For Mature Audience Only

What is long, thick, rock hard........... OH, not that! I am talking about frozen turkey necks. All I can say is Reagan better be something special. In my efforts to deal with her tummy woes, I have had to find her a replacement for chicken backs. This ails me because in my opinion chicken backs are an excellent raw meaty bone for greyhounds. They are large enough to require chewing, a nice combination of meat, bone, skin, fat, and organs all in one little package, inexpensive, and sold fresh in bulk.

An obvious low-fat option for Reagan is turkey necks. For the last several weeks, I have found myself frequenting several local grocery stores hoping to score a package of turkey necks. Turkey necks, once plentiful, have all but disappeared from Kroger shelves. Is there a crazy new flu going around causing neck-less birth defects in turkeys?...... I bet the real reason is that there are a bunch of crazy people out there feeding their dogs raw meat and bones, popularizing those less popular cuts of meat. Freaks!

At the grocery store, turkey necks are chopped in half and neatly packaged in groups of 3 or 4. Grocery store turkey necks are rarely more than about 6 inches long. Until the other day, I have avoided buying turkey necks in bulk. Why? I will tell you why.

1. Bulk turkey necks come frozen together in a 30 pound block. How am I suppose to divide that up for storage?.....

.... with a hammer, an ice pick, and time to partially thaw in a bath tub.

2. Bulk turkey necks are ginormous. Huge! They make women blush and grown men cry.

I had to buy larger plastic containers and the turkey necks still barely fit!
3. A foot long and so thick you can barely get your hand around..... get your mind out of the gutter..... turkey necks frozen together in a 30 pound block all for a cost of 2 1/2 times the price of chicken backs. Fantastic!

From a digestive standpoint, Reagan is doing great on turkey necks, veggie mix, Kefir, probiotics, organ meat, and brown rice. She is still on Metronidazole, so coming off of that will be the true test. Her coat still looks awful if not worse. Small intestine bacterial overgrowth is one cause of malabsorption, but there are other causes as well. It is always possible that her coat and her gut problems are not related at all, but two separate problems.

Happy Friday!

Memorial Day Weekend

Enjoying the lake!

A cookout!

Hiking!

Yeah, we didn't do any of those fun activities. Sure wish I had gone to work on Friday though. As you can see, Reagan dislocated a toe. I have been there and done that before, but this really is adding insult to injury (or should I say adding injury to my already insulted dog).

If malabsorption and losing hair wasn't bad enough, this certainly is the icing on the big, fat, &%$!# cake. Can it get any worse? Yep, it does.

After doing some agility on Friday, Reagan was fetching a toy when suddenly she came back to me limping. Dang it!

Once Reagan was home, it was quickly obvious that it was a busted toe. With the old and retired, I tend to just amputate the toe because the recovery is quick, but with the young and in training, I want to save the toe.

I have not had a young greyhound dislocate a toe since Travis probably 6 or 7 years ago. I took him to the Auburn vet school and Dr. Rob Gillette, sports medicine vet, injected it with schleroising agents. A splint was then applied so as the scar tissue forms, the toe is in the correct position. Travis had to have it done a second time, but the toe held up great for agility and never gave us another problem.

Also over the years, one of the vets I use that Southeastern Greyhound Adoption also uses has learned to surgically correct dislocated toes by sewing the collateral ligaments back together. Toe surgery is not common to small animal practices. I was able to get an appointment for later that afternoon. Dr. Toby confirmed that it was dislocated and I expressed my desire to have it fixed.

As luck would have it, not only were we starting a 3 day weekend, but Toby was going to be out of town for a full week. The decision was made to do surgery now since it would not be good for the toe to wait a week.

Toby gave Reagan a sedative so she could start settling down in the exam room. Reagan proceeded to cry and whine as the sedative took effect. She was a terrible drunk and fighting the effects.

Toby used anesthesia that normally gives you a short window in which to do surgery and then the patient quickly wakes up and is walking around a half hour later. Surgery was done in 10 minutes and the waking up process began.

We placed Reagan on a blanket on the floor at about 6 PM. As she started to wake up, she began crying and barking. She paddled, struggled, and swung her head around. This continued for an hour. Most dogs are up and about at this point. We took Reagan outside and tried to stand her up. She couldn't stand, but would try to bolt and run away.

We brought Reagan back inside and laid her down. Toby gave her some Ace to try and relax her as she continued to come out of anesthesia. Immediately, Reagan's face began to break out in hives. Toby gave her some Benedryl and Reagan's face returned to normal.

