Are you a Greyhound, Whippet or Lurcher owner? Come and have a seat on the new Pointy Hounds cushion!

[TheCunnyFunt]

Pointy hounds include-
Greyhounds (Grunds)
Whippets (Whippys)
Lurchers
Italian Greyhounds (Iggys)
Salukis
Afghans
And any others I have forgotten. If you are a new pointy hound owner, an old and experienced owner or looking into getting one of these fabulous creatures, come and have a seat (that's not taken up with a hound).

Share advice, stories and shopping tips!
AK Creations
Bonnie dogs
GRWE shop
Our very own Scuttle's Milgi coats
Silver Peacock

Jake
I didn?t really want you,
I wasn?t really sure,
And I?ll admit I had my doubts,
When you first came through that door.

Not small, or cute, or fluffy,
With big, soft puppy eyes,
But tall, and thin, and bony,
With bald, pink, bulging thighs.

You weren?t the kind I had in mind,
Not in any way,
?Perhaps it would be better if I took you back today,
Before we know each other,
It really won?t be kind,
To keep you here for one more day,
And then to change my mind.?

But against my better judgement, I decided you could stay,
And quickly I discovered you were kind in every way,
Your gentleness and patience, they really stole the show,
?Why these dogs are wonderful, I must let others know!?

For you?re my gentle giant,
Who just needed the chance,
To show us all what you could be,
To wipe away that history,
And dispel our preconceptions, which put us all to shame,
And so we come to know and love,
What lies beneath that frame.

And now I?ve come to understand,
What I missed right at the start,
That greyhounds need that great deep chest,
To house their great big hearts!
By Denise Dubarbier
:)

Onapromise - congratulations on your new family member! Which rescue is he from?

With regard to his weight, you should work on getting him into peak condition in a six month window - don't try to rush. Ideally, he'll be in peak condition next summer in time for lots of charity dog shows. If he is underweight, find out how much weight he has already gained while in foster care. Also, bear in mind if you are used to seeing "normal" dogs a greyhound will look skinny, but in fact is perfectly healthy.

Usually a retired grey will gain weight on top of their racing weight - depending on size you will be able to add between two to three kilos, maybe even more, quite comfortably. However, you don't just want to add weight, it's good to maintain condition. I'd rather see a grey looking fractionally underweight but fit and healthy than a bit porky.

If he needs extra nourishment, then go slowly - he probably won't be able to cope with large or very rich meals straight away. You might find it easier to split meals down into three smaller ones and as Cunny says give things like oily fish once a week, poached chicken, or raw chicken wings, a small bowl of scrambled eggs etc. Cheese is a useful high-cal training treat that they love.

Your foster carer will be able to advise on what your grey has been used to and it's a good idea to maintain that for a little while, while he settles into his new home. It's absolutely normal for a little bit of an upset tummy to happen when they move home - just a reaction to the stress of moving.

To give an idea of the timescales, we picked up a foster who was in a bad way in August (v underweight and needed dental work). She gained a kilo in her first week, had her surgery and we took her to the Great Greyhound Gathering in September where she looked like a scruffy urchin compared to the magnificent specimens we met (including Cunny's Sprocket who was a prize winner on the day, and is a very handsome boy). It's now November, she's been here for nearly three months and there's already a big difference in her - muscle tone improved, a bit more weight on, and her coat is starting to shine and feel soft. She's not there yet though, but anyone who saw her at the GGG would probably see a big difference in her now. If you keep a log of your new dog's weight and take regular pictures you will be surprised at the difference you can make and the progress you'll see.

Good luck!

With respect to food - we feed raw mostly but when short of time and/or are away on holidays etc, then we feed Burns which both seem to like more than some of the other dried foods. Would definitely recommend raw if you have the time/freezer space though - they love it and their coats look so good on it too.

Good evening ladies and pointy dogs! Can I join in? Collecting our whippet cross (some collie, maybe a touch of saluki due to big flopsy ears!)

Have got all I need (I think!) and am very excited.

Ooops! Collecting tommorow, that should say'

Hope it goes smoothly Inthepotty!

