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OBSERVATIONS
With most of the various information sections, the accent has been on understanding the scientific testing that can be done to detect those health problems that may severely affect a greyhound’s performance.
However, for any trainer it is essential to be able to recognise the early signs of ill health, before it becomes a major problem requiring expensive Veterinary or laboratory work, and much can be deduced by simply having a good look at the greyhound!
A greyhound should look like a fine racehorse, shining glossy coat, clearly defined muscle structure with veins clearly showing, bouncing on its feet and full of energy.
It is extremely difficult for most Veterinarians and Chiropractors alike, to point out to their trainer clients the obvious general condition problems that may exist with some of their greyhounds, problems that in the long term increase the likelihood of muscle and stress damage.
In the past I have tried to point out some of these to my own clients, only to lose them for good. There again, no one likes to feel they are being criticised, even if it was during a genuine attempt to help them improve the greyhound’s performance.
DEHYDRATION AND SKIN TONE
Because a major portion of the fluid reserve is stored within the skin, skin tone is a good guide to the greyhound’s general state of hydration, and dehydration is often the first sign of something going amiss.
Slight Dehydration
The skin is slow to spring back above the coupling, but snaps back OK above the saddle area.
TREATMENT: provide 40 ml of Vitrate or Recharge in 2 cups of milk and water twice daily for the next two days. Re-access the distance the dog is running over and increase sodium and potassium in diet.
Moderate Dehydration
The skin is slow to spring back above both the coupling and saddle, but it does flatten out and there are no signs of weight loss or excessive urine production.
TREATMENT: provide drinks as for slight dehydration, plus inject the greyhound with 2 ml of TRIDENOSEN or similar in each back leg daily for two days, reduce work to walking only until the problem resolves.
Re-access the greyhound’s workload, and have a hard look at the diet and general state of health.
If the problem does not resolve itself within 7 days, blood test to check for infection, sodium, potassium, acid-base balance and PCV.
Severe Stress
Skin over coupling feels tight and is difficult to lift and slow to return, and the greyhound is usually drinking large amounts of water at this time.
Seek urgent VETERINARY advice, including intravenous fluids.
Severe Dehydration
The skin stay’s ridged after having been lifted up; the greyhound has lost weight and appears lethargic, is drinking excessive amounts of water and produces copious amounts of almost clear urine, generally in a slow dribble.
Seek urgent VETERINARY advice, including intravenous fluids.
Do not run the greyhound for at least 14 days, even if he appears to have recovered, and when you do, start with a 250 Meter handslip every third day for 3 runs, before running behind the lure again. Starting with a 14 second run and increasing only by 2 seconds every 2nd run.
BODY SHAPE
The shape of the greyhound’s body structure, and how it stands, will also provide some clues to both the health and soundness of the dog.
When the dog is standing relaxed, is he standing with all four feet equally taking the weight, or is he leaning slightly one way, with a foot just resting on the ground?
If that is the case, careful examination of the pads, toes, wrist joint, wrist tendons and muscle structure, including the area where the leg joins the trunk is indicated. If this occurs with a front limb, also carefully examine the area at the base of the neck, between the shoulder blades, and the saddle muscle area.
The toes are they well knuckled, or are some of the toes straighter or flat on the ground?
Again careful examination of the appropriate toes and tendons is required.
If some of the toes are flatter than others, TENS contracting treatment (toe flexion) to the muscles that operate the toes may improve the functioning of the toes, and reduce the chance of further toe Sesamoid, or toe tendon damage.
When you lift the front of the dog slightly off the ground, by placing one hand under the chest the other under the neck, do both front legs hang straight down with the toes pointing to the ground, and are both front legs exactly equal lengths? When you lower him slowly to the ground, does he place both feet on the ground at the same time?
If the answer is no, then careful examination of the muscles of the shoulder, base of the neck and THORACIC spine is indicated on the side where the leg is being held shorter.
If the leg is held forward, examine the muscles on the front of the shoulder and chest, or if the wrist of one leg is slightly flexed backwards, examine the muscles of the forearm.
The shoulder muscles, are they the same size and structure on each side of the dog, or are some of the muscles bulging out more than others? A muscle slightly larger than its twin on the other side may indicate muscle damage in the body of the muscle, or at its origin.
Are the muscles of one shoulder visibly flatter than the same muscles on the other side of the dog? If so, there may be some damage or compression to the nerves that operate those muscles, and examination of the upper THORACIC spine as well as the muscles themselves is required.
Is the spine strong and solid, with good strong lumbar muscles on each side, or are some of the spinal segments sticking up further than others, lifting the hair up on one side of them?
Reduced lumbar muscles may indicate weight loss, stress or dehydration, while some raised spinal segments, in particular those of the central spinal area, could indicate pain in the kidneys, gut or bladder, as well as possible spinal muscle spasm.
The ribcage, is it flat and well covered, or are the ribs on one side bulging out a little more than on the other side? Too many ribs clearly showing may indicate weight loss, stress, or dehydration. While a slightly bulging ribcage, more on the left side of the dog than on the right, is a likely indicator of an enlarged liver, and past or current liver problems.
The hindquarter of the dog is that in proportion to the front half, or does the hindquarter really belong to a smaller dog?
Greyhounds require good strong hind legs and coupling, as most of the driving power is derived from this area.
When a greyhound has a smaller hindquarter in relation to the front half of the body, this may indicate that the greyhound is using the front legs rather than the hind legs for driving power.
The cause of this may be a severe and long standing lower back problem. When spinal damage occurs during rearing, there is often a marked reduction in the development of the hind quarters, due to both pain and nerve compression.
COAT CONDITION
The hair of the coat will also provide some insight into the greyhound’s current state of health.
It should consist of soft shiny hair with a soft undercoat of smaller finer hairs, and the coat should be light and flat, clearly showing muscle structure.
Thick Woolly Coat
Carbohydrates provide not only the energy for muscle function, but also for body heat.
A thick woolly coat indicates the animal has a real need to conserve energy and heat.
TREATMENT: blood test to check for infection, examine the diet for sufficient carbohydrate content, possibly increasing the kibble or biscuit portion and look at the kennel arrangements.
A thick woolly coat does not provide the ideal conditions for cooling down after a race or hard run, and will increase the amount of panting the dog has to do.
Soft Dry Coat
With increased amounts of dandruff after a wash or hydro bath.
TREATMENT: Add cod liver oil and blood building supplement to the diet.
Soft Dry Coat
With irregular bald patches on area’s where the dog has been laying or rubbing
TREATMENT: Add cod liver oil, blood building supplement, and zinc from kelp or green leaf vegetables to the diet. Blood test for Thyroid function (free T4)
Soft Dry Coat
With a narrow strip of straight hard shiny hair along spine
TREATMENT: Blood test for kidney and liver function, worm the dog twice 14 days apart with a broad-spectrum wormer. Add cod liver oil and blood building supplement to diet, treat for two weeks with Liver Tonic, and reduce workload.
Soft Dry Coat
Interspersed with hard coarse hair showing a distinct kink or curl at the end of each hair.
TREATMENT: Blood test for kidney and liver function, worm the dog three times 14 days apart with a broad-spectrum wormer, and again 14 days later for hook worm only. Increase protein content of diet (meat), add cod liver oil and blood building supplement, treat for four weeks with a Liver Tonic, and reduce workload.
Note: A distinct kink, hook or curl, at the end of the hair generally indicates worm load, and or severely increased toxicity levels.
Almost Normal Coat
Not quite shiny enough with the hair curving slightly up at the end of some top hairs
TREATMENT: Add cod liver oil to the diet and treat with Liver Tonic for one week, reduce workload slightly.
Thin Shiny Coat
With some loss of hair to the outside of back legs and under the chest
It is not unusual for a racing greyhound in hard work to lose some hair in these areas.
If performance is poor, obtain a Thyroxin T4 or free T4 blood test.
THE EYES
There are a number of infections and problems that affect the eyes and all of them are best treated by your Veterinarian.
However, by carefully looking at the eyes there is some important information available about your dog.
In a healthy greyhound with a good blood count, and the right Haemoglobin levels, the area above and directly adjacent to the iris, will have what can only be described as a sky blue halo.
And as the Haemoglobin and therefore the oxygen content of the blood reduce, this area becomes grey.
While just inside the top edge of the iris, you may see a slight white line in the surface of the eyes of some greyhounds; this could indicate past or current liver problems.
Past liver problems may also be indicated by what appears as a brown stain in the outside corners of the eyes. This may show as a light to dark brown area to the white of the eye, clearly defined where it is exposed to sunlight.
It is my belief that increased blood levels of BILIRUBIN due to liver damage, and the subsequent jaundice effects, plus the action of ultraviolet light on the eyes, are the cause of this phenomenon.
WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?
Examples and likely combinations of visible changes and possible ill effects
(1)
SKIN TONE: OK.
COAT: OK.
EYES: The blue halo has gone grey
BODY SHAPE: OK.
REFERRED PAIN: None.
POSSIBLE CAUSES: Reduced HAEMOGLOBIN levels.
EFFECT ON PERFORMANCE: Reduction in ability to run on, slight stress symptoms.
(2)
SKIN TONE: Slight dehydration.
COAT: Slightly less shine and the ends of some of the hairs are curling away from the body.
EYES: The blue halo has gone dark grey
BODY SHAPE: OK.
REFERRED PAIN: Pain in the junction of the LUMBO-DORSAL FACIA and LATISSIMUS DORSI. (5 mm above the bottom edge of the muscle over the coupling in behind the last rib.)
POSSIBLE CAUSES: Reduced kidney function due to infection and or excessive stress.
EFFECT ON PERFORMANCE: Reduction in overall ability.
(3)
SKIN TONE: Moderate dehydration.
COAT: Less shine with the ends of a large number of hairs curving away from the body.
EYES: The blue halo has gone dark grey, faint white line in the iris on the upper-side edges of both eyes, most visible in the left eye.
BODY SHAPE: Rib cage slightly enlarged at the last four ribs on the left side of the dog, and the LUMBAR segments T2 – T4 may be protruding above the rest of the spine.
REFERRED PAIN: Pain in the junction between the LUMBO-DORSAL FACIA and LATISSIMUS DORSI, the LUMBO-DORSAL FACIA and the crest of the ILIUM, upper TRAPEZIUS muscle.
POSSIBLE CAUSES: KIDNEY and or LIVER damage, severe viral or bacterial infection, or severe stress over a long period of time.
EFFECT ON PERFORMANCE: This dog is ill and should not be running at all.
It should be clearly understood that the external visible signs that warn of possible illness or damage, might be quite minor compared to what is happening inside the greyhound’s body.
Unless you are prepared to pay for a complete blood and urine profile every month, all minor changes in the appearance of the greyhound should be carefully observed and noted.
Taking a good look everyday at the skin tone, coat, eyes, and body shape of your greyhound, can alert you to possible health issues long before they become a performance affecting problem.
And it is worth doing, even when you believe the greyhound is performing at its best.
The health and well-being of the greyhound, is the total responsibility of the trainer, everything that happens to the greyhound, happens because of an action or decision by the trainer.
WHAT IS THE RIGHT RACING WEIGHT?
There is no doubt that every trainer will tell you, the best racing weight for any greyhound is the weight it runs fastest at.
However, to get to this ideal weight can be a little involved, as it depends on a number of factors.
Assuming that the diet is right, and the greyhound is fit and healthy, the first item to take into consideration is the greyhound’s natural body structure.
A bulky short-coupled muscle structure is designed for fast explosive speed, while the flatter long-coupled muscle structure is better suited to slower longer strides covering more distance.
Reducing the bulk of the short-coupled muscled greyhound may allow it to run smoother and further, but it will be at a cost to early speed.
Increasing the bulk of the long-coupled muscled greyhound, may provide for increased early pace, but at a cost in distance.
Therefore it is the adjustment to muscle structure, rather than the overall weight of the greyhound, that influences the way it runs, and how fast it runs over a designated distance.
There is also a fine line between reducing the greyhound’s muscle bulk to gain extra distance, and having the greyhound stress or cramp due to insufficient muscle energy storage.
(Energy meaning all the electrolytic and energy components required for muscle contraction)
To increase muscle bulk: Anabolic Steroid injections (STANAZOL) 1 ml weekly for 4 weeks then 1 ml every two weeks, increase complex carbohydrates 10% and protein 5% in diet.
To reduce muscle bulk: Soften the diet to include more broth and reduce solid meals by 5%.
Increase general massage and stretching Physiotherapy.
It should be remembered that increasing a greyhound’s weight would proportionally increase the stress on bones and joints, but will often reduce the general level of stress, and aid in post race recovery.
The opposite will occur when weight is reduced.
MUSCLE STRUCTURE, SPEED and INJURIES
A muscle does not only have to contract rapidly; it also has to stretch sufficiently to allow for full extension of the limb.
Increased muscle bulk and increased muscle tone increases speed of contraction, and thereby increases the speed of the greyhound.
On the other hand, excessive bulk and excessive muscle tone may reduce the extension of the limb, thereby reducing the greyhound’s stride, and therefore its speed.
Excessive muscle tone also increases the likelihood of muscle tears as the limb is fully extended under pressure.
Many of the main muscles are in the form of biceps (two parts), and triceps (three parts). Excessive muscle tone in one part of a muscle compared to the remainder of the muscle, almost guarantees muscle sheath damage between the various sections of the muscle.
WHEN IS A GREYHOUND TOO THIN?
An increase in weight is certainly warranted when the junction between the coupling and the last rib becomes a deep groove, rather than a slight concave.
In the situation where the space between the last two ribs becomes a deep groove, not only does the food need increasing, but also the stress levels on the greyhound require some rapid readjustment.
WHEN IS A GREYHOUND TOO FAT?
75% 0f the fat in the body is stored in the subcutaneous tissue including the skin.
Therefore the thickness of the skin is a good guide to excessive body fat.
If it feels like tissue paper the dog is too lean, there again, if it feels like pinching the skin around your own waist, the dog is most definitely too fat.
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