Do Greyhounds Get Depressed?

[Guest RAMONA]

Hi,

Our lovely Ramona has seemed a bit off lately and we cannot figure out why. We've had her since last October and she's always been a very relaxed, somewhat aloof girl. Not really playful or goofy like some. That said, she seemed content. Since we've gotten back from vacation (8 days ago) she's been acting much more anxious and has an overall sad appearance about her.

 

Things to note:

1. We switched her food about 2 months ago to California natural. We thought the ingredients were healthier for her than what we had been feeding her (Nutro - Natural). From the beginning it was clear that she liked the taste of Nutro better, but we thought she'd adjust. Sometimes she'll eat the CN, sometimes we have to put either cottage cheese or parmasean on top.

 

2. We were away for one week. We had someone stay at the house with her while we were gone, as we thought it would be best to keep her in a familiar environment. Dog sitter said she was fine, although noted that she never went on the bed or couch with her (which she always does with us)

 

3. She's been nervously panting more than usual

 

4. Won't go to her old bathroom spot.

 

5. She is still eating and going to the bathroom, but has skipped a few meals (not necessarily out of the norm) She never attacked her food. As a matter of fact, she eats very daintily :-)

She did pass on a pig ear this week which is UNHEARD of.

 

6. Usually when one of us gets home she runs to the door. Yesterday, she remained on the couch and didn't even get up once I was standing in the living room calling her. She ate her dinner fine, though.

 

It all just seems a little strange. I thought I'd see if anyone has experienced a behavior change like this in the past and what your thoughts might be. Could it be that she felt abandoned? Could she be physically ill?

 

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

Sue (and Ramona)

[Burpdog]

I'd have a vet check her out Sending prayers!

[scullysmum]

I second that....get her checked over, then if you can rule out something physical, you can start working on what might have changed to make her depressed. Hopefully you will have her back to her old self in no time.

[Guest SusanP]

Vet for sure. Panting can be from pain, not just nervousness.

[Guest boondog]

I agree with the others. A vet visit is in order, just in case. A full blood work-up would probably be a good idea. If the vet suspects thyroid issues, just remember that greyhound T4's run low and a full panel is necessary. Good luck!

[Guest paulamariez]

I agree. I think I'd take her to the vet and have them do a check up and run a blood panel, just to be on the safe side. I'll keep Ramona in my prayers that there's nothing wrong and she gets back to her old habits right away. I do know that the times we've gone away and had to board our hounds for a couple days, they all had an attitude towards us when we picked them up, although we were usually forgiven later that same day. But we knew we were going to be getting the cold shoulder for a couple of hours after picking them up. They would do stuff, like not come when we called, move away when we wanted to pet them and just generally give us the stink eye dirty looks for locking them up. I think maybe they had flashbacks to being at the track or thought they were going back there and being taken away from their homes and luxury. Although, your Ramona, lucky dog, got to stay at her house! Hope everything turns out OK with your sweet girl!

[GeorgeofNE]

Sounds to me like she doesn't feel well. How often do you give her pig ears? She could have swallowed a piece that's too big--it could be a million things, but it sounds more likely to be physical than emotional.

 

IMHO dogs do get depressed, but it doesn't sound like she has any real reason to be depressed.

 

 

[Jackandgrey]

I would agree with checking her out physically. It interested me that you mentioned that she was avoiding her usual bathroom spot. I wonder if she has a UTI. If there is a pain issue when she pees she may associate that spot with pain. That is just a wild guess but something to think about.

[Guest RAMONA]

Sounds to me like she doesn't feel well. How often do you give her pig ears? She could have swallowed a piece that's too big--it could be a million things, but it sounds more likely to be physical than emotional.

 

IMHO dogs do get depressed, but it doesn't sound like she has any real reason to be depressed.

 

She may get one pig ear/month.. as an extra special treat.... As I understand it, they're very high in sodium so we don't want to overdue it..

