whovian
Junior Grey Lover
River (a.k.a Iruska Cool Chic) has claimed me as her "friendbeast"
Posts: 171
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River
Sept 7, 2013 17:22:17 GMT -5
Post by whovian on Sept 7, 2013 17:22:17 GMT -5
Hello! I had the pleasure of bringing home River (formerly Iruska Cool Chic) a few days ago, and I wanted to reintroduce myself to the forum now that I am a dog owner. Hello forum! (For anyone who is keeping track, my move went very smoothly and I was able to unpack, and dog-proof my house at a leisurely pace and still bring her home before my holidays ended. Mission accomplished ) I don't have very many pictures of her yet, and I haven't found time to figure out how photobucket works, so bear with me on that front. For now, I will say that she is an amazing girl. She is incredibly well behaved and very attentive and she is outstanding on the leash. I am also very, very proud of the way that she's handled all of these changes in her life! We are a long way from the curious and happy-go-lucky dog that I met at the GRA kennel, but every time she wakes up from a nap (so, quite often), she is a little bit more curious and a little bit more comfortable. Two things that we are working through: 1. The slippery floors. I was so excited to be moving into a carpet-free house because I have dust allergies and carpet-free interiors are just so much easier to clean. River, on the other hand, probably wishes that every surface in the house, including the bathroom floors and the kitchen counters were covered in shag carpeting. She keeps "bambi-ing" on the hardwood and linoleum, and given that she is recovering from a broken leg, it's been really hard on her. I've made a trail of mats from her crate to the front door so that she can island hop from one to the next for now. I assume that with time she will grow bolder and will try and venture out on the floors herself. Hopefully this is a reasonable assumption - her anxiety about them and the fact that every time she slips, she starts three-legging it again, makes me unwilling to press the issue. On a related note, I got her nails clipped this morning. Normally I would do it myself, but the quicks are so long and her nails are so split and tender that I decided a professional visit was in order. They tried, but couldn't actually cut the nails short enough to completely eliminate the clicking, especially on the leg that was in the cast. Still, she has some grip now. 2. Going to the washroom on the lead. At first River did not seem to have a problem going to the peeing or pooping when walking on the leash. She was extremely good about letting me know that she needed out, and then would promptly do her business in the front yard. Since yesterday afternoon, however, she has been very reluctant. She will sniff and start to squat to pee outside, and then she will look up at me and stop. This morning she started to squat on the door mat so I quickly attached a leash and took her outside, but she would not pee. I waited for about 15 minutes outside, and then took her back in thinking that maybe I had misinterpretted the body language. Within 5 minutes of being in the house, however, she peed on the doormat. This afternoon she left her crate and cried at the door, the signal that meant she wanted out yesterday. We went for a slow, ten minute walk about the neighbourhood, and then returned to the front yard for another ten minutes. She stopped, sniffed, made to squat at least 10 times, but each time she saw or heard something or noticed that she was on a leash and stood tall again. Has anyone else had experience with these sorts of troubles?
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River
Sept 7, 2013 17:51:53 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by lovinfroggy on Sept 7, 2013 17:51:53 GMT -5
Welcome and congrats on bringing River home. You are in for some rewarding times. Remember, if you have any questions this is a great place to come. I knew it helped me a lot.
I haven't experienced the washroom issues with Froggy, but the hardwood/tile one continues to be a work in progress for us. When we brought Frog home she only walked on three legs due to an injury, so she had some Bambi incidents. Trips to the store were made to get runners that are strategically placed through our condo. She refused to walk through our building lobby because of the tile. However, encouragement, treats, not coodling her, and patience rewarded us two weeks ago when she did it. Learning not to react when she was in Bambi slid was hard, but it helped her situation I believe. Last weekend we removed several runners and she walks around like it's nobody's business. We've kept a couple in spots were she jumps to prevent falls (by the bed and a hallway she runs down).
Good luck.
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River
Sept 8, 2013 7:29:53 GMT -5
Post by GreyPoopon on Sept 8, 2013 7:29:53 GMT -5
Congratulations! I think lovinfroggy's advice on floors is very good, although if River is very food motivated, treats might make things worse (if she rushes to get them). I agree with your decision not to push things too quickly As for the pottying on leash, try looking the other way and watching her from the corner of your eye. You could also have a longer line on her and let out a bit extra (move a way a step) as she squats. When Perry was a puppy, she couldn't go when watched--I had to turn my back to her. I'm looking forward to pics.
