for worms?

Totally normal. I've been told it's called "blowing coat", by some folks. It's kind of funny at M&G. All these "low shed" dogs blowing hair everywhere. Sobe (black) also does the dandruff thing when he's nervous. Flakes magically appear all over his butt, even if he's just been brushed, bathed, and has been having fishoil regularly.

We have a diagnosis - HOOKWORMS - massively. He was wormed before he came here, but, of course, hooks can be miserable. So- he's on Panacur now, repeat in 5 weeks, then test again. Not serious, but crummy. I feel terrible, I should've noticed sooner. In retrospect, he wasn't gaining weight, and his activitly level ramped down over the last couple weeks...poor guy probably felt crummy! So- he's getting med's ... and my 2 greys... I'm just assuming they've picked them up.

Ummmm.... does he have a butt toupe? My guess is that where you shaved him down to nothing, he's growing in "puppy hair". We've had a few young (under 2) fosters that were really FUZZY. When they grew up a bit later, their hair thinned out to "normal greyhound" hair. I seriously think you started a new batch of "baby hair". It should thin out eventually. I'm guessing that long hair is REALLY soft too?

Welll..... it stinks that she broke a tooth, but I wouldn't rush to cut out bones completely. Sobe broke OFF a canine tooth on a crate - so - are all crates always bad? Nope. Good judgement needed, on a "per dog" basis needed. (no crates for Sobe). Use your judgement, I'd almost guess it was a soft tooth to begin with. But, I'd agree with others, and for her, stay away from the long bones. My dogs do get marrow bones, with no issues.

Well, if it's neck I'd get it checked right away. A previous foster of ours pinced a nerve soon after he went to his home, and his mom took his to the vet right away, which was definately needed. If it's a leg or hip, and he only seems uncomfortable mostly getting up and down, it might be a pulled muscle or something. Sobe "goes lame" quite often. Some days he wimpers getting up and down, then is fine. Mostly after strenuous exercise. I think it's in a hip or stiff leg. Vet has found nothing wrong - maybe a touch of early arthritis. Betst of luck to you. I hope it's ok.

Over the past week I've woken up to a few liquid poop puddles by the door. And, I've been awoken by a pacing dog wanting out in the night, but by the time I get there, all 3 dogs have roused and are there - so I didn't know who the "pacer" was. Somebody obviously is having trouble in the night. And one afternoon mess when DH worked late. Well - last night I slowly woke to pacing and got to the kitchen just in time to see our foster in poop squat. Let him out. This morning- a poop puddle, with what looked like blood puddles by it. Mostly dried so I couldn't really tell. So - I'm putting that together with the fact that he's been on a grass-eating binge, that I'm monitoring because he's gakked up a couple huge grass balls. Grass-eating is usually no biggie, but he's been EXCESSIVE, then won't eat. And the fact that I CAN NOT put weight on this dog- and he's not "high metabolism". So- I'm thinking it's him, and that it's possibly a parasite? No visible worms in the poop. And, I checked his afternoon poop today immediately, it was squishy, but not a puddle, and not a wiggler in sight. So- sample to the vet tomorrow. But what's the GT thought on this? Sound familiar to anyone? And - I'm not 100% sure it's the foster. We do yard for potty, so I don't see most poops. Although I WILL be checking them all now. He's been here since February. Thanks.

Not an issue that it's little tiny soft poop bits?

My foster does this weird poop thing. It takes him forever to find the "right" poop spot.... then.... he "assumes the position"...then walks, in the "position" as he poops. The result is a lot of really little poops in a line. To be even more graphic it's really little, soft poops in a line. Not liquid, but not solid, big normal looking poops. He's been on a couple different foods, and seems ok on any of them, no major issues like D. He's been here since February, so it's not "new dog nerves". And - we have a fenced yard, so it's always the same "environment". And - I don't examine every movement, so he may also do "normal" poops too. But I noticed this fairly recently and started watching him. It's just odd. Is it just "his thing", or could it be a possible indication of.....something? He's happy healthy and well in every other way. I can't believe I asked a "poop" question!

I could be just a boo-boo. Greyhound skin tears easily over very simple things. I'd contact your adoption group immediately, and tell them the situation, and ask if they know about it. They might, and tell you it's no biggie. From the pic's ... I really can't see well. but that doesn't look right to me. I'd see a vet. The T-shirt is a good idea. The head-cone is ok... if the dog can handle it. Some freak out. I'd definately see the vet from the pic's. ETA: I looked at the pic's again....see the vet. I may not be serious...but that's NOT just a little scrape like I thought before I looked at the pics. And it's NOT normal for a new dog to have. And - DEFINATLY tell your adoption group. It may be a simple fix - but they should know.

Sobe was 4-plus when we adopted him. Now he's 7. He's ALWAYS done this since he's been here. We have a fenced yard, he can stroll and potty, and run, at his leisure, when we're home. And - we play daily. In the yard with balls and toys. He loves to run and chase like Diana and the fosters. And we all go for walks - not daily, but when we can. But - Sobe has a tendency to play and run, then come up short, and head to the house limping. It's never serious...wiithin a half-hour he's walking around normally. I've looked him all over, and can't find anything. I've asked the vet ... nothing. His activity level is exactly the same as our other grey, and all fosters. Sobe is the one that always seems to "cramp up." Maybe he needs to "warm up" more before running around - but it's just play running, and all the other dog do the same, with no issue. And - I don't think it's age...he's only 7... and he's done this for 2-3 years here. It's not serious.... he always stops, stays still for a little while, then is fine. But, sometimes, in the house, he goes to lay down....and cries as he's lying down. Like it hurts to lay down. Not even after he's run. Not every day. He just seems "sore" in an undefined place. I've felt him all over - no reaction.

Good suggestions above. I have nothing constuctive to add - but I must say ( and I KNOW you won't appreciate this right now) THANK you for the most fun H&M thread I've seen in a LONG time!) BTW- I'd use oil. When my DD got gum in her hair I called my older sister - and she LAUGHED for a good 5 minutes before telling me what to do. Not funny for me at the time. It's only funny after you've been there....done that.