Home

About

Greyhound Care

Jack

George

Jerry

Tegan

Buttons

Jet

Mouse

Links

Guestbook

Send e-mail to Fiona

General Care

Teeth

Many greyhounds have terrible teeth for their age. They are often covered in tartar, and the traditional method of removal involves scraping the teeth while the dog is under general anaesthetic. If your dog must have an anaesthetic for another reason (such as neutering), then it is worth asking the vet to do his teeth at the same time.

The other way to improve the condition of his teeth it to provide hard things for him to chew. At first many greyhounds are reluctant to even eat a hard biscuit, as they have often only eaten soft soaked food in kennels. Many dogs that will not eat hard foods still find things such as pigs ears irresistible. Other things such as ‘Jumbones’ and ‘Rasks’ are also good, as well as the more traditional bone from the butchers or the pet store,

Many dogs are keen on rawhide type chews, although there are some concerns over them swallowing large unchewed pieces. The best thing to do if you do decide to give these, is to watch the dog carefully for the first few times to make sure he is careful about chewing them thoroughly (all my dogs regularly have rawhide chews and have never had any problem). Over several months the plaque build up on your dog's teeth should decline, which should also improve his breath.

Most greyhounds are fairly amiable about having their teeth brushed which is beneficial, even if only done a couple of times a week. Make sure you use specialist dog toothpaste available from vets and pet stores.

The homeopathic remedy Fragaria added to the water bowl three times over a two-week period can help to soften plaque, making it easier to remove with brushing or chewing. This is a method I would usually repeat two to three times a year.

Natural flea treatment

If your dog has fleas (or you think he may have fleas) then the best action to take is a trip to the vet to have this confirmed, followed by the application of a veterinary prescribed flea treatment. Greyhounds can be sensitive to certain compounds used in some flea treatments, so never buy an off the shelf preparation unless you are absolutely sure that none of the ingredients will be harmful to your dog.

I personally feel that if my dogs do not have fleas, then I am reluctant to continue to treat their systems with harsh chemicals on a regular basis ‘just in case’. This is like me taking paracetamol every morning ‘just in case’ I get a headache that day. I must also add that I have never lived in an area with particularly heavy flea and tick problems, nor do the fleas and ticks in the countries where I have lived carry potentially harmful diseases. Obviously these factors will influence my decision to follow a more natural flea care regime.

The following recipe for a natural flea treatment is reproduced here courtesy of Bea Moore.

Add 4 - 6 drops of each of the essential oils listed below (available from most health food shops) to 400ml water.

• Tea Tree oil
• Rosemary oil
• Sage oil
• Cedarwood oil
• Peppermint oil
• Orange oil
• Eucalyptus oil
• Citronella oil
• Pine oil

Shake well before each use and mist lightly over the entire body taking care to avoid the eyes. Rub through the coat and leave to dry naturally. Apply once every four to six weeks.

As well as using the above preparation on my dogs I also flea comb them once a week. This means once every week, 52 weeks a year. In a multi-dog household I can not afford to allow a problem like fleas to go undetected. I would also like to add that using this regime I have never had a flea infestation in nearly five years of owning dogs

Grooming

Grooming is an important activity for a variety of reasons. It is good for the health of your dogs coat, it provides an opportunity for you to handle your dog all over and check for lumps, bumps, scratches, etc. and it is an exercise that builds trust and enhances bonding between dog and owner.

Greyhounds are blessed with short, easy to manage coats and even if your dogs coat is not in brilliant condition on arrival, rest assured that with a little time and effort it will soon be shiny and healthy again.

On arrival home from kennels many people choose to bath their dog almost immediately. However traumatic this may seem for the dog, I personally feel it is nice to have the new addition to your home smelling sweet and fresh.

After an initial bath care of a greyhounds coat is very simple. In my opinion the only two grooming tools you need are a magnetic stripping comb (for removing the soft undercoat) and a Zoom Groom (for removing any outer layers of loose hair). Both of these are available from Fast Dogs UK. The only other item that I use on a regular basis is an old piece of velvet for rubbing over the entire dog after grooming to remove the last few loose hairs and add a nice sheen to the coat.

One final thing to bear in mind when looking at the condition of your dog's coat. His coat is a reflection of not only the time you spend caring for it, but also of his inner health.

Diet

If your dog has come straight from kennels it is most likely that he is used to being fed twice a day on a mix of dry food mixed with wholemeal bread, meat and vegetables, all of which will have been soaked with water or gravy to soften it.

If you find that your dog bolts his food, try to feed several small meals rather than one large one. Unless your dog is overweight it does no harm to feed him as much as he seems to want to eat initially, and if you do this he should quickly become far more relaxed about food.

If you have a large dog or slippery floor surface where you feed him, raising his bowl up off the floor will make his life a lot easier. You can do this simply by placing his bowl on a box or nearby chair, or buying a specially made bowl stand (usually between £20 and £30).

If your dog shows any sign of aggression related to food, then it is essential to immediately seek the advice of an experienced behaviourist (the adoption group will often be able to help with recommendations). Trying to do things like remove the food bowl of a dog who is aggressive may only make the problem worse and could end with you being injured. I know there are those out there who say you should be able to remove food from your dog for no reason, but if someone took my dinner away when I was in the middle of it I would be pretty cross too. I figure that as I like to be left to eat my meal without interruption, then all my dogs are entitled to the same courtesy.

Further advice on diet can be found here.

Back to Greyhound Care Page