Thursday, December 29, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Icky Tooth Gel = Run Away!
Greyhounds are notorious for having bad teeth. One of the things most adoption groups will do when a greyhound joins the adoption program is make sure they receive dental care at the same time as their spay/neuter. As you can imagine it is impossible to get a dog to sit still in a dental chair so groups take advantage of the time a dog is anesthetized to have their teeth cleaned as well.
Bella had her spaying done at the farm but did not have any dental work done. We made an appointment for her back in October, but as it turned out, her teeth were in great condition so she didn't need to have the procedure done.
I believe one of the reasons is we feed a high quality raw diet to the dogs. They get chicken necks every day which provides a source of calcium along with the teeth scraping action of chewing on a bone. However we also give them grain-based treats (who doesn't like a cookie?) and peanut butter. These may contribute to tartar build up on the front teeth. To manage this build up we use Petz Life get (or you could get Vetz Life from a vet - same stuff). I squeeze a Lima bean sized portion on my finger and put it on their teeth. The dogs lick the gel and distribute it to all of the other teeth. Rio & Wavorly know the drill and take it.
Bella flees when she sees me coming. She DOES NOT LIKE IT. She's like the little kid that will not take the medicine. Today she fled upstairs to her crate (her safe place). It took a half hour for her to come downstairs, which was the time required to be safe from the icky nasty gel.
I am not sure what we will do, but we will continue to work with her on this. She really doesn't like anyone looking at her teeth.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Escort Service
Bella is a most gracious greyhound. She will escort us around the house and from our back door to the back gate.
In the morning she patiently waits for me to get dressed and then escorts me downstairs where she patiently waits for the rest of the house to get up and moving.
She will go outside with the other dogs but quickly returns to the back door to check on our progress. She dutifully walks beside me to wait to get leashed up at the back gate. She is so polite.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Bella's New Winter Coat
Bella has a new winter coat. The orange coat is lined with black fleece and is much easier to get on her than the 3 lightweight coats we were layering to keep her warm. She MUST wear a coat because she has a naked belly and tends to get cold quickly.
To Grandmother's House We Went
Bella traveled with us to my parent's house when we went to visit them this past Thanksgiving week. All in all it was a very successful trip.
Prior to our departure we were informed that Bella had been car sick on longer trips with previous foster-parents. We decided to give her a small breakfast, about 1/2 of the amount of food she normally eats. We then loaded up the car with 3 dog beds, gear and 3 greyhounds and off we went. We are pleased to report that we had not gastro-upset on our trip there or back. Perhaps it was the small meal, or perhaps it was the presence of the other greyhounds, or perhaps Bella is becoming a more seasoned traveler. Whatever the case, she did very well.
She also adjusted well to visiting my parent's home. We took extra precautions with exit doors. My dad installed a gate across the back door and we set up our x-pen (part of the gear we lugged with us) around the front door. The last thing we wanted to do was search for a lost dog.
Bella decided that my parent's couch was mighty comfy. Fortunately it was covered with a sheet to protect it. She would always comply with our commands to vacate the couch, although it was a bit reluctent.
We also found a fenced in baseball field where the dogs could have a really good off-leash run. This was the first time we had Bella off leash and she seemed to enjoy it. She would do crazy circle sprints of about 15-30 seconds followed by 2 minute rest breaks.
The only problem we had on our visit was due to an error on our part. Bella did not seem inclined to get up for the last turn out, so we let her alone. We woke up the next morning to find she had piddled on one of the carpets during the night. From this point on we are insisting she get up for a late night turn out whether she seems inclined or not. To be fair to Bella this carpet was probably the one Wavorly had piddled on during a previous visit.
All in all it was a fun time. Bella travels very well and adjusts very easily to new surroundings.
Prior to our departure we were informed that Bella had been car sick on longer trips with previous foster-parents. We decided to give her a small breakfast, about 1/2 of the amount of food she normally eats. We then loaded up the car with 3 dog beds, gear and 3 greyhounds and off we went. We are pleased to report that we had not gastro-upset on our trip there or back. Perhaps it was the small meal, or perhaps it was the presence of the other greyhounds, or perhaps Bella is becoming a more seasoned traveler. Whatever the case, she did very well.
She also adjusted well to visiting my parent's home. We took extra precautions with exit doors. My dad installed a gate across the back door and we set up our x-pen (part of the gear we lugged with us) around the front door. The last thing we wanted to do was search for a lost dog.
Bella decided that my parent's couch was mighty comfy. Fortunately it was covered with a sheet to protect it. She would always comply with our commands to vacate the couch, although it was a bit reluctent.
We also found a fenced in baseball field where the dogs could have a really good off-leash run. This was the first time we had Bella off leash and she seemed to enjoy it. She would do crazy circle sprints of about 15-30 seconds followed by 2 minute rest breaks.
The only problem we had on our visit was due to an error on our part. Bella did not seem inclined to get up for the last turn out, so we let her alone. We woke up the next morning to find she had piddled on one of the carpets during the night. From this point on we are insisting she get up for a late night turn out whether she seems inclined or not. To be fair to Bella this carpet was probably the one Wavorly had piddled on during a previous visit.
All in all it was a fun time. Bella travels very well and adjusts very easily to new surroundings.
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