FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT GREYHOUNDS
THE ARRIVAL OF NEW GREYS | DIARY
OF A DOG RUN
ADOPTING A PUPPY |
SAGE ADVICE | GREYHOUND
OBEDIENCE
SAGE
ADVICE:
Hounds
Truths - or Not?
By
Suzanne Stack, DVM
Older greyhounds need low protein "senior" diets.
- with GHs, we're usually trying to keep weight on the oldsters, not off them
- may cause muscle wasting / weight loss
Greyhounds with high creatinines are going into kidney failure and need low protein "kidney" diets.
- increased creatinine does not equal kidney disease
- Auburn study: GH creatinine up to 1.6X "other dog" creatinine
Greyhounds with diarrhea should be switched to high fiber food (i.e. W/D).
- usually backfires with GHs
- GHs do better on meat-based diets; Grain-based diets or the simple switch from racing diets to