Toby and I were dumbfounded and just could not believe this was happening. Its not a good thing when you vet is saying "They never do this." I'm all about shattering greyhound stereotypes, but this is not what I had in mind.

We decided it would be best to just get her home and in a crate. Reagan rode home just fine and was quiet. Stephen and I placed her in a crate. After a few minutes, barking, howling, and crying ensued, but she still could not stand up or walk. I was able to get her to pee by supporting her with a towel around her waste. After 4 hours of barking and crying, Reagan finally fell asleep at 10:30 PM. What an ordeal!

Here is a short video of Reagan at home at around 9 PM. It is so weird. Notice the tail wag between barks.

Reagan was fine the next morning........ but she still has to be spayed, scheduled for June 11th :-(.

Memorial Day Veggie Mix

The latest veggie mix contains turnip greens, spinach, baby romaine, green bell pepper, ginger, celery, sweet potato, and "on sale" blueberries and asparagus. And for taste, canned salmon.

I also grilled some hamburgers, turkey burgers, and chicken. "No, Snookums. Its not for you. Its for the dogs."

Even though I am a vegetarian, I have skills. Okay the burgers are a little burned, but I was trying to over cook them on purpose so they would dry out and be easy to use as training treats. Meat off the grill is an excellent high value training treat for man or beast.

For just one bite of a turkey burger, Snookums, chopped up 3 rolls of Red Barn dog food, also used for training the dogs. Thanks, Snookums.

Talent Show

This year's Bring-Your-Greyhound-Meeting at the farm included a talent show. I thought it was kind of a funny venue to have a talent show since most people do not teach their greyhounds any tricks. We had 3 acts.... me, a people skit, and a singer.

So on Monday (5 days before the event), I started to teach Reagan and Riley a trick for the talent show. Both were terrible at jumping through a hoop. I thought that would be so easy, but it wasn't. I taught them to play dead instead.

I was also very excited to have Katie in tow because she is great at picking up objects and she had not had an opportunity to perform since Greyfest last October. Katie will pick up anything I ask for if she can. I figured if the two brats embarrass me at least Katie will be dependable. Well, Katie is dependable when she is not high on Valium! Needless to say, Katie did not participate.

Luckily, Reagan was able to fill in for Katie. It turns out that Reagan is also very good at picking up objects and she was able to hand me a shoe, a sock, a dog brush, and so on. At one point, I asked her to pick up a leash, but I don't think she could see it in the grass, so finally, exasperated, she fell over in a dramatic display of death. Wish I had that on video. She is a balding cutie!

Sorry no pictures, but I leave you with Riley and her rabbit impression. She is a cutie too!

Snookums Brag

I think most wives can identify with this. When dogs vomit, potty, stir, or need something in the middle of the night, the men sleep through it all. I find it irritating that I am the one that has to handle these things in the wee hours.

Speaking of "wee", we have this "wee" greyhound that is a bit of a lush. She loves her tea. If we do not pick up the water bowl early enough, Reagan will drink the whole bowl before bed and will inevitably need to tinkle at 2 or 3 AM in the morning.

Luckily, Reagan yells for us (who I am kidding, she yells for me) and I let her out. This happens more often than I would like to admit, so I am quickly learning to pick up the water bowl at 7 PM.

Last night, Reagan hollers, I say a few choice words, and a miracle happens......... without a word, Stephen jumps out of bed and takes care of it! I couldn't believe it! I was so proud! A few minutes later, he returned to bed and we fell back asleep.

The next day I thanked Stephen, but he couldn't remember doing it. Its not the first time he has jumped out of bed while sleeping. Once, I found him face down on the hardwood floor next to his side of the bed. I asked him what he was doing and he said he had spilt some water. Of course, makes perfect sense.

I must figure out a way to harness this nocturnal energy. Wives, can you think of anything more brilliant than a husband that cleans and does chores in his sleep?

Thanks, Snookums. Love you.

Valium

This weekend was the annual Bring-Your-Greyhound-Meeting at the farm. Stephen and I decided to take all 6 greyhounds and spend the night at my sister and Matt's (fiance) house.

Despite having an almost new van that any dog (except Katie) would love, we had to do some extra planning. I had not yet tried Katie on Valium and decided this would be a good trip to try it. Stephen and I had to take separate vehicles and once we arrived at the farm, Katie would be able to resume her travels and return home in Stephen's car (she still approves of Stephen's car).

