Should We Adopt This Dog?

[Guest mike]

Teeth are gone. No problems. In the vast majority of canines who lose teeth they are healthier as a result. There was some reason the vet pulled them. We don't do that unless it's warranted. I can't forsee any problems with this.

Corns can be another problem. Usually, they do well but these things can be bothersome. There are several options with how to treat corns.

 

again, no one has a guarantee. Canine or human.

[Guest johnlovesgreys]

Sounds like it shouldn't be a problem then!

[Guest KennelMom]

Last year we had Harmony die after a week long illness at 6 and Bodhi died suddenly at 4, just a week off the track. We also adopted a 13 year old who was so emaciated and sick with diabetes she probably should have died, but has made a full recovery and rules the roost here with a not-so-velvet paw

 

The bottom line, is that you just never know. I understand not wanting the heartbreak. NONE of us adopt a dog of any age or health wanting to have our hearts broken. Tomorrow is promised to none of us...no matter how healthy we seem right at this moment.

 

As for the corns...had plenty of corn dogs in this house and I wouldn't think twice about not adopting a dog who had corns. We've always been able to manage them well at home or through hulling at the vet. As for the teeth...we adopted a 10 year old that had his teeth from his canines back pulled and he was never really affected by it. By the time he passed away at 13, he's lost the rest of them and still ate regular kibble like all the other dogs.

 

For us, I guess the only medical condition we'd have to seriously consider not bringing home would be seizures and that's just because of the pack management issue if a dog were to seize in the middle of the night or whatever. Not saying we'd rule a seizure pup out for sure, but we'd have to really think about how we'd manage it and if it was something we felt was OK for the pack. But, we're kind of a weird situation with so many dogs.

Edited January 7, 2010 by KennelMom

[CaliforniaGreys]

I don't see one single reason not to.

 

me either

[Anne]

I agree with everything said here. I adopted a boy with horrible teeth, he was about 5. He'd been in and out of a number of homes. I tried for over 6 months to save his teeth, brushed 2 or 3 times a day etc and so forth.... didn't work. He lost 26 teeth his first dental. Took him about a day to recover. I fed my dogs raw back then and I did have to grind his bones, but it never made a difference in him except for the better. Bad teeth can really cause problems. Was very easy to keep what few teeth he had left clean and in good shape! And the pictures I have of him laying around the house with his tongue hanging out are too cute! Oh, and when I had to go back to feeding kibble, he did fine with it as long as it was small nuggets, I never had to soak it or give him special canned food because of his teeth.

I have had no experience with corns, so can't help you with that one. Best of luck!

[Guest houndhome]

I adopted a 10 yr old female with just a few teeth left. She had no problems with this. I now have 3 hounds. Two have great teeth, amazingly, and I am sad to admit, I don't brush them like I should. The third will be losing three teeth next week. I know she'll be okay, but it is good to have the reassurance of what I already know, greyhounds are prone to bad teeth, and they do just fine without them. Not that it means anything, but my Persian is allergic to his teeth, and he has only two left. He is 16 years old and acts like a six year old. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[Sighthounds4me]

First of all, I want to say that I don't think it is selfish to want a healthy dog. Especially after what you have already dealt with.

 

Secondly, having a Greyhound with dental issues, I have to say that, as long as you keep on top of it (daily brushing, yearly dentals, regular vet work, and just generally watching her mouth), you should not have a problem. Naples is now 10, and while she has lost a lot of teeth to dentals over the years, she is otherwise fine.

 

But, as others have said, do what you feel is right. If you are drawn to this girl, there is probably a good reason. Listen to your heart!

[Guest Swifthounds]

I agree wholeheartedly with Irene - there are no guarantees in life. Ok, well there are, but never on the things we cherish (just, you know, death and taxes).

 

I have a now 10 year old greyhound I have had since she was 10 weeks old. From about the time she was 3 she has had extractions. At 10 she has 4 canines and one premolar. She is raw fed and tears through everything from london broil, to pork loin, to chicken leg quarters without any issue at all. The least healthy thing you can do for a dog is to leave rotten teeth in their mouth to continue to dump bacteria into the blood stream. Bad teeth kill.

 

I can understand your hesitancy to take a chance, but loving a hound begins by accepting that they won't be with us forever. For me, when it comes to a hound that loves me more than his/her own life, anything short of forever isn't long enough.

