Suspect The Neighbors Fed Our Dogs

[GreytNut]

Today all three dogs have diarrhea and have been vomiting. One threw up what looked like a chunk of tomato. I suspect a neighbor has been feeding them table scraps. On more than one occasion I've overheard people walking by mention that they looked gaunt, but I don't know who's doing it.

 

I made this sign to go on our fence, which I hope will deter future attempts to fatten them up.

 

PLEASE DO NOT FEED US!

We are on medically restricted diets and non-prescription food and treats make us VERY, VERY SICK!

We are slender because we are retired racing greyhounds - but we are at exactly the weight we are supposed to be.

THANK YOU!

P.S. - If you would like to give us a treat, please ring the doorbell and our humans will give you treats that we can safely eat.

 

In the meantime, should we just let them get it out of their systems and not feed them for 24 hours while they clear it out, then slowly reintroduce food? There's no blood and nobody seems to be in terrible distress, just lots of Big D and occasional vomit. DH thinks we should feed them rice but I'm not sure that will really help. I also think giving their systems a chance to rest before feeding them anything at all seems wise.

[juliemac]

A bland, rice/meat diet certainly won't hurt ... I find that my hounds self-regulate their food if their tummies are in true distress. Be watching for any type of continued problems ... if its just one unwise 'snack', the issue should pass within 48 hours. Make sure the pups continue to drink water, too ... that will flush out their systems too.

 

Sorry you're having to deal with this!

[Guest AimeeBee]

If I were you I'd let their tummies rest for 12-24 hours and keep making sure they drink enough water, same as juliemac suggested. If rice/plain pasta and boiled chicken are ok for their diets then do that for a first meal tomorrow as well.

 

Hope they are feeling better and that your sign gets the point across!

[GreytNut]

They are guzzling water. No vomit for a while, so hopefully the worst has passed.

 

If all is still well tomorrow, we'll try plain rice and some low-sodium chicken broth or boiled chicken to ease them back into eating.

[Guest normaandburrell]

My current hound gets empty stomach syndrome and vomits if he goes over 12 hours without eating. So I would start rice right away, but your dogs may be different.

[racindog]

I think you're sign is way too kind to alter the behavior of the stupid buffons that have stuck their nose into your business & hurt your dogs like this. I would put up a sign like this: KEEP AWAY! Anybody caught feeding anything to the dogs will be shot." This opinion comes from ~ 10 years experience dealing with these kinds of ignorant stupid people as a LEO. Hugs to the poor sick houndies!

[40MphMom]

No, no, no, no! I am so sorry for you and your hounds.

 

Although new to this breed of dog, we have made a conscious effort to educate people who approach us with, "Oh my, your dog is so skinny and starving!" Mackenzie has been a tireless educator for the breed standard for her kind. And we fear that someone will take her "health" into their own hands and make her very sick.

 

Wishing your Houndies happy tummies.

[cendrine1]

Gentle scritches to your hounds!

 

One woman angrily yelled at me "that dog needs some steak!" as she flew by on her bike. No chance for education there!

 

I hope your sign is taken seriously and your concerned neighbours allow themselves to be educated. Maybe you could add some pictures of healthy greyhounds so they could compare. I think there was a picture of a genuinely underweight greyhound somewhere on this site - now that was truly heartbreaking!

[Patsy]

Good informative sign.

[sobesmom]

OK - it's a good sign you've got.

 

But I have a question. And it's a question, not a criticism. How much are your dogs in the yard alone? A lot? Or just for "outs"? Do you leave them out when you're at work? I only ask, because if it's just for a little while I'd find it odd for people to notice enough to want to feed them. In the summer my dogs (only dog now) are in my fenced yard as much as they want to be. And no, they're not supervised. So don't think I'm going there, please. But my yard is in the back of my house so only my neighbors see my dogs. And yes, when we first got greyhounds my one neighbor wanted to "fatten them up". She also thought one died after a good run when he flopped over on his side to rest. We chatted, and all is good.

 

Do you live on a busy street where a lot of people see your dogs out? I can understand that many people might think that greys are under-fed, but to randomly feed a dog in a yard? With a sign, especially? That's nuts.

 

I hope your pups are OK.

 

ETA: If you truly think it's a "concerned neighbor" that fed your dogs, you could add this to your sign "If you still think these dogs need help, please call: (vet's number, and name).

Edited January 27, 2015 by sobesmom

[GreytNut]

Everybody seems to be feeling better today. They got rice and boiled chicken and no more diarrhea or throwing up.

 

They aren't left out in the yard, but they do have 24/7 access to a dog run. They can come and go via pet door from the house into the run as they please to relieve themselves or to sunbathe in warm weather. The rest of the yard is available only when we're out with them. We did put up a screen around the run so that they aren't visible from the street (we were worried about loose dogs seeing them and trying to jump the fence). But it's a small town and everybody knows they're there. They do see them when we take them out to play in the main yard since our fence is chain link. They do see them when we take them on walks. And they do talk amongst themselves. I think someone spotted them during playtime or on a walk, thought they were too thin and tossed food over the fence into the dog run.

