Taking The Dog To The Vet For The First Time, What Do I Need To Make S

[Guest Eyeblaura]

So I want to get Enzo a full vet check to make sure he is healthy. He had a shoulder injury when racing and were told he sometimes yelps when standing after laying and we have seen him do this a couple of times. He also tends to favor it after laying down for awhile or running but then goes back to using it just fine. If it is just some inflammation or soreness that can be controlled with supplements or anti-inflammatories I am fine with that but I can't spend $$$$$ on orthopedic surgery. So we definitely want that looked at.

 

He has very dry flaky skin, which I am not too concerned about, he is eating a pretty low quality food right now so I am hoping food and supplements will help clear that up, again want to make sure it is nothing more like a skin infection.

 

He doesn't like his ears pulled on in the slightest. Our previous dog loved to have you hold the base of her ears and run your hands up to the tips kind of pulling them through your hands so it is a habit I have, he wimpers and pulls away, not sure if they hurt or he just doesn't like it. I looked in his ears and one looks pretty dirty, ear mites maybe?

 

So these are the things I notice I want to ask the vet about specifically. But are there any baseline tests I need to ask for to insure his good health? I am planning on using the vet near me that Rescued Racers uses for all their new dogs so I know they are greyhound knowledgeable and I will double check when I make the appt. that I get a vet who knows the breed.

 

Thanks.

[Brindles]

Usually greyhounds are very good about handling and especially ear rubs! If he's pulling away, he may have an ear infection. It's not common in greyhounds, but it does happen. For his skin, I would add fish oil to his food.

 

Instead of supplements for his shoulder, you might try a massage with liniment. That's what they do on the track and it really helps the dogs. How long ago was his injury?

 

Here's a picture of a dog getting "rubbed down." Click the picture for a full description.

 

Massage Therapy by rachelhogue, on Flickr

[Guest DoofBert]

The ears -- our hounds get dirty ears from just playing in the yard.... ask the vet tech how you can clean them correctly at home (our tech did) Our Bacchus came to us with very dirty ears and we needed to clear out the wax buildup with drops.. wasn't ruinously expensive, but man -- did we see a lot of gunk come out of those earies. If the ear's a packed with dirt, they could be hurting...

 

I agree that most hounds are good about beign handled... but hounds are also good at reading your sense of calmness... If you are a bit uncertain about handling them, they'll react. Case in point.... Tania will NOT let me trim her nails... however, vet techs and groomers can trim her nails without one yelp! Same with the Fergus, Tessa and Bert. Bacchus and Emmy will let me do the nails. Tania, Emmay and Bert\ even stay still enough to be a canine blood donors (Bert is now retired from blood donation)!!!!

 

Regarding the leg -- did you get Enzo froma group or directly fromt he track kennel? The group should have some record of the injury. And, any other vet records provided when Enzo retired. Try to get a copy of those from your group or the track kennel.

 

 

Dry skin is common with poor diet and colder weather and flakes can come with stress. Our Tessa even loses her butt fluff when her daddieman was in hopsital.... they feel the stress in the house. I know that our hounds also get dry flaky skin when we use frontline/or other flea treatments.. I wouldn't worry about any skin infection at this point unless you are sure he was exposed to something. All of our hounds came with flakes. (black hounds/white flakes....can you say dandruff?!)... It cleared up quickly. We supplemented with plain old fish oil caps (1000 unit size) --1 per day... ask your vet about that. And, when it's warmer or if you have access to inoddor tub/groomer facilities,, perhaps a good old bath with an good quality oatmeal shampoo!

 

Hounds are retired professional athletes and may come with old injuries and may have athritis. Rub downs are terrific and liniments offer relief! After you see the liniments aren't working, ask your vet about supplement (glucosomine/chrondoitin.) I've learned NOT to buy the vet version of these supplements as they are more expensive.. My vet know we watch the vet expense budget carefully and he is ok with that. If the vet suggests a maintenance dose of any arthritis type med (metacamm or tramadol) ask for a prescription for the generic equivalent...you'll find that pharmacies (such as Target) include these generics in the $10/ for 3 month supply programs, even for pets!!!

 

I'd make certain to bring a fecal sample with you to the vet and any vet records your may have..... have a recheck done of the fecal for any parasites.

 

Good luck! And don't start guessing any diagnoses -- that's the vet's job to figure out the diagonises.. you just report the symptons.....my vet has instructed me not to worry until he tells me it's something to worry about!

 

 

 

 

[MaryJane]

You mentioned pulling your hound's ears through your hands .... what I found was that they type of patting/handling that I might do on a dobie or a shephard might be a tad too much for a greyhound as they do not have any padding (fat) on their body. The first time that I scrunched my grey's ears he also let out a yelp and I just learned to tone down my heavy hands and it's been fine ever since.

 

As to medical issues - you might want to bring in a stool sample. When you are at the vet they should check the feet, eyes, ears, teeth (might need a cleaning as the diet on the track tends to leave tarter), heart, legs and so on. They should be able to tell you the general condition. It's good that you are using a greyhound-savy vet so they will know the "quirks" of the breed.

 

As to food, find out what they were feeding and do a gradual switch (1/4 cup and wait a few days to see if diarrhea show up and if not, and then do another 1/4 cup) so it takes about 10 days to complete the switch. Some greyhounds get diarrhea if the switch is done to fast or if you put them on food that is too rich. On the other hand, some people on the board have mentioned that they have done a total switch and that it worked OK (I have always had problems so I would recommend a slow and gradual switch).

 

You didn't mention where you are located, if you are in a cold climate you might need to get a coat for your greyhound if you are going to be taking him for a walk. For quick trips outside, most greys will not need them. If your grey is shivering outside -- might need a coat. Same thing for indoor temperature, if you keep it cold in the house, your greyhound might need pajamas for nighttime .. most don't but some do.

 

You didn't mention whether he has a bed or not, if he has a shoulder injury you might want to throw a few pillows on the bed/comforters so that Enzo can nest (fluff up his bed) and get a more comfortable position for his shoulder.

 

When I got my greyhounds I didn't get any baseline tests until they got to be about 5 years old and then I got things like a urinalysis & blood work and then repeated every few years.

 

Sorry for rambling and covering so many diverse points but, you didn't mention how old Enzo was ...

Edited January 10, 2012 by MaryJane

[Guest driser]

when we got our greyhound in July (2011) he would yelp if you touched his ears. Turned out they were FULL of dirt and debris from track days. Once they were FLUSHED by the vet he never had an issues with his ears being touched and now expects a good ear-flap massage.

 

When we took ours for his "intro" vet appt we had a full blood panel. It's peace of mind knowing we have that baseline to compare future blood work to.

[rascalsmom]

The very first greyhound I ever met did NOT like to have her ears rubbed--or even touched. She never got over that; it's just the way she was.

[Guest Eyeblaura]

Thanks, I'm not assuming any diagnosis just mentioning things I've noticed. We are adopting him from a group REGAP. He has been living with is for a few days as a trial, so we haven't adopted him yet but if things continue as they are I don't see any issues. So I don't have any paperwork on him yet as far as current vet care. I believe his injury is about a year old. He does have a bed upstairs that we bought him and need to get another for downstairs, right now he has an old comforter to lay on.

 

We do live in a cold area right now and I suspect the flaky skin is just that "flaky skin". He doesn't have a coat right now but we will get him one.

 

Just stating some of the obvious things I've noticed over the last few days of him living with us and trying to prepare myself for our first vet visit. Thanks for the suggestions.

[Guest BrianRke]

My bridge girl, Cleo, HATED anyone to come near her ears!! If you barely touched her ear she would scream like you were killing her. She did the same thing with her feet.

 

It was so strange to me when I got my 2nd grey that I could rub her ears and feet.

[PatricksMom]

How old is he? With an old injury, I'd talk to your vet about starting glucosamine and omega-3 supplements earlier than you might normally. Personally, I'd do a baseline blood panel regardless of age, so if he does get sick at some point you have a healthy comparison. Although if you feel like the food and/or stress of the new environment is upsetting him you might want to wait until he's settled in.

[Guest Eyeblaura]

He is 4 1/2. I talked to the rescue today and the shoulder injury was a muscle injury, a tear I believe. We are going to meet this weekend and she is going to show me how to massage it for him (as others suggested). We will get all his vet paperwork then and fill out the adoption paperwork etc. She also suggested the glucosamine and omega 3s.

[TheFullHouse]

Muscle tears can take a while to heal, especially if it's a large tear.