Adopt a Greyhound Atlanta, Inc.

We have recently switched to Dr. Lisa King of Peachtree Corners Animal Clinic in Norcross. Adopt a Greyhound Atlanta has been very lucky to find a vet who works tirelessly to help us ready our greyhounds for adoption. We want to thank Dr. Lisa King and her cohorts for their understanding, good humor and for working so hard on behalf of our animals (even when we have an emergency at closing time!). Many of our adoptive families continue to take their animals to them. Because they have handled so many greyhounds in their clinic. they are quite familiar with the quirks associated with this breed. Lisa has generously offered to continue our online Q&A for us. If you have questions concerning common greyhound problems, you can send them and we will pass them along to be answered. Please keep in mind that specific problems which pose an immediate health risk can't be answered in this format and in those cases you should take your greyhound to your vet.

Please email questions to carol@greyhounds2.org, or mail them to the address at the bottom of the screen.

Because our relationship with Peachtree Corners clinic is fairly recent, all of the responses contained on this page up to this point were written by Dr. Lynn O'Neil. We went to her, and loved her work, for years. She recently had to move to Boston, and she will be missed. Thanks to Lynn for her years of work with our greyhounds.

__________________________________________________________________________

Dewclaws

Q.

My greyhound has ripped off both dew claws a number of times in the past year and a half. My vet suggested having them removed. Sounds good to me except someone told me that they also remove some of the bone and tendon as well. That concerns me since she is involved in lure coursing. She rips them off mostly while at home since she is wrapped while coursing.

A.

Dewclaws really serve no purpose in the life of a greyhound. If they are a chronic source of trouble, then the best bet is to have them surgically removed. The surgery is similar to a dewclaw on a cat, but since the surgical site is in a non-weight bearing area of the paw, the post-operative pain is minimal and there should be no long term impact on the ability to lure course once the site has healed completely. Good Luck.

Cancer

I have recently noticed in my Greyhound newsletters that quite a few greys have died of cancer. Is this common among greyhounds? What signs should I look for and how successful (if at all) is treatment?

A.

Cancer in greyhounds is no more common than cancer in you or I, or any other pure breed dog. In fact, there are some pure breeds with higher cancer incidences than greyhounds. As far as what signs to watch for, just about any symptom can be caused by cancer, there isn't one particular thing to watch for. Since tumors can arise from any tissue in the body, the clinical symptoms are generally attributable to where the cancer is growing. Treatment success depends on entirely what type of cancer you are dealing with. Some types respond dramatically, some not at all.

Elavil

Could you please tell me the efficacy of using Elavil in treated adopted greyhounds with separation anxiety? Also, how should this drug be dosed in greyhounds? What are the side effects and is this drug recommended as the first course of action with greyhounds exhibiting separation anxiety? Also, could you cite me other sources where I could find more information on the subject?

A.

Drugs, as far as I'm concerned, are never the first solution to behavioral problems in dogs and cats. Unfortunately, they only mask the problems, they don't solve them. Elavil, like Valium, Buspar and Prozac, is a human drug that can help in some behavioral cases that don't respond to conventional behavioral modification. It is no more successful than any other drug on the market. In most cases, several of these drugs need to be tried in order to find one that works for each individual dog. There are no documented clinical studies on any of these drugs that I am aware of. Dosage is dependent on the individual situation and dog. Good Luck.

Frontline

Q.

I applied "Frontline Top Spot" flea prevention on my 2 year old greyhound for the first time three days ago. After about 8 hours he seemed very restless and shook his head a lot trying to scratch his ears, also seemed to have dry mouth. I call the animal emergency clinic here in Daytona Beach FL to see if this is a normal response. They had no answers for me . I call poison control and they had no listed side effects for the chemical Fipronil (active ingredient). I watched him closely through the nite and he was fine in the morning. Have you heard of any reports on this and is it safe to use any of these type flea preventions on greyhounds? My vet said it was fine when I bought it.

A.

I have many dogs in my practice on Frontline TopSpot and have never heard of the reaction that you reported - in fact, I have yet to see an adverse reaction to this product. My suggestion would be to reapply it in one month and look to see if you get the same reaction. If you reproduce the results then it is unlikely to be a coincidence.

Ticks

Q.

We recently boarded our 2 year old and she was heavily populated by colonies of ticks; two types numbering between 200 and 300 at least. These were hand picked from her. How can we prevent the return of the little beasts and what is the best way to care for her reddened skin?

A.

Ticks seem to love greyhounds, probably because of their relatively thin skin. The easiest way to prevent them from attaching is to use Frontline, either spray or spot on monthly. Your vet should be able to supply you with this. Other than removing the ticks, there is nothing else you should have to do to the skin. It will take care of itself once the ticks are gone.