 

The sign only went onto the fence yesterday after everyone got sick. Hopefully whoever did it (I'm sure their intentions were good, although misguided) will read the sign and respect it. Otherwise we've got to stop giving them unrestricted access to the run. That would be unfortunate because little Lora has a bladder the size of a marble, but it is what it is.

[gryhndsr4us]

Could you put a tarp cover over the dog run? Maybe that would prevent any food getting to them.

[jetcitywoman]

Or change the section of yard fence that is right up against the run. Make it a 6-foot stockade fence or something. I'd also change your sign to something meaner, like "tresspassers will be shot". Even if city ordinances won't let you actually shoot people, I think it will get the message across.

 

Another sneaky thing you can try, if you want to work the small-town rumor mill: when you encounter neighbors out and about town, work a casual little story into your conversation about how someone threw poisoned meat over your fence, but fortunately you got your dogs to the vet in time. Most people will think that's just horrible and as the story gets around, the people who did throw food over your fence will stop because they don't want to be accused of poisoning dogs if they get caught. But as I said, this one is kind of sneaky, so... YMMV

[sobesmom]

Everybody seems to be feeling better today. They got rice and boiled chicken and no more diarrhea or throwing up.

 

They aren't left out in the yard, but they do have 24/7 access to a dog run. They can come and go via pet door from the house into the run as they please to relieve themselves or to sunbathe in warm weather. The rest of the yard is available only when we're out with them. We did put up a screen around the run so that they aren't visible from the street (we were worried about loose dogs seeing them and trying to jump the fence). But it's a small town and everybody knows they're there. They do see them when we take them out to play in the main yard since our fence is chain link. They do see them when we take them on walks. And they do talk amongst themselves. I think someone spotted them during playtime or on a walk, thought they were too thin and tossed food over the fence into the dog run.

 

The sign only went onto the fence yesterday after everyone got sick. Hopefully whoever did it (I'm sure their intentions were good, although misguided) will read the sign and respect it. Otherwise we've got to stop giving them unrestricted access to the run. That would be unfortunate because little Lora has a bladder the size of a marble, but it is what it is.

Ahhhh... small town. That explains it. I also live in a very small town where everybody knows everything, or thinks they do. It sounds like you have a fabulous set-up for your dogs! I wish I could have a dog-door but I'm pretty sure my Diana would bring dead rabbits in it!

 

Thank you for not being offended at my asking questions - I was just trying to get a handle on the situation. Most people don't live in small towns - but those of us that do understand "helpful" neighbors.

 

I'm so glad the pups are feeling better.

[GreytNut]

Population 600 on the South Dakota prairie.... People I've never met before call our dogs by name on walks because they already heard about the strange skinny racing dogs on the corner, or they've come to see them for themselves. We used to have little kids that came to the living room window and called Riley, who would then run out the dog door to meet them in the run so they could reach over the fence and pet him. This concerned me for liability reasons, but it stopped after Riley bit a neighbor's dog that tried to hump him and got an undeserved rep for being nasty.

 

But as mentioned, the small town rumor mill can also be used to one's advantage. I don't think I want to put out that they were potentially poisoned because that might invite serious investigation (the sheriff lives two streets away) but I will put a bug in the ear of my neighbors to either side that someone fed them scraps and it made them terribly sick. I will ask said neighbors to keep an eye out. 1) If it was either of them, they'll probably stop 2) They will both talk and spread the word and 3) Again assuming it wasn't them (and I don't think it was), they probably will pounce on anyone that they see at the dog run.

[seeh2o]

Great idea, the grapevine can be incredibly useful! I've used it for good in the past, too, with great success.

Edited January 28, 2015 by seeh2o

[sobesmom]

Population 600 on the South Dakota prairie.... People I've never met before call our dogs by name on walks because they already heard about the strange skinny racing dogs on the corner, or they've come to see them for themselves. We used to have little kids that came to the living room window and called Riley, who would then run out the dog door to meet them in the run so they could reach over the fence and pet him. This concerned me for liability reasons, but it stopped after Riley bit a neighbor's dog that tried to hump him and got an undeserved rep for being nasty.

 

But as mentioned, the small town rumor mill can also be used to one's advantage. I don't think I want to put out that they were potentially poisoned because that might invite serious investigation (the sheriff lives two streets away) but I will put a bug in the ear of my neighbors to either side that someone fed them scraps and it made them terribly sick. I will ask said neighbors to keep an eye out. 1) If it was either of them, they'll probably stop 2) They will both talk and spread the word and 3) Again assuming it wasn't them (and I don't think it was), they probably will pounce on anyone that they see at the dog run.

Yep, use the rumor mill. I know that my neighbors that feel that they are "in the know" are fiercely protective. I've had so much interest in my greys, both good and bad, because people just don't know what they are. A few years ago when I had dogs get loose and 1 bolt across the road there were people standing near a mini-van who saw the mayhem and I screamed "OPEN THE CAR DOOR!". They did without any hesitation and my grey jumped right in. I finally got there (I can't keep up with a greyhound) to find my dog in a car with 2 small children in carseats, licking them. They not only did what a stranger (but neighbor) asked without hesitation to help out - they also let a BIG panicked dog in a car with their children! Now THAT's neighborly trust. Small towns have their very very good aspects.