Rescue Dog - advice please.

kerilli

kerilli

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OH went off to work this morning, saw a cream lurcher loose. Rang me, 2 1/2 hours of marching around fields and steering him away from main roads later, we managed to catch him. He is pretty emaciated, & according to Dog Warden has been reported running loose and very skittish (uncatchable) for about 3-4 days.
Soo... to catch him, we fed him Schmacko's (all local shop had, as we ran out of Dentastix - all I had! - after an hour.) I kept up a running commentary to him, got ahead of him, sat down in fields, got ahead, sat down, threw him treats when he eventually got close enough. He's also had 1/2 bowlful of dog food and chicken we begged from the lady whose garden we finally caught him in!
IF we keep him (not sure yet, depends, mostly on whether he's friendly or tries to savage my 5 jrts) I'm guessing I should introduce food very little and often?
Oh, current nickname = Ghost, because I suspect he's a ghost of his former self.
Advice please... Thankyou.
 
Well done for catching him, and what a fab name. I'd be getting him scanned for a microchip *just in case* he was once a pet and ran or was dumped.
Little and often would be the way to go and probably something plain like chicken or wet pouches of James Wellbeloved or Nature Diet.
You could also phone one of the greyhound/lurcher rescue places for feeding/rehabbing/introducing him to your dogs advice.

Hope you get to keep him, and piccies please :)
 
that's great advice, thanks, i hadn't even thought of having him scanned, durrrr. i suspect he was being used for coursing, so prob unlikely to be chipped, but definitely worth checking. thanks, i'll ring the local greyhound rescue.
 
Even if used for coursing could still have been someone's pet that was taken/stolen by unsavoury types so best to scan for chip. Our travelling friends aquire sighthounds esp when land allows and esp in the fens e.g harvest - Could be very wary of people due to past if was stolen. Agree with foxyfilly - put him on doglost just incase someone's missing him but well done for catching and looking after him.
Just had a quick look under lost section in East Anglia and found this one (if link works)! http://www.doglost.co.uk/dog_blog.php?dogId=14668
 
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Regardless of the outcome - how nice that you took the time to catch him and try to help.. nice story and fingers crossed you get to keep him and he settles in.
 
he's not chipped, the Dog Warden scanned him immediately. No tattoos or other I.D. marks either.
very sweet boy, a bit bewildered and very very tired, I think if he's been on the run for 4 days or more (looking like a bag of bones, in this weather) he's prob exhausted.
i've de-flea'd him, daren't let him near my dawgs until the hitchhikers have gone, so he's in the heated tackroom for the night with a new coat on and a very deep cosy dogbed. He's not got it so bad... pics to follow when i summon the energy to find my camera!
 
He's lucky to have come across you! He sounds lovely, hope he puts on weight quickly and starts to be a happier more relaxed dog. We took on a lurcher from Dogs Trust earlier this year and she is fantastic. Can't imagine being without her now! Good luck x
 
now, i'm no expert on lurchers, but surely this is abnormally skinny?
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and
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anything else i need to know about them please, years and years of owning all sorts of dogs but never a lurcher...
he's being spoilt rotten already, but he's too tired to notice tbh. I was going to stay in the tackroom with him and read for a while, but he fell sound asleep the moment he'd had a walk and his dinner!
 
Bless him. I don't know a lot about lurchers but although he is skinny I wouldn't say massively so for one. Interestingly his nails look quite long so wouldn't think he had much exercise before you found him, unless of course it was all on grass, if you suspect he was used for coursing.
 
Well done K, sounds like he's had a rough few days; he's glad you caught him.
My vet recommends a couple of Weetabix with warm water and a dash of milk or with some gravy over it instead as it's easy for an unsettled stomach to take down at first; similar to a hunter's bran mash I suppose then a sensible feed, preferably not something too rich although a nice bit of chicken would probably go down well!
Best of luck and hurry up and find your camera.

ETA: Poor boy, not exactly endowed with good looks is he? Yes, a bit scrawny but should soon fill out, his front doesn't look too malnourished to me, looks like he's just gone without a few meals and has lightened up. Perhaps he can't course else he'd look a bit plumper!
 
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Actually he isnt that skinny at all by lurcher standards? Used to have one which looked much the same, but it was covered with fluffy hair the whole time :D It is just like horses, you want to be able to see the pin bones (hip bones) but only just - he needs a bit of condition but not a huge amount?
 
Yeah he could do with bulking up. Might be nothing but he's probably been on grass or inside for a time, his nails look long.

He looks almost Sloughi-like in the head in that second pic.
 
He's got the Saluki look to me but don't know what he's been crossed with as he looks to have a fair amount of bone without too much height.
For comparison, these fat boys are by a Bedlington x grippet (greyhound x whippet!) and out of a whippet type but they do have a similar head I think.
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He looks lovely, poor but now lucky boy for your time and effort. I do hope you can keep him, I'm sure you will be well rewarded Lurchers are the most amazing dogs.

Good luck

JDx
 
Ahh, that's funny that a few of you said that, a friend years ago had a Saluki x Greyhound who was the same colour as this boy and definitely had the same look, but that one had feathered ears and a feathered tail, so I thought I was just kidding myself because of the colour.
Is it okay to be able to see the spine sticking up like that? Seriously? I thought he was really really skinny... I won't let him get fat but I was thinking of him putting on quite a bit more condition to look 'right'.
the dog warden said the hare coursers keep them a bit underweight so they'll be faster...
 
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There are my three - and that is when I first got Amy (nearest the camera) from Cayla, she was FAT :eek::D

People have their own likes and dislikes, but I detest fat sighthounds so keep mine in good lean condition :)
 
Let him put on a couple of pounds, to be honest it looks like he has no muscle so
hasn't done much recently. , I'm sure he'll be
fine with your terriers. Mine is great with small dogs, "our" cat and chickens. He's
an ex travellers dog too! Hates men though.

I would give him a couple of meals a day, something gentle on the stomach like
chappie. He wont have been fed good before so you wont overload and upset
him with that.
 
kerilli said:
Ahh, that's funny that a few of you said that, a friend years ago had a Saluki x Greyhound who was the same colour as this boy and definitely had the same look, but that one had feathered ears and a feathered tail, so I thought I was just kidding myself because of the colour.
.
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Lol, these three boys are full brothers although Monty (hairy) looks totally different!
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Agree with the Chappie too, not everyone's choice but a very good all round feed.
 
He does look slightly boney & on the thin side, when we got our retired greyhound just a few weeks after she had finished racing she looked a bit similar, definitely on the scrawny side. If his appetite is anything like hers he will soon fill out! Lucky dog that you found him!:)
 
Well done! Only just spotted this thread.:o Looks a lovely lad too. I, personally would like a bit more weight on, little & often, pasta, rice chicken, pilchards & try a little raw mince & tripe. Good luck:D
 
Agree on pilchards or a little mackeral or sardines, YUM :) he's fallen on his feet finding you, lets hope no scabby trailer trash claims him and he can live a life of comfort with you ;)
 
Oh he is nice, and muhusssiveeeee:D he def looks saluki x grey, I would also like a bit of muscle and condition on him and back bone covered, a descent bit of rib and some pin is fine but im not keen on the old back bone showing.
He is lucky to have stumbled across you.
 
kerilli said:
now, i'm no expert on lurchers, but surely this is abnormally skinny?
DSC01188.jpg

and
DSC01187.jpg
Click to expand...

I have one that matches yours! Saluki x grey

Saluki crosses are notoriously difficult to keep weight on. I wouldn't say he is horrendously skinny - he's probably got more weight on him than my boy does (he's super fit so carries no fat at all)

You may also find that you will always be able to see his spine - quite common.

IMO a longdog that you cannot see the ribs on is overweight :(

Freddie - white really does show up shadows...If you look at his hip bones you can't see them as they are completely covered in muscle...

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He wears his pyjamas when it's cold so he doesn't drop any more weight - just not when he's running as he overheats...

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