could really use some help

Thank you so much for this info Sophia, it is wonderful to know. I am going to copy this out and give it to Angels vet.
She is so fragile and I don't want her to have to go through anything else.
Another thing I would like to ask you is about litter training her. She has pretty much gotten going outside to potty and sometimes in the house she uses her pee pad. I have been told that it is not a good idea to have them out in the dead of winter and it can get really cold here. If you can suggest how I start doing this I would really appreciate it.
I am going to buy her a parka for winter plus booties but I am having a hard time trying to find someplace that makes coats for this breed. Alot of the coats I have looked at are to short in length.
 
Also, I have had them order up blood work to be done on the morning of her surgery. Better safe than sorry.

You are welcome Lena. I am wishing the best for Angel.
Regarding coats and jammies, there are some great ones with nice deep chests and covering for long necks. [linkhttp://www.sewdoggie.com/]http://www.sewdoggie.com/[/link]   [linkhttp://www.sewdoggie.com/]makes lovely ones.  Here's a list of clothing links too:[/link]
[linkhttp://www.igpost.com/list/index.php?category=3]http://www.igpost.com/list/index.php?category=3[/link]
[linkhttp://www.sewdoggie.com/]
Some IG's are steadfast and will do their pottying outside in all kinds of weather, but they really are the exception. Most would rather potty indoors once the weather gets cold, windy or rainy. My two are trained for indoors and outdoors, and many people do both also. It doesn't have to be one or the other. Some will get confused but many can be trained for both.

For outdoor pottying, some owners build a little lean-to type shelter out in the yard so that it at least blocks the wind, so their little ones can run out and potty. There are some lovely IG jammies that cover all the legs but even with those they are still often cold when outside. Trying to put booties/jammies on and all takes time and when they have to go, there's no time!
I find it easier to let them potty on the pads indoors though in the inclimate weather.
They just seem miserable when it's cold, they can't seem to relax enough to urinate easily.They are a mediteranean breed and not at all equipt for cold temperatures. There's always the exception though, my rescue rep has IG's who love to frolic in the snow. My two last about five minute though, before they are begging to go back inside the house.
I do have a friend whose little female iggy will brave the Maine winters and run out like a real trooper to potty, she's back in within a minute or two [] my dogs just are not that brave!  They much prefer their pads.

If you need to transition her, you could put her pad near the door. She may easily go to the door as if pottying but then do it right there before you ever open the door. I don't think you'll have much problem though transitioning her as she is already pad trained. She'll probaby choose to use her pad once she feels those cold gusts of air outside! I'm not sure if this article speaks of transitioning but it may:
[/link][linkhttp://www.igpost.com/index.php?showtopic=731]http://www.igpost.com/index.php?showtopic=731[/link]

Who knows maybe she'll surprise you and brave the cold air and potty outside!

Sophia, here is a picture of her standing. In this  pic she is a pound or so heavier and is starting to develope some nice muscle tone. I think she is a fine weight now.
 

What a beauty! She looks great and I'll bet she feels good too. She'll feel even better once her oral issues are resolved. Best wishes next week with the mammary and mouth surgery. 

Sorry, jumping in on this a bit late.
 
So glad she has found her way to you!  
 
I think that I would just do more frequent meals of canned for the moment.  Say 3 to 4 meals per day to try to get food in her more often and put a little more weight on her. IGs generally are thin as a rule (don't think I've ever seen a fat one lol) but to get more muscle on her would be a good idea.
You might also try to put her on the puppy canned, it has more calories.
Good luck.

ORIGINAL: lena  Recently I received an Italian Greyhound. I posted in the breed section but didn't get much response so I thought I would post here.  Angel is a 6 yr old IG. She has severe tooth decay so badly that the gums are rotting. We are treating this at the moment. Once we clear up the infection, most of  her teeth will have to be extracted.

 
We have a Yorkshire with no teeth from decay.  It probably started around age six and went a 3 or 4 years before all the teeth were gone.  They will fall out on there own, no need for dental extraction really.  Anyway the food I feed Abady Granular
has a sand type texture and there is no chewing involved, perfect for my Casey who is all gums, now age 14.  If you can afford  animal dentistry and preventive, you can help somewhat and prolong the inevitable.  Kibble is very hard on teeth on the Dog Chow prior to your receiving the dog in very suspect in speeding the decay process.  One benefit I can see from extraction you spoke of you avoid the horrible bad breath associated with the teeth loss and decay.  Poor little guy was tough to be around for a number of years, but they all had come out naturally.  He may still have one or two teeth in the way back.
 
Charlie
 
PS: Nice Pics!

We have a Yorkshire with no teeth from decay. It probably started around age six and went a 3 or 4 years before all the teeth were gone.

