Lennys Ill!

[Sighthound Fan]

I don't know what to do about Len, He has an absess on his gum that he's haveing an op for next week, but the last couple of days he's been really pukeing up everywere I really don't know why, he's not eaten anything unusuall, he has his buiscuits and meet in the morning, followed by 2 bacon rashers for lunch, then spag bowl for tea (he's still not fat enough though, I guess he's got 1 of those funny digestive systems), the other dog has had worms recently so I thought it mite be that, but we wormed him and it's still carrying on. He's also developed what looks like some kinda folicle infection on the hairs on his chest almost like an old mans chin stubble and when he's asleep at night, he wakes me up cause his muscles keep spazaming, it's really worrying me! Don't suppose anyone elses dog has had symptoms like these???

[Franky]

Hi

Sorry I know this post was from a while back but not been on the boards.
Anyway how did he go on at the vets?
Did you have a chat with them about his diet.
What is his weight?

[Sighthound Fan]

The vets went ok thanks, they've removed the absess and had it tested and it's nothing serious, now it's been removed nothing should come of it. The pukeing has stopped but he stands there whining and yelping, i've proded him all over but nothing seems to bother him, he's eating normally, I think he weighs about 27kg, but I'm not sure, you can see some of his ribs though

[Tuesday's Rose]

I think ur supposed to just see the ribs, i mean when sophie turns u can just see her ribs. Maybe it's just the recovery process, sophie has had some ops before and she looked very thin for quite some time after.

[Franky]

Some greyhounds are just naturally thinner than others.
When you say he stands there whining is that after hes eaten or just generally?
Does he have bacon everyday?
If he was my dog i would get him on a decent complete dog food (they're not all expensive) and cut out any other food especially 'human' food as it doesn't always do their digestion any good.
You could try him on a greyhound maintenance food or have a look through what they have at your local pet shop. I feed Munchy on Autarky which is wheat gluten free (gluten can sometimes upset certain dogs) and it contains all natural ingredients and 15 herbs too. It costs under £15 for a 15kg bag.
If he keeps whining i would take him back to the vets and get them to check for any underlying problems.

Hope that helps a bit!

[Howie]

Hi Katey
I wouldnt worry about Lennys weight, 27kg sounds about average. Harry is 30kg and he is a tall dog the vet said not to let him get any heavier. I believe like BB said you should just see the back 2 ribs. As for feeding, i agree with Franky try out a good quality complete dog food, Harry can not stomach chicken or egg which are in alot of dog foods we have found the best one for him is James wellbeloved lamb and rice kibble (adult maintenance) he dosnt find it over exciting on its own so we cook up some diced lamb and mix with it. Go easy on the bacon, the high salt content of it can cause muscle cramps. which could account for his muscle spasms at night. as for the whining and yelping has he learnt he gets something by doing it ie, attention, or food, cos they are clever like that. Hope these suggestions help.

[Sighthound Fan]

he gets bacon every other day, and we make sure it's not smoked, and he gets propper food in the morning and evening, the wining is usually at night, while he's trying to go to sleep, he fidgits around alot, he never used to...infact he used to get annoyed with me for fidgiting and sleep on the floor...untill he got too cold! He's been eating like this the whole time we've had him, he was abondoned by gypsies when he was 5, and we've had him since then, the thing is he's a dead fussy eater, there isn't much he'll eat, so if we cut out one of the things, he'll loose too much weight

[Franky]

Its hard to say whether hes underweight without seeing him, but i would have thought the vet would have said something when you took him in as they generally weigh them.

How much food does he eat in a day, do you feed him the manufacturers recommended amount?
Has he learnt to be a fussy eater? a lot of dogs become fussy as if they don't eat a worried owner thinks oh poor thing and gives them something else like chicken etc then the dog realises great i get to eat that instead?
The other thing is do you feed him with the other dog?
There are now a lot of foods aimed at fussy eaters which are meant to be more palatable (i don't know if they are as i've never tried eating them ). It could also be his age as we get older we don't always eat as much and dogs can be the same.

You say he didn't use to whine at night so do you know when he started to? Has something changed in his routine? Is something stressing him out? My dog will start panting and following us about if we start packing things to go on holiday, once she gets put in the car shes fine and settles down! (She also hates thunder storms and fireworks.)
Could it be he is finding it hard to cope with a boisterous 1 year old dog in the house?

Sorry if i've bombarded you with questions just trying to think what could be the cause.

[Sighthound Fan]

It whining started the day before his op, he has less than the recomended amount...but because he woln't eat any more, I don't think it's to do with the other dog, cause Harvey knows where he stands and Len seems to really like him, they love playing together and curling up on the sofa together. And he's always been fussy, ever since we had him...which is kinda odd as when he came into the rescue centre he looked like he'd never been fed in his life! He gets working dog food cause it's got more carbohidrates in it, and then half a can of winalot mixed in to make it taste good, the thing is everytime we try him on a new food, he'll love is for the 1st day, can't get enough of it, but then by the 2nd day he's back to his old habbits! And there just isn't enough dog foods to feed him a different one every day!

[Franky]

Theres quite a few websites that discuss fussy eaters if you put a search in. The main thing they suggest is to put the food down and leave for 10 - 15 minutes then take the food up and do not give anything till the next meal then do the same. They should then realise they're not going to get anything extra and after a few days should start to eat everything.
Let us know how you get on

[Sighthound Fan]

it doesn't work, he just leaves it altogether. I just really need a food that's high in fat!