[Guest charmsmom]

I would also take her to the vet, but if everything else is ruled out, it sounds like she may be lonesome. Maybe it's time for a ??

[Guest greytexplorer]

Hi Sue,

I would second that emotion about time to chip.

Are you able to do that?

If you can, and you do, be prepared to see a side of Ramona you've never seen before!

just a thought.

 

hugs,

~Pat

[greysmom]

You may want to question your dog sitter a bit more. Could something have happened when he/she was there that he/she wouldn't necessarily think was bad but could be with a greyhound? A pulled muscle out in the yard, or ate something she shouldn't, like that. Was Ramona alone more? Less? If her feeding times or routine were changed that could upset her. Just throwing some ideas out there.

 

We always get the stink eye for a couple days after the boys are boarded. (And I know they're well taken care of cause I can watch 'em on the computer!) That being said, Ramona may just be extra sensitive to being left behind. She may think she's been abandoned and just readjusting to your being home again.

 

Do have her checked out though. It could also be something completely unrelated to you being gone that just happened to crop up.

 

greysmom

[Guest argolola]

Prayers for your little sweetie.

[6greyhounds]

I also would say a vet visit. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

[robinw]

i agree with the vet suggestion. Phoenix seemed depressed when I adopted him. He was diagnosed with babesia, a tick borne disease.

[Guest RAMONA]

What is "chip"??

 

Thanks to all who have responded. We have a vet appointment today at 3:00. We appreciate everyone's input and support!!

 

Sue & Ramona

[Guest DeweytheGreyt]

Chipping is adding another greyhound. They say that greyhounds are like potato chips, it's hard to stop at just one.

[Guest charmsmom]

Yep. Some greys just don't do well on their own once they realize they're not going back to kennel life.

[seeh2o]

I vote for vet, too.

[Guest RAMONA]

Hi All,

Thanks for your responses..

We brought Ramona to the vet yesterday.

All her bloodwork (CBC and SUPERCHEM) came back within normal ranges.

Fecal Culture: negative

 

Urinalysis: her urine is a bit alkaline, and there were some crystals in her urine (not stones)

http://www.whitneysvet.com/crystalluria.html

She said that this could definitely cause some discomfort.

 

In the end, the vet feels that her genetics may not work well with the California Natural, so we'll feed her a mix of chicken and rice for the next couple days until we decide what to switch her to. Our vet said that there was no specific ingredient to avoid.. We know that she did well on Nutro, but I really wanted to try a different, more natural brand. Does anyone know which WELLNESS formula is the LEAST rich?? She didn't do well on the Fish and Sweet Potato blend.

Loose poops..

 

Thanks again for all your help and input.

 

Sue (and Ramona)

[turbotaina]

Hi All,

Thanks for your responses..

We brought Ramona to the vet yesterday.

All her bloodwork (CBC and SUPERCHEM) came back within normal ranges.

Fecal Culture: negative

 

Urinalysis: her urine is a bit alkaline, and there were some crystals in her urine (not stones)

http://www.whitneysvet.com/crystalluria.html

She said that this could definitely cause some discomfort.

 

In the end, the vet feels that her genetics may not work well with the California Natural, so we'll feed her a mix of chicken and rice for the next couple days until we decide what to switch her to. Our vet said that there was no specific ingredient to avoid.. We know that she did well on Nutro, but I really wanted to try a different, more natural brand. Does anyone know which WELLNESS formula is the LEAST rich?? She didn't do well on the Fish and Sweet Potato blend.

Loose poops..

 

Thanks again for all your help and input.

 

Sue (and Ramona)

 

Hey Sue - I still need to reply to your email, but we had a foster with this problem. I'll need to go back and look at notes, but I think that Wellness was specifically recommended AGAINST. But I'll need to go and see. I'm feeling a bit woozy today, so I may go home early from work, so you may not hear from me until this evening.