Category: Advice

Thanks to Pat Getz of Greyhound Protection League for sending this one.

FOSTERING A GREYHOUND – ONE WOMAN’S EXPERIENCE

When you’re a seasoned veteran and fostered as many greyhounds as I have, it’s easy to make mistakes. So, after conducting much research, I decided to compile a list of common pitfalls foster Mom’s and Dad’s make, so you’ll know what to avoid should you decide to make the leap into the world of fostering.

1) Do not get laid off from your job 2 days after you pick up your foster. This only leads to bonding, which we know is bad; and eventual ownership. Try to impress upon your company that letting you go will lead to your submitting an unemployment claim for the animal, in turn costing them money.

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I received the following warning from Pat Getz of Greyhound Protection League.

We all know that chocolate is bad for dogs, so the product Cocoa Mulch, for use in gardens ‘to keep cats away’ is especially dangerous. Personally, I don’t see how a chocolate product manufacturer can know about using chocolate in gardens!

Here’s more information.

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It’s something we all dread – our dog escaping and running off, and we can’t catch it. However well-trained we think they are, their hunting instinct is stronger, as is their fear, if they have experienced terrible suffering at the hands of the galguerros or gypsies.

Here is some extensive advice ‘Finding Your Lost Greyhound by Michael McCann and Finding Them is Only the First Step by Michael McCann’, which has been sent to me by Le Bulletin des Levriers.

I hope none of us ever need to have to refer to it!

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A problem has developed in the feet of my galga. My vet thinks it could be an allergy problem but, as she is one of the hundreds to come out of Spain whose history is unknown, we don’t know if she has suffered this problem before.

I would be interested to know if anyone else has experienced a similar problem, the diagnosis and treatment.

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At the end of the Spanish hunting season in January, hundreds of galgos are abandoned every year, and many of them resort to living on their wits to survive.

It can take weeks, sometimes months, of patient work by volunteers before a dog is finally caught and taken to a refuge.

Not all of these dogs cope with the change in situation, and if they then travel to another country and are put in a domestic environment, it can be even more traumatic, and their first instinct is to escape again.

One such dog recently arrived in France.

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There are always appeals for foster homes for dogs, but many people are hesitant to volunteer because they are afraid of becoming too attached to the foster dog, and not being able to let it go to a new home.

Certainly there are risks involved, not least of which are the tugs at the heartstrings! But it is really extremely worthwhile and rewarding, and it gives a dog more of a chance of getting a permanent home, whereas it is less likely to happen in a refuge.

One of the main advantages is that it enables the foster dog to be assessed.

What is its attitude to other dogs? Can it live with cats? How does it cope with boisterous children? Can it be toilet-trained? Could it live as the only pet, or does it need another canine companion? What sort of things frighten it?

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There seem to be many misconceptions about dogs with leishmaniosis, and living with a dog who has tested positive with the disease.

Flora‘s adoptant, June, took the galga on knowing she has tested very positive. Here she explains what is involved in looking after Flora.

By the way, to see Flora, one would not know she had any disease! She is an absolute picture of good health!

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The third disease which galgos and podencos leaving Spain are tested for is filaria, or heart worm. As this is a far more serious disease than leishmania and ehrlichia, it is rare for a dog testing positive to be accepted into the adoption programme.

The blood test is done on the dogs as part of the vaccination and microchipping programme prior to the dog obtaining its Pets Passport. As well as the passport, the dog also leaves with the results of the blood test, so prospective owners know if there are any further tests to be carried out.

To read more about filaria, visit www.menandpets.com/en_filaria.htm

Before galgos and podencos leave Spain for fostering and adoption abroad, they are blood tested for three diseases, Leishmaniosis, Ehrlichia and Filaria.

For full information about Leishmaniosis, www.leishmaniasis.info which is the canine leishmaniosis website. This website also gives details of the medicinal products needed to treat the disease.

I have asked someone who adopted a galgo with leishmaniosis to write about their experience with it.

Before galgos and podencos leave Spain for fostering and adoption, they have a blood test for three diseases, Leishmaniosis, Ehrlichiosis and Filaria.

Ehrlichiosis is a tick-borne rickettsial infectious blood disease. The organism is called Ehrlichia, the disease is called Ehrlichiosis.

Brown Dog Tick (must feed a minimum of 2 -3 days to transmit). The tick can come from horse manure and other unknown sources.

Also transmitted from the deer tick, blood transfusion, contaminated needles/instruments, transplacental.

Visit www.workingdog.com/doc0045.htm to learn more.