Thirty minutes prior to our departure, I gave Katie 2 tablets of Valium (the dosage calls for 1 - 4 tablets). 15 minutes later, I put Katie in the van. As usual, she flat our refused and I had to shove her into her crate. I waited another 20 minutes, hoping she would settle down and fall asleep before starting the engine. I peeked in on her.............

...... hmmmm, looking kind of perky still. I gave her a 3rd tablet and 15 more minutes.

Once we got on the road, she looked like this. Panting, shaking, bracing herself, and hanging on for dear life. "Katie, I'm sorry, but you are a dork."

Katie never settled down. We arrived at the farm an hour later. I took the hounds out for a walk around the pastures. It quickly became evident that NOW the Valium was starting to kick in.

Valium seems great for exaggerating neurological problems. Katie was perky, eager for treats, and energetic, but she was a tangle mess of legs going every which way. I put her back in the van hoping she would fall asleep, but she did not.

Stephen arrived with his car and I moved Katie to it. She was happier, but still wide awake and alert. I just wanted her to fall asleep and let the Valium run its course. She obviously slept well later that night.

It was a good test run. Luckily, Katie was able to ride in Stephen's car the rest of the weekend. In the future, she is probably going to have to stay with my parents who live close by. It just is not economical to take Katie's car AND the van everywhere we go with dogs.

I'm just glad Katie traveled well until she was 10 years old. She is the first greyhound to earn a Master Agility Championship and she also earned a Utility Dog Title. She is a big deal, so I guess she has earned the right for one old age quirk. :-)

Happy Birthday, Pumpkin!

Katie turns 11 today! As you can see below, she is feeling great. She has lots of energy and looks forward to our backyard training and rehab exercises.

I really miss competing together. While Reagan and Riley are progressing nicely, there was something invincible about walking into a ring with Katie. I was emailing with a friend recently about our older and younger dogs and a great word to describe Katie (and Travis) was bombproof. It never mattered what was happening outside of the ring. Katie was too focused to notice anything, but the task at hand. I think she could have handled any situation and I truly mean that. I have my doubts about the youngsters in certain situations, but time will tell and I hope they prove me wrong.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Girl!

Goodbye Chase

Those of you that read my sister's blog know that Chase, one of the equine residents at Summerwind Farm, passed away Monday morning. He suffered a traumatic accident on Saturday night and it was determined he was not going to recover.

Chase was the property owner's first horse. I rode him several times, but that was probably 10 years ago. He was a quality horse who had been trained very well. Chase had been mostly retired for the last few years and living the good life. He was nearly 19, I believe.

The picture above was taken April 19th, 2009 as I left the farm. I think its probably the last picture taken of Chase.

Rest in peace, Chase. You will be missed.

Front Left

Here is a video clip of Reagan working on fronts. I am making her commit to a position by sitting. She still seems to be stuck on moving her rear end and correcting her position too much. When she does finally stand or sit straight in front of me, I click and treat several times in an attempt to convince her that its the position I want and not really the movement. She is so much fun to work with. Reagan is such a good little worker.

Next, Reagan is working on left turns in heeling. Kathryn (trainer) has me working on left turns slowly and exaggerated so Reagan is encouraged to move her rear end to stay in line.

My goal is to have Reagan ready to compete in Novice obedience at the Hound obedience trial September 18th. The trial is limited to dog breeds in the hound group so it should be a small, quiet trial to start at.

Separation Anxiety

Greyhound adoption has been exhausting lately. My volunteer job consists of following up with adopters soon after taking their new greyhound home. I have access to the adoption application so I can ask specifically about how the greyhound is doing and I try to solve problems before they escalate.

Southeastern Greyhound Adoption tries very hard to match the right dog with the right home. We provide our adopters with lots of advice and focus on preventing problems and getting off to a great start. We have a wonderful greyhound adoption manual. We temperament test each greyhound and try to answer four questions.

1. Does the greyhound need a fenced yard? Greyhounds that are shy, cautious, and easily frightened need the safety that a fenced yard provides.

2. Can the greyhound live in an apartment? Greyhounds that are quiet and love leash walking are perfect for apartment living.

3. Can the greyhound live with small children? This is generally a greyhound that is easy to handle, is not afraid of loud noises, very affectionate, and tends to get into your space.

4. Is the greyhound a high separation anxiety risk?

I have been pleased that adopters have been following the separation anxiety prevention guidelines and the results speak for themselves. However, for whatever reason, we suddenly are having a rash of separation anxiety problems. I do not know if adopters are to blame or if our latest greyhounds have been extra prone to the problem. Regardless, it is frustrating to deal with.