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River
Sept 8, 2013 8:39:48 GMT -5
Post by linn on Sept 8, 2013 8:39:48 GMT -5
Congrats. Glad the move went OK. We have lots of runners in our house on slippery floors.
Looking forward to pictures of your new girl.
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troysmom
Hound Nut
Troy & Leopold
Posts: 1,717
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River
Sept 8, 2013 9:42:54 GMT -5
Post by troysmom on Sept 8, 2013 9:42:54 GMT -5
Congrats on bringing River home! Sounds like you are off to a good start.
When I brought Jed (formally Josh) home 5 months ago he did not do anything on the leash even though we would walk for 1 hour each morning and he had Ghost and Leo to show him the ropes. He only wanted to do his business in the back yard. He was extremely sensitive to any noise at first so he had to get used to that. Things have changed over time and he tolerates noise better and now he waits to do his number 2 when we are on our walks. So I would just give it time. She will learned the ropes. Seems that she might be sensitive to noise and everything going on around her, just give it time.
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cindy
Junior Grey Lover
Posts: 149
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River
Sept 8, 2013 10:45:36 GMT -5
Post by cindy on Sept 8, 2013 10:45:36 GMT -5
Congratulations on bringing River home! I too just recently brought my first grey home (Fisher), it has been such an amazing experience. He is adjusting so well, I love him to bits! Looking forward to some pictures. Have fun!
Cindy
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daylight
Hound Nut
what's so funny Light?....Joker!
Posts: 1,275
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River
Sept 8, 2013 12:47:29 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by daylight on Sept 8, 2013 12:47:29 GMT -5
Congratulations!
Glad that your move went smoothly and you were able to bring River to your new home on your vacation time. (I love her new name!).
Our pups quickly became more used to varied floor surfaces. I think over time they become better / good at gauging the slip hazard and adjust speed, etc. accordingly. Different sized area carpets on hardwood and tile work for us.
Enjoy all the magic moments with your girl!!
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River
Sept 8, 2013 15:16:10 GMT -5
Post by angelollie on Sept 8, 2013 15:16:10 GMT -5
Congratulations on bringing that sweet girl home, I'm so glad that everything worked out well for both of you. As for the slippery floors, you can buy a balm made specifically for paws that will provide a "grip" making it easier on River to move around. As time goes on and you see her gaining more confidence on the slippery floors, begin eliminating the balm until she no longer requires it. A balm can be purchased in WalMart or any pet store for under $9.00. And just so it's not wasted after she no longer needs it, you can put it on her paws during the winter months when condition are icy outside.
Looking forward to photos and more updates ..... I too love her name. The magic has begun!!!!
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moncheri
Grey Addicted
Broodies are the best!
Posts: 2,843
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River
Sept 9, 2013 17:29:36 GMT -5
Post by moncheri on Sept 9, 2013 17:29:36 GMT -5
Congratulations on finally bringing home your new girl! I must admit, when I first saw her on the adoptables page I had to check her lineage - I was so hoping she was connected to my first greyhound, "Iruska Smartchic" whomI called Chicky, but alas they are not. Similar colouring though. Anyways, as far as the floor issue, I too have no carpeting on my main living (due to allergies) it is all ceramic tile & hardwood and all of my girls adapted quite quickly. Probably because of,the healing leg River is going to be a wee bit more cautious naturally. Her nails may take awhile to work the quick back - walking on pavement will help and many use either a Dremel or Pedipaw type rotary grinder to do the nails (takes a little bit off so you use it more regularly but less danger of nipping the quick). How far are you able to walk her at this point? If you are able to walk her for 20-30 mins and she is squatting several times with no results (and you've tried the great suggestions of longer lead, not directly watching her ect) then you may want to get her tested for a urinary tract infection (UTI).
Anyways, glad your move went well & enjoy the magic of the first few months of watching River's personality shine through. I cannot wait for pictures of your beautiful girl. There is helpful hints on how to use photobucket in the technical section of this forum.
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River
Sept 11, 2013 18:30:15 GMT -5
Post by newtothis1 on Sept 11, 2013 18:30:15 GMT -5
Congrats on your new friend. Sounds like everything is going just fine. Eventually the floors will be a breeze and you will wonder why you worried so much. I like the idea of looking away when she has to go pee. You might be surprised how fast it works.
Can't wait to see pictures.