 

My first greyhound was 4 when I adopted him and a few months shy of 6 when I lost him to kidney failure. I had two littermate brothers after that. One from JCKC who was always fragile, hard to keep weight on, and spooky. The other a confident, natural alpha with endurance to spare. Two years ago cancer took my healthier alpha boy. At the time he was in such good condition that even after he lost 12 pounds in 12 days and I was heartbroken that he was wasting away, no one in the vet's office could believe he had advancing cancer. His fragile brother is still ambling around. A year later I adopted a 12 year old return whose 13th birthday I just posted about in another thread. He's now the oldest hound I've ever had.

 

Greyhounds come with only two guarantees:

They will love you more than they love themselves.

They will love you more than anyone else possibly could.

[Sighthounds4me]

Long snout = bad teeth. There's nothing that can be done about it.

 

Can't say I agree with that! I have four sighthounds that are not Greyhounds, but, of course, do have the long muzzle. Their teeth are fine, though they do have tartar. I do scale, though, and they come out nice.

 

It has more to do with Greyhound genetics, I think. This is only made worse by the soft, protein rich diet they recieve on the track. Many other sighthounds, though they have the long muzzle, have few, if any problems, unless teeth are neglected.

[Guest spider9174]

I agree with others...life is short and there are no guarantees.

 

HOWEVER...you're still recovering from a loss and you have a right to protect your heart. It's ok to grieve the loss of your pup and want to protect yourself a bit.

 

I've fostered a number of special needs pups and adopted one myself (a Cushings pup, it's been the best decision we ever made). It is a commitment to future vet bills and health considerations. I tell people, educate yourself on the current medical/behavioral problems. If you arm yourself with the right information, that information can offer you some comfort in face of the unknown.

 

My advice, talk to the vet that did the extractions and then talk to your vet. Ask whatever questions you need to find out how her teeth (or lack thereof) will affect her long term.

 

Don't feel bad if you decide not to adopt this pup. I truly believe that each pup finds the home for him/her...greyhound, karma, right? The right pup will trot into your life at the right time. And if this is the right time, you'll know it.

[brandimom]

Several years ago I adopted Tawny (bridge baby now) when she was 7 and when she came to me she only had two teeth (canines) and she never had any health issues until the end, renal failure. She went to the bridge at age 12 but we had five wonderful years with no medical issues. Go with your heart! Any decision you make will be the right one for you.

[Guest Energy11]

I don't see one single reason not to.

 

me either

 

 

Me three!

 

I don't see one single reason not to.

 

me either

[silverfish]

Long snout = bad teeth. There's nothing that can be done about it.

 

 

Actually, the opposite is true.

 

Brachycephalic dogs like pekes and pugs and the like have a much higher incidence of dental and periodontal disease because their teeth are so crowded. The only reason greyhounds seem to suffer so much is the genetic component that some - not all - seem to have, which makes them more liable to bad mouths. Even then, there is a lot you can do about it! OK, some will lose teeth despite your best efforts, and my Jack was like that. But you can still keep the mouth as clean as you can and avoid the sort of foods which might make things worse - like sugary foods and sticky carbohydrates. Feeding even part raw helps. Green tripe helps. Hard chews help. Brushing helps and so does mouthwash (Aquadent) in the drinking water. That way you can delay the loss of teeth and associated problems for quite some time.

 

 

Thanks folks. I think that's exactly what I needed to hear. I know there are no guarantees but I wanted to get a feel for how serious this was. It sounds now like it's not a big deal at all.

 

Any special diets necessary for toothfew (not toothless!) hounds?

 

Not a huge deal. I'd say the corn will be more of a nuisance than the lack of teeth.

 

As to special diets, depends on the dog. Jack, with all his front teeth intact but only three 'chewers' at the back, ate the same basic diet as Renie with her full set of pearly whites, and he could still get through a half a pig ear. I only gave him half because Renie would quickly eat her whole ear and then try to steal Jack's. Giving him less gave him a better chance to finish in peace before she did that.

 

 

 

I have a now 10 year old greyhound I have had since she was 10 weeks old. From about the time she was 3 she has had extractions. At 10 she has 4 canines and one premolar. She is raw fed and tears through everything from london broil, to pork loin, to chicken leg quarters without any issue at all.

 

 

Wow .. really? How does she deal with the bones? One thing I did stop giving Jack was lamb ribs because it's one thing to let him swallow chunks of pig ear, quite another to let him swallow large pieces of sharp rib. That was my thinking anyway.

