greyhound help please

[3ismylot]

Hi all
We have decided to get a rescue greyhound as we were looking at a rescue dog when I read the pointy hounds thread and decided one was ideal for us

We are currently looking for one that is ideal for us so would love some info on what stuff I need to buy

Dog bed- what sort , what size?
Bowls - is it right that bowls on a stand are best?
Collar and lead - is the leather greyhound collar the best? Do they wear it all the time or do they need an indoor collar too?
Coat- do I need a dog coat ? And what do you recommend?

Also any extras you think of or advice would be great.

TIA

[brunette123]

hi
mine sleeps on duvet folded in half on floor. Eats and drinks from a bowl on floor - no stand. I use a leather greyhound collar and lead all in one but also a collar all the time which has a name tag and contact phone number - when I adopted the rescue centre gave me the collar and lead as part of the adoption fee and I ordered the tag at the vets - hope your dog brings you much joy and love xxx

[brunette123]

Coat - rescue centre gave me a coat too but I always found with my greyhounds they will not wee or poo when wearing them and really do not care for them - they would rather get wet x

[TheCunnyFuntIsAGrittersFiancee]

Bowls on a stand are best for Greyhounds, they look so uncomfortable eating off the floor (think how a Giraffe looks when drinking!).

A leather hound collar is essential, although martingale collars are better imo, they're harder to get out of! You can see links for websites that sell collars in the pointy hound cushion OP. 2 collars are recommended, just in case your dog manages to slip his walking collar, he'll still have a tag collar with his ID on, greyhounds have such small heads that slipping collars is a lot easier for them than other dogs, which is why you need a wide walking collar.

A coat is a good thing to have, as greyhounds have such thin skin and fur and no fat to keep them warm. A weatherproof one is best, housecoats are more a thing you want if your house is freezing at night! Again there are shopping links for coats in the Pointy cushion OP.

For a bed just a folded up double duvet! I bought a couple of duvet covers from charity shops for my dogs bed.

Good luck :) and feel free to visit the pointy hounds cushion to say hi/ask for advice etc any time :)

[3ismylot]

Thanks for the advice :)

Have got some spare duvets so thats good and have a spot by a radiator for night time so doesn't sound like a house coat is needed.

Have looked at the coat and collar links which looks good.

We are going to see an 18 month old greyhound on Saturday who sounds amazing :) he hasnt been around children in the week they have had him but they haven't seen any signs that it may be a problem so will see what he makes of the kids :)

Will hopefully be joining the pointy thread soon :)

[Scuttlebutter]

Good luck OP - greyhounds are lovely family dogs and very addictive. We started with one and somehow ended up with four!

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Isn't the raised water and food bowl to reduce the risk of bloat?

Leggy, long necked ,large bodied greedy beasties being most at risk?

[TheCunnyFuntIsAGrittersFiancee]

I thought that too 70isa, but when I consulted my RGT book on feeding, it just said it's uncomfortable for them to eat off the floor!

[Scuttlebutter]

Some of our prefer to eat from raised levels and some are happy to eat off the floor - we find Ikea flower pots (the large ones) are the perfect height and diameter.

[PariahHairy]

I was confused about this, I read that raised feeding bowls actually increased the risk of bloat . How common is bloat anyway? Rare, common, likely with certain practices, sounds awful anyway.

[Scuttlebutter]

The most important preventative for bloat is to ensure that feeding does not precede exercise. So, our dogs are always fed AFTER their walks, not before. If you must feed before, then you need to leave at least two to three hours before any exercise. Bloat is most common in large, deep chested breeds, so greyhounds, Great Danes etc. are most at risk. Other factors to help reduce incidence are to ensure feeding in smaller, more frequent meals rather than one large one, and not feeding off a raised feeder. Link here discusses risk factors, treatments etc.

[PariahHairy]

Thanks for that scutter.

[PariahHairy]

Or scuttle even sorry.

[maturenanny]

Hi there

Seem fab recommendations there, really hope your pointy nose friend comes along soon.
We use a high feeder, the special greyhound collar, initially we used a harness and lead on the collar as he was quite skittish in public as he hadn't seen real life.

Coats..highly recommend going on a website call equestrian Clearance warehouse. They do some fantastic coats and only for about £8-£20 each. We got a fleece for chilly winter nights and also a waterproof down filled coat, both from a company called Masta ( they are horse rug makers and exactly the same design). They stay put, machine washable and excellent value. Not like the highly expensive ones you get from garden centres and pet shops! Which I have found to be no where near the same quality.

We got a few metal feeding bowls as we found our greyhound liked a clean dish for every meal, he wouldn't eat if we forget to change!

Bed wise, he's had several over the last seven years. Ranging form a covered folded single duvet to a soft, padded, high sided dog bed...all of which he loved.

We also have a few cuddlies that he can play with, which he prefers over hard dog toys, he likes to throw them around!

I wish you all the luck in the world, sadly our old boy is departing on Friday. So we are donating all of our doggy bits to the local rescue as we sadly can't get another.

Xx