Good luck Potty! Hope it all goes well, you'll have to come and tell us all about him/her(?) :)

Thanks all! It's going so well I can hardly believe it. He slept all night, and is really relaxed considering. He has been ignoring the cat really well. He keeps doing this wee shuddering sigh when he's about to sleep, as if he's just really happy. He is so sweet. Scrawny and covered in knocks and scrapes but gorgeous with it!

DH, who took a while to come round to the idea gave in after weeks of nagging, has gone completely soppy over him!

I've ordered some decent kibble but at the moment we have puppy science plan the vet gave the foster to get some weight on him and I'm mixing it with some beef or lamb mince, some veggies and some carbs (pasta or rice). Does this sound OK? Also I'm going to feed him 3/4 times a day like a puppy at the moment. He seems to be always looking for more food, but I don't want to upset his tummy. Does this sound ok?

Have made vet appointment so will get more advice from them as well.

Good luck InthPotty!

She's here! Renamed her Tully.

We had a short walk earlier with my boy to get them used to each other (have met before) then came home and both dogs did lots of mutual ignoring! Fed tea (new dog in crate) and have just had a cuddle with my boy then called him out for a pee on cycle path. He looked at Tully like "well are you coming or not?!"!

Both dogs now asleep by Aga, not touching but seem happy enough near each other!

Phew!

I haven't visited the pointy threads for a long while but wondered what advice you might have for me. My Greyhound type Lurcher is too skinny he was emaciated when we got him at twelve weeks and has never been very interested in food. He was on James Welbeloved and I tried a couple of others, tired jazzing it up but he just wouldn't eat much. A couple of months ago I changed to a raw diet and finally he eats, loves raw and our other smaller Lurcher is happy too. However he is still too skinny, not just ribs on show but also spine. What can I do to plump him up?

Have you thought about adding some oil to his food ? Its a good way of adding calories without more bulk

Here, Jake has become more attached to us, but this has led to a bit more fussing at night, but we're getting through it.
He's also starting to recognise his name, so tomorrow we'll do some recall work on the lunge line.

Any ideas on ways to get him to get on and have a wee a bit quicker ? He likes to find the perfect bush, which is a bit trying in the dark

Notmostpeople, my previous post gives extensive advice on diet for weight gain.

Scuttle- I was too excited yesterday and didn't properly read through your very helpful post yesterday. It's really useful to think of it as a long term project. He'a definitely underweight, vet told foster he's 25kg and should be about 30, so I have a way to go with him. All his ribs and bones stick out and you can even see the bones on his tail. He was only in foster for less than a week. But he is going to vet again in about 10 days so will get him weighed again.

One of the things your vet will have probably already discussed, but which is also very important when a dog is severely underweight is parasite load, particularly worms. Usually when a dog has been neglected, there's been no worming either and it's a fair bet that they will have an infestation. Severe worm loads can impact on their ability to digest and assimilate food. Discuss this with your vet and ensure worming is thorough and carried out regularly. You should also check for/treat for fleas - again v common in neglect cases. A dog in poor condition will be less able to cope with the irritation and may be more prone to infections.

Notmostpeople - have you checked with your vet about a sensible weight for your dog? I went with the one we are fostering as I was unsure whether she might be a bit underweight - you can feel her spine and hip bones. However, the vet felt the muscle on her back legs and around her chest etc and said that she was fine as she was and didn't need to weigh any more and shouldn't weigh too much more than she is (unless its more muscle). Its difficult to see her ribs because of the coat, but you can easily feel every single rib. Her shoulder blades are also pronounced.

Thanks Scuttle I hadn't noticed that. I haven't talked to my vet about weight as the vet is anti raw so he just bangs on about that even though Lurcher No1 was the same weight when he was on kibble. I am sure he is underweight I don't have to feel for his spine or ribs as you can see them very clearly. I also heard that the bit between their hip bones should be in line with the bones and not sunken, his is sunken.

I met a fellow Lurcher family on a walk and she told me about a dried food that is designed for raw eaters to bulk up but I can't remember what it was called. I'm not sure if he'd eat it as its dried but it might be worth a try.

With regard to worms both of my dogs had to be wormed very very regularly when they first came to me as they had been neglected by previous owners so OnaPromise you'll need to talk to your vet about that.

I think you'd be able to see our foster dog's spine and ribs except she's got a rough coat that hides it all.