[45MPHK9]

we adopted bee wiseman at age 7. she had been returned to our adoption group by her owner. when we adopted her, she was missing almost all of her teeth, one of her toes, and suffering from pannus. she is generally healthy aside from those things. you get no guarantee with these dogs.

 

bee is the dearest sweetest girl in the world. i don't care if we only have one more day with her. she is home to stay with us. we love her dearly.

 

and FYI.....bee is a CHOWHOUND, not bad for an old girl with almost no teeth in her head

[Guest sirsmom]

I would go for it. We adopted a lurcher about a yr ago from an agency that goes around to Petsmart with these dogs mostly on the weekends. I walked in and she looked at me with those sight hound eyes and just stared and that was it! She just got over having a litter of puppies that all died (b/c she had an infection), 4 different types of worms and fleas but could she cuddle! She's now my pride and joy.

[Guest GentleHugs]

My girl, Ashley, just turned 12 Dec 21st. We adopted her when she was 3 1/2. At age 10, she had her remaining teeth pulled all but her 4 canines. Despite all we did to help her keep her teeth, she was better off without them. Her pre-op blood work came back fantastic for a Greyhound her age and she feels much better with them gone as well.

 

We soak her kibble and cookies now all because it's easier on her gums and we still brush and care for those 4 remaining teeth of hers. Her smile now is precious with those 2 bottom teeth sticking up and those 2 top teeth showing, too!

 

Recently, we had a blizzard during Christmas and just had another round of snow and subzero winds hit yesterday. For a 12 yr old, she's doing pretty darn good braving this artic front.

 

I had another Greyhound who had a bad corn on one of her front paws. I'd just dremel it down every so often and she did fine. We adopted her at age 5 and she passed just 10 days short of her 12th birthday from cancer of the heart. It hit her fast and hard and she was never sick before that.

 

I also have a 7 yr old that came to me with a previous broken hip, pannus, seizures and a screwed up digestive system. I adopted her without ever meeting her in person first. She's a wacky little girl but I still love her and would do anything in the world to keep her as healthy as I possibly can.

 

Just a suggestion if you decide to adopt this girl - get copies of all her medical records if you can and take her to your vet for an initial checkup. During the initial checkup, get a baseline blood draw done so if something ever happens in the future and she gets sick, your vet will have something to compare her new blood work up to.

 

Good luck in whatever you decide.

[Guest realboo]

Teeth are such a funny thing! When we were adopting, it came down to 2 dogs. I looked at the teeth and chose the one I thought had the best teeth. Turned out that the one with the best looking teeth turned out to be allergic to his own plaque - he would get ulcers around his mouth from it. We ended up spending a lot of money having them taken care of by a dental vet and then eventually removed at age 10. We actually wish it had been done in the beginning as we think this was a quality of life issue. At 11.5, he is an incredibly happy, healthy hound - my little Gumby.

 

So I think teeth are a hard thing to judge the future on. The good things is that there are a couple of small health issues that you can see in the beginning and easily deal with. I think you have to go with your heart connection.

 

I certainly understand your concerns after your loss. Your heart will tell you what you need to do. Good luck!

[Guest sneakers]

Greyhounds have notoriously bad teeth. There are no guarantees that you won't encounter the same problems if you adopt a younger grey with seemingly perfect teeth. The problem can easily be resolved by modifying the dog's diet. Go for it! Everything you give that dog will be reciprocated 210%.

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

All four of my hounds have good teeth- especially the red boy. It's luck of the draw. I'd never let teeth stop me, though. I don't have good teeth, genetically, but I am just fine. I have a 13 year old sighthound with gorgeous pearly whites and no missing teeth. I have also lost a Grey at a very young age to cancer.

[Guest SillyIzzysMom]

Hi John, this is Melissa. . .we met at the indoor dog park---I brought Stella and you and Laney had Sol and Laika with you.

 

I completely understand your worries. . .you guys have had enough health problems human and canine over the past couple of years. But, I also know that there's no way to predict whether or not a dog will live several years or just a few. . .we had a 4 year old greyhound (Izzy) die just 6 months after we adopted her. She was beautiful with all her teeth and no corns. You just never know what will happen.

 

Whether you decide to adopt this girl or you decide that another, maybe younger hound would be better, everybody here on GU will understand. Maybe meet up with this girl again to decide. . .I bet she's just as sweet with fewer toofers