How To Pack On Some Pounds?

[JJNg]

Here's what I heard back from the person who contacted the racing kennel in Mobile: "ok here is the info from the kennel. He was a nice dog with no injuries while there, thought he might have had a few scars maybe even a big scar when he came. Decent racer, nice kennel dog. Remember its been a while but that is what he has to say "

 

For anyone interested in learning more about the racing industry from those who actually work with and know the dogs, you might want to consider this Facebook group:

The Pro Greyhound Movement

 

This is where I asked about Houston and found people who had contact with his trainer and owner.

[Guest Houston1219]

Wow! I am surprised they even remember him after so long! He does tend to stand out in a crowd, though lol I am even more surprised to hear that he had the scars when he got there! This means he either got himself hurt as a pup (he is a bit of a klutz, so this is not too far fetched...) or, that it has something to do with that large chunk of time that was unaccounted for in his records (someone here said not all tracks report to greyhounddata database) I do wish they knew where he came from when arriving to Mobile, but that one the world may never know.

 

I feel such a sense of relief knowing this. I was never directly told, rather subtly lead to come to my own conclusion, that he had a long rough career full of injuries. An anti-racing group gave me a scarred-up dog and no back story, and a vet made some guesses about his scars (we no longer see this vet, but the rescue recommended him). As a first time grey owner, what would anyone believe? Adopting Houston was essentially adopting our first child, imagine adopting a child with some nasty scars, except this child can't talk, can't tell you... Angry mother instinct kicks in and you blame anyone who came near this child before he was yours, not really sure where to direct that anger you begin to become quite the ferocious mamma bear.

 

 

I do not use Facebook but I would love to know who you spoke to, because I would like to send them some current photos and a letter to thank them for taking good care of my boy.

 

I can't tell you how much I appreciate all you have done

[krissn333]

You'd be AMAZED at how long trainers and owners remember their dogs. I got my Carrie when she was 11, she'd been in a previous home and had been retired since she was about 2.5 years old when she broke her leg.

 

I see her race owner and trainer quite often when Dubuque is in season. I think it was right after she had turned 13, I told her owner (David Ungs), that I had one of his dogs. He asked who, and I said, "Takin the Crumbs" (that was her race name). His eyes lit up and he said, "YOU have my little blonde girl?" (Carrie was a creamy fawn). Then her trainer, Carleton, walks up. Dave says, "She's got Carrie!" Carleton smiled and started telling me about her and her sister Blondie Erin when they were racers. These men had not seen Carrie in 11 years and they remembered her. Hundreds of greyhounds have passed through their lives in that time. That's love.

[Guest Houston1219]

That is so sweet! Reaffirms your belief that your dog is a special one How did you find out who her specific trainers were? As I was saying before, I would love to send a quick "thank you for taking care of my boy" letter and some current photos. Is there somewhere I can find records of this?

[krissn333]

I have known these particular guys for years - I've been involved with my group for 11 years now and have been picking retirees up at Dubuque for a long time.

 

You can look up dog information on www.greyhound-data.com though. That'll tell you the dog's owner but you already know who his owner was.

[JJNg]

The trainer said that the thought Houston raced at Mobile for his entire career. Someone else mentioned that Mobile didn't report races to Greyhound-Data until later, so he probably moved to Mobile shortly after his first few maidens at Bluffs, and his earlier races there just aren't listed. So his scars are most likely from accidents as a pup on the farm. Still waiting to hear if anyone was able to get in touch with his owner, but unfortunately, Stacy Junk might have been the best bet for finding out what happened on the farm.

The friend who contacted the trainer says he's an older guy who isn't very tech savvy, so I don't think he has email or internet to be able to get photos easily, and he's no longer at the track. She'll pass on your thanks, and said he was happy to hear that Houston is in a good home.

Generally speaking, trainers can sometimes be hard to track down. Greyhounds often move from one track to another, and even within a kennel, trainers come and go. Racing programs list the trainer and kennel that each dog is racing in, so if you can find old racing forms through the track website or Google, that can sometimes give you the name of the trainer (at least at the time of that race). That's how I found Houston's trainer. Here's the program I found through a Google search of his racing name. Scroll down to the Fourth Race.
http://www.mobilegreyhoundpark.com/MobileGreyhoundPark/media/images/pdf/January-2012/MO-2012-01-27-E-program.TXT

[Guest Houston1219]

Two weeks of almost doubling his food (3.5+ cups twice daily) plus some sardines, peanut butter, meat, and other assorted goodies, and we have success to report! Houston has gained just over four pounds and is looking great!

 

He lost his mind when we cracked the first can of sardines! The smell about blew us away, but he licked the bowl and came back begging for more! Then the sardine thank you kisses we were showered with about made me vomit, but the huge grin on his face made it all well worth it.

 

I would like to see him gain another four pounds or so but at this rate it should be no problem! I will try to post some before, during, and after pictures soon!

[JJNg]

Great! Sounds like he just needed a little more food. Gaining 4 lbs in 2 weeks (actually, I think a little less than 2 weeks?) is a lot, though. I'm sure he's enjoying the increase in rations and 'extras' but make sure you don't overdo it. I'd probably go ahead and start backing down a little.

[Guest Houston1219]

Yes, we decided to back down as soon as we saw the number on the scale today! We adopted him with strict instructions to feed two cups twice daily. The food he was on was not good for him (this dog cleared rooms with a stench that would burn your eyes!) so, we changed his food. I didn't realize that the only food that we could find that agreed with him (Nutro Naturals Limited Ingredient) was much less calorie dense than what he was on before. So two cups of new vs. old food resulted in slow steady weight loss. *DUH!* I cant believe I missed something so obvious!

 

I agree the weight gain was rapid, and we will be only slightly increasing the amount from here on out to gain a little more and then to maintain. The sardines (and resulting kisses!) which will remain a hilarious tale and inside joke for years to come will be an occasional weekend treat (when we eat later than he does, because I would surely lose my dinner if i scheduled it otherwise) LOL He is looking much better and more like the dog i fell in love with a year ago

 

Pictures to follow!

[robinw]

How did a medical question turn into a pro racing forum?

 

As others have said, some dogs are just thin. Bridge Angel Phoenix was thin, no matter what I did. There are some really good suggestions here about adding weight, give them a try.

Edited January 26, 2014 by robinw