Folks need to remember that racing greyhounds have lived a life of routine. Every second of their day is determined by a person.... a person that divides his or her time amongst many other greyhounds. Life on the farm and at the track is mostly predictable, balanced, and stable.

When a greyhound is adopted and arrives home, its best to recreate routine and stability. I believe Cesar Milan has it right when he recommends exercise, discipline, and then affection... in that order. To prevent separation anxiety from starting, I suggest the following:

1. Spend time ignoring the dog. This is especially important for the greyhound that seeks attention frequently. Ignore demands for attention and save your affection for when the greyhound is calm and not asking for it.

2. If you take time off from work or you adopt your greyhound over the weekend, spend your time together ironically by practicing separation. If you plan to crate your greyhound, the worse thing you can do is allow your greyhound to have free range of your house all weekend long and then crate him or her for 8 hours on Monday. If during the week you will be gone to work for 8 hours, then practice crating over the weekend.

3. Generally, separation anxiety is worse in the first 30 minutes, so rather than practicing an 8 hour stretch over the weekend, practice numerous 30 - 60 minute sessions throughout the day.

4. Stuffed Kongs, bully sticks, and rawhide chips are excellent ways for you to make crating and separation rewarding and fun for the greyhound. I suggest having 2 or 3 Kongs for each dog (I have 12) so you can stuff several at a time. For a newbie to Kongs, keep it easy to extract the food, but as your greyhound gains experience start packing the food tighter and freeze it. I suggest stuffing Kongs with kibble and mix it with some creme cheese, peanut butter, canned pumpkin, yogurt, cottage cheese, and/or canned dog food so it sticks.

5. Lastly, have the right attitude. Even if you are unsure, never let your greyhound see you sweat. Handle your greyhound with confidence and pretend you know what you are doing. Act as if you own the place (because you probably do). Have expectations and enforce rules. Initially, its best if your new greyhound not sleep in your bed or cuddle on the couch. Don't allow him or her to follow you every where you go...... go to the bathroom alone.

Once the new greyhound demonstrates comfort with the new routine and easily follows the rules, you can start to love him or her like the pet you wanted.

Tummy Tales

Nothing new to report on Reagan. If anything, she appears more bald to me. It might just be that her skin is getting dark from the sun exposure and therefore shows up through her light colored fur. Coat growth is slow, so I wasn't really expecting a huge turnaround in just a few weeks.

I am feeding the hounds better than I ever have. They get veggies, organ meat, and probiotic rich Kefir everyday now. The organ meat is heart, kidney, or liver. All are rich in vitamins. I am not feeding Reagan any chicken backs since they tend to have a lot of fat. Instead, I feed her turkey and chicken necks. For additional calories, I feed some beef and brown rice as well. Her meals and treats are agreeing with her and I have settled into what I will use once she is weaned off the Metronidazole.

Reagan has been getting weekly B12 injections. I researched foods high in vitamin B12 thinking that I would try to feed Reagan a diet high in B12. I found out that you basically would have to be a strict vegetarian in order to be eating a diet deficient in B12. I concluded that Reagan is getting plenty of B12.... she just needs to absorb it along with other nutrients.

Possessed

I think my pups are possessed by the giant wienie dog stuffy toy that Brittany gave us.

Even Stephen is mesmerized.

Storm Training

We had a huge thunderstorm roll in last week. Complete with marble-sized hail, fierce winds, and non-stop thunder and lightening.

Stacker is our current storm phobic. He is not as bad as Teresa was, but this storm had him panting, drooling, and shaking. His is related to the sound. He only becomes nervous at the first clap of thunder and for small storms we can usually mask it with the sleep sound machine and TV.

As I have said before, Reagan is hypersensitive to certain loud base noises. While not a storm phobic (and I pray that she stays that way), she has been frightened of extremely loud cracks of thunder. The kind of thunder that is so loud it rocks the house. So I took the opportunity to do some counter conditioning during the storm.

Ideally, I tossed Reagan a treat for each clap of thunder. However, the thunder was non-stop at times. I have to admit that the storm was so strong that I was nervous, but Reagan happily enjoyed the raining treats and had a good experience.

Counter conditioning is probably not going to change her petrified response to the extremely loud noises. I would need to have control over the noises and to be able to produce it at a low level and then a gradually increasing level over time.

However, if I take no positive action at all, Reagan may start to fear all storms due to the possibility of extremely loud thunder (even if it only happens occasionally). But if Reagan associates storms with treats, she will look forward to them and hopefully recover quickly from an unusually loud thunder boom. Creating a general positive association with storms may help us ride out the truly frightening ones.