Patch is looking miles better since we took the advice of Burns and added two eggs and a splash of milk to his meals. He's only put on about 400g, but it's made all the difference.

Ooh Lougle tell me more, cooked eggs or raw?

I microwave them for 50 seconds or so, then add them and a splash of milk to his usual Burns Potato and Pork.

Notmostpeople, it's a real shame about your vet. Unfortunately some vets make quite heavy commission selling crappy over priced processed dog food which doesn't help them have a balanced view. I'm usually v supportive of vets on here, but this is one issue where we've personally and anecdotally come across many vets who seem to be illogically against raw feeding. We actually changed vet practice earlier this year partly due to a new vet at the practice grilling us in a very hostile way about our raw feeding when we were there for a very routine appt for our healthy 13 year old. Grrrrr.

If your lurcher is able to tolerate dairy (some don't) you could make up some satin balls. Soak some porridge oats (about a quarter of those plastic bags) with a big tin of evaporated full fat milk. Add a packet of raw minced chicken or turkey, dollop of molasses or maple syrup, packet of full fat cream cheese and one or two eggs. Beat vigorously to mix and form the mix into little patties - these can be given as a treat or as part of a meal and are calorie dense. We used this for a previous foster with a sensitive tummy as part of his weight gain routine.

Burns is a terrific food but many dogs are quite lean on it. I'd also add things like a tin of sardines or mackerel once or twice a week, and make up some tuna or liver cake.

Lastly, it is worth saying that some dogs are just really difficult to put weight on and keep weight on. We've currently got four greys in, all roughly the same age, all healthy and all getting mostly the same in exercise. DH runs with a couple of them but not enough to make a huge difference. Yet, with one, we struggle to stop him turning into lard boy ( he just seems to see food and gains weight) and with one dear girl, she eats like a horse, but is still far too skinny even though we have slowly and carefully put weight on her. Immensely frustrating - I'd like to be able to get that last kilo on her to soften her bony bits but it seems to be an uphill strugggle!

Thanks scuttle I will make up the satin balls. They get half a sardine everyday and I also get some frozen mixed oily fish from DAF that they get regularly. My little Lurcher used to have a very wiry coat and now it's soo lovely and soft. I think my dogs ared fed better than we are and yes maybe the big one is just a skinny boy.

Blimey Scuttle they sound calorific!

Sprocket tried to eat a dog yesterday, a fluffy white and grey westie cross, named Billy :o of all things! Anyway we were on the field (me, Sprocket, DD, my friend, her grey and her whippy), and this woman appears who we see fairly often, and Billy comes charging over to play with whippy like they do, and Sprocket started doing the 'fish on a line' thing, then Billy came over to say hello to him and Sprocket kept lunging at him and trying to bite at him I'm not sure if he thought he was a rabbitty thing or he thought Billy was hurting whippy girl as they were playing quite roughly (growling and jumping on each other). I think Sprocket cares for whippy girl in the same way as a big brother would look out for his little sister :) he's always watching her in a concerned way.

I'm glad he was muzzled though otherwise it would've got nasty.

One ingredient I forgot to mention was the wheatgerm - a good dollop of that too. Sardines every day - lucky, lucky lurchers!

Sounds like a bit of a strop today Cunny - sometimes it is easier when they are off lead and can just sort it out amongst themselves - a bit of a kerfuffle then it is sorted. You're right though - they can be very protective of each other - it's really sweet.

It sould be much easier if he could be trusted to go offlead, my shoulder hurt when he attempted to yank my arm off! Whippy girl is protective of DD too which is lovely, every morning she says hello to her and if DD cries then whippy is straight there to see what the matter is!

We'll make a dog trainer out of little P yet, we were at my friends the other week, and my friend (Sue) handed Poppy a bonio to give to WG, she had it in her fist and WG was trying to grab it so she lifted her hand up, extended her Peter Pointer and babbled very sternly at WG who was so surprised she sat nicely, and waited for Poppy to hand the biscuit over, which she did when she was happy WG was sat nicely enough :o

Bare in mind that Poppy isn't yet 17 months old!

I think she will be in the ring for Junior Handler classes for GGG by 2014 possibly (she could do some local shows and events to warm up) and definitely for 2015. Honestly, her and Sprocket would be an unbeatable combo.