	Ask the Vet We have recently switched to Dr. Lisa King of Peachtree Corners Animal Clinic in Norcross. Adopt a Greyhound Atlanta has been very lucky to find a vet who works tirelessly to help us ready our greyhounds for adoption. We want to thank Dr. Lisa King and her cohorts for their understanding, good humor and for working so hard on behalf of our animals (even when we have an emergency at closing time!). Many of our adoptive families continue to take their animals to them. Because they have handled so many greyhounds in their clinic. they are quite familiar with the quirks associated with this breed. Lisa has generously offered to continue our online Q&A for us. If you have questions concerning common greyhound problems, you can send them and we will pass them along to be answered. Please keep in mind that specific problems which pose an immediate health risk can't be answered in this format and in those cases you should take your greyhound to your vet. Please email questions to carol@greyhounds2.org, or mail them to the address at the bottom of the screen. Because our relationship with Peachtree Corners clinic is fairly recent, all of the responses contained on this page up to this point were written by Dr. Lynn O'Neil. We went to her, and loved her work, for years. She recently had to move to Boston, and she will be missed. Thanks to Lynn for her years of work with our greyhounds. __________________________________________________________________________ Dewclaws Q. My greyhound has ripped off both dew claws a number of times in the past year and a half. My vet suggested having them removed. Sounds good to me except someone told me that they also remove some of the bone and tendon as well. That concerns me since she is involved in lure coursing. She rips them off mostly while at home since she is wrapped while coursing. A. Dewclaws really serve no purpose in the life of a greyhound. If they are a chronic source of trouble, then the best bet is to have them surgically removed. The surgery is similar to a dewclaw on a cat, but since the surgical site is in a non-weight bearing area of the paw, the post-operative pain is minimal and there should be no long term impact on the ability to lure course once the site has healed completely. Good Luck. Cancer Q. I have recently noticed in my Greyhound newsletters that quite a few greys have died of cancer. Is this common among greyhounds? What signs should I look for and how successful (if at all) is treatment? A. Cancer in greyhounds is no more common than cancer in you or I, or any other pure breed dog. In fact, there are some pure breeds with higher cancer incidences than greyhounds. As far as what signs to watch for, just about any symptom can be caused by cancer, there isn't one particular thing to watch for. Since tumors can arise from any tissue in the body, the clinical symptoms are generally attributable to where the cancer is growing. Treatment success depends on entirely what type of cancer you are dealing with. Some types respond dramatically, some not at all. Elavil Q. Could you please tell me the efficacy of using Elavil in treated adopted greyhounds with separation anxiety? Also, how should this drug be dosed in greyhounds? What are the side effects and is this drug recommended as the first course of action with greyhounds exhibiting separation anxiety? Also, could you cite me other sources where I could find more information on the subject? A. Drugs, as far as I'm concerned, are never the first solution to behavioral problems in dogs and cats. Unfortunately, they only mask the problems, they don't solve them. Elavil, like Valium, Buspar and Prozac, is a human drug that can help in some behavioral cases that don't respond to conventional behavioral modification. It is no more successful than any other drug on the market. In most cases, several of these drugs need to be tried in order to find one that works for each individual dog. There are no documented clinical studies on any of these drugs that I am aware of. Dosage is dependent on the individual situation and dog. Good Luck. Frontline Q. I applied "Frontline Top Spot" flea prevention on my 2 year old greyhound for the first time three days ago. After about 8 hours he seemed very restless and shook his head a lot trying to scratch his ears, also seemed to have dry mouth. I call the animal emergency clinic here in Daytona Beach FL to see if this is a normal response. They had no answers for me . I call poison control and they had no listed side effects for the chemical Fipronil (active ingredient). I watched him closely through the nite and he was fine in the morning. Have you heard of any reports on this and is it safe to use any of these type flea preventions on greyhounds? My vet said it was fine when I bought it. A. I have many dogs in my practice on Frontline TopSpot and have never heard of the reaction that you reported - in fact, I have yet to see an adverse reaction to this product. My suggestion would be to reapply it in one month and look to see if you get the same reaction. If you reproduce the results then it is unlikely to be a coincidence. Ticks Q. We recently boarded our 2 year old and she was heavily populated by colonies of ticks; two types numbering between 200 and 300 at least. These were hand picked from her. How can we prevent the return of the little beasts and what is the best way to care for her reddened skin? A. Ticks seem to love greyhounds, probably because of their relatively thin skin. The easiest way to prevent them from attaching is to use Frontline, either spray or spot on monthly. Your vet should be able to supply you with this. Other than removing the ticks, there is nothing else you should have to do to the skin. It will take care of itself once the ticks are gone.
	Contact : Carl Viener......770-469-9533...adopt@greyhounds2.org Copyright (c)1997-2001 Adopt a Greyhound Altanta, Inc. All rights reserved. Images on this page are copyrighted. You may use them if proper credit is given. Greyhound Paintings must be credited to Stephanie Miller. All other greyhound graphics with the exception of Link Buttons and Award Buttons must be credited to Adopt a Greyhound Atlanta unless otherwise noted. Comic Strips are the property of the cartoonist and may not be used without permission.