Was this dog adopted by you,or did this happen whilst she was living with you?

cc431, not to sound mean or anything but how could you let a dogs teeth decay and fall out on their own????
If a dogs teeth are decaying, they really need to come out right away not wait until they fall out. From my own experience, I know how painful toothaches are and just because a dog can't tell you they hurt, I would bet my bottom dollar that they do.
Oral decay is a big problem with Italian Greyhounds. Since the snout is so narrow and they do not salivate much the teeth needed to be cleaned on a daily basis. It was much to late for her teeth when I rescued her, she is 6 years old.
Her biggest problem are the holes in her upper gums that lead into the sinus cavity. This will all be fixed on Tuesday.

She is a beauty.  Our adopted golden retriever mix has sight hound in her, we are sure.  She has the same enormous eyes as the IG whippet, saluki, etc. Also, her muzzle is slender, tongue narrow. Most people do take her for full golden, unless they know goldens.  But she has tahe long match stick thin legs and larger feet, enormous eyes, etc.  My vet feels probably greyhound or whippet, perhaps saluki.
 
I hope and pray all goes well for you little girl and that she gets a lead a long, happy, and HEALTHY life.

Thank you Sandra.
Your little girl is absolutely gorgeous, I bet her fur feels like silk.
I am very nervous over all of this. I just want her to come home happy and healthy. She hasn't been with us that long but she sure has come a long way. In the beginning she would just mope around and now all she and Sweet Pea do is zoom around the house. It is hilarious.

ORIGINAL: Edie  Was this dog adopted by you,or did this happen whilst she was living with you?

 
Yorkshires are another breed prone to bad teeth.  We have had him since an 8 week pup with full veterinarian care in his 14 years.  We were advised dentistry could help.  The vet never advised a change in food to something softer instead of a kibble.
The dog did eat Purina Dog Chow and Mainstay for a good number of years prior to losing his teeth.  It happens, but it didn't happen all at once, it was gradual.  Keep in mind now, this dog is 98 in people years.  It is one of those things that happens as animals grow older, may even happen to your dog someday.

Ditto EVERYTHING Sophia said in her post about anethesia.  Sighthounds are a little different from other dogs. 
 
Also, my favorite martingales are made by White Pine Outfitters.  The nylon is so soft and there are lots of colors to choose from.  Just google "White Pine dog" and you should be able to find some.  Sometimes it is also called a "soft slip" collar.
 
One more thing, I find my basenjis eat almost 2x as much when it gets cold.  I'm sure iggies are the same.

We were not in the "market" for another dog, as we already had 3 goldens.  But the people that were living across the street did volunteer work at the tiny local branch of the Humane Soceity, saw Honey and figured "we needed her".  We said no, 3 were all we could afford.  So what did they do?  They showed up at our front door with her and our hearts melted.  Isn't it amazing how fast a dog can get into your heart?  You don't need to have them months or even weeks.  Just minutes can do the trick!  By the way, the same people had adopted a "retired" racing greyhound out in California. When they saw her, they said she was a keeper for sure, and named her Keeper.  She had been "rescued" as she didn't win races so was "no good" for anything.  That is so very sad.  She was/is good for giving tons of love, for cheering the owners up when down, etc, etc.
 
By the way, Honey had heartworms when we got her and we were almost instantly out almost $400 for treatment.  LOL, we couldn't afford another dog could we!

ORIGINAL: lena  cc431, not to sound mean or anything but how could you let a dogs teeth decay and fall out on their own????  If a dogs teeth are decaying, they really need to come out right away not wait until they fall out. From my own experience, I know how painful toothaches ...

 
The situation with your dogs teeth sounds very different than my dogs.  Sounds like you dog has gum infections leading to more rapid tooth loss.  My vet had explained it to me my dogs gradual tooth decay and loss over the years as being part of a normal aging process although dentistry and cleanings may help.  He was 80 I think in people years when they were pretty much all gone.  Yorkies are another breed prone to bad teeth.  I think it was the kibble in his early years attributing to not gum infections but acceleration in the normal aging process and gradual tooth loss.

here's the link for the collars I mentioned. 
 
[linkroductSubCodeID=113&roductCode=1]http://www.whitepineoutfitters.com/catalog_page.cfm?queries_index=index10&title_bar=SOFT%20SLIP%3Csup%3Etm%3C%2Fsup%3E%20COLLARS&roductSubCodeID=113&roductCode=1[/link]>http://www.whitepineoutfitters.com/catalog_page.cfm?queries_index=index10&title_bar=SOFT%20SLIP%3Csup%3Etm%3C%2Fsup%3E%20COLLARS&roductSubCodeID=113&roductCode=1]http://www.whitepineoutfitters.com/catalog_page.cfm?queries_index=index10&title_bar=SOFT%20SLIP%3Csup%3Etm%3C%2Fsup%3E%20COLLARS&roductSubCodeID=113&roductCode=1[/link]