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River
Sept 24, 2013 7:31:25 GMT -5
Post by Adam Samantha & Cora on Sept 24, 2013 7:31:25 GMT -5
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
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whovian
Junior Grey Lover
River (a.k.a Iruska Cool Chic) has claimed me as her "friendbeast"
Posts: 171
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Post by whovian on Sept 24, 2013 21:19:10 GMT -5
Update: River is really retiring
As it turns out, the first few weeks of River's retirement have not been quite the start for which I had prepared. About a week after I brought her home, I took her in to see our new vet about an infection that I thought might be coming back between two of the toes on the foot that had been in the cast. We'd been there less than 5 minutes before the vet was asking if we could do x-rays. As it turns out, River's broken Central Tarsal bone (the one that she arrived at the GRA in a cast to treat) is still in two, very distinct, pieces. We saw an Orthopedic Surgeon who suggested that, given the amount of time that's passed since the initial break, surgery was unlikely to help the problem. There were more risks than possible benefits - he was afraid that screwing the two pieces of the bone together might accidentally damage one of the other adjacent bones in the joint. Moreover, so much time has passed since the original break that the bones have already started to callous in the space between the two pieces. It is unlikely that they would fit together nicely now, even if they were screwed together so that the space between them was reduced.
So, no surgery. Sadly, River's joint will never be what it once was. The two pieces of bones will fuse together again, but in an odd, elongated shape that will almost certainly restrict her range of motion through the joint. The surgeon expects that it will cause her pain for the rest of her life. Still, given that the central tarsal is involved mainly with dorsi and plantar flexion and does not have much of a role in side to side movement, the joint will be stable. There is very little chance that, once it finally heals, it will break again.
It's miserable, but don't feel too bad for her. She doesn't seem to think there is a problem at all. to She puts on the launcher rocket speed every time Nutkin (the squirrel in our backyard) pokes his nose out of a treelimb and it's all my 4 foot leash and I can do to stop her. Using the surgeon's advice, I've actually taken to wrapping her foot in gauze and tape on the excited days, just so that she babies the foot a little (the slight pressure reminds her that the foot is different from the other feet, and makes her tread a little more carefully on it).
We are on a prescription of 24/7 crate time until November first, although I fudge the crate time and let her sleep on her doggy bed when I am in the room. She is allowed to go out to pee a few times a day, but other than that she must try and sleep. The vet also gave us anti-inflammatories, and they help with the sleeping part. She does occasionally get bored, so I've tried to think of crate-capable brain activities to engage her in as she seems to like the attention. We've been working on the "Look at me" command and learning her name, and she's been amazing about getting her nails trimmed. Teeth brushing is a task that's required more training but by the time November 1st rolls around I expect that I will be able to see my reflection in her pearly whites.
I try to limit the number of chews I give her (I have the veggiedent chews from the vet and she goes wild about them) but she's not really interested in chew toys per se. I tied a knot in an old cotton sock, and she likes to grab at it if you hold it just above her nose. Any suggestions about other low activity games that we can play when she's bored and feeling playful would be a great help.
To update things from my last post, when I found out that her foot was still in such bad shape, I got enough runners to completely carpet her trek from her crate to the front door. She explores the tile/linoleum/hardwood floors occasionally with her front paws, and that's enough for now. And the peeing problem I think was caused by the pain in her foot. She doesn't have that problem at all now, though she does tend to look for nice, soft, squishy places to put her foot while she squats.
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River
Sept 24, 2013 22:14:39 GMT -5
Post by Adam Samantha & Cora on Sept 24, 2013 22:14:39 GMT -5
Awe, It seems like you have a great handle and a positive attitude.
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troysmom
Hound Nut
Troy & Leopold
Posts: 1,717
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River
Sept 24, 2013 22:36:28 GMT -5
Post by troysmom on Sept 24, 2013 22:36:28 GMT -5
Sounds like you are taking excellent care of River. She's a very lucky girl to have you.
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River
Sept 25, 2013 6:12:40 GMT -5
Post by Heather (& KC) on Sept 25, 2013 6:12:40 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum! You're an amazing person to provide the care and love you are giving River as she heals and adjusts. You've figured everything out since your first board on this thread so I just wanted to say welcome. Oh and about your low impact entertainment ideas. When Thunder and I are hanging out I lay down and show him Thunder's eyes and mommee's eyes. Nose, nose, mouth, mouth, ears, ears. He seems fascinated....or perhaps he just thinks I'm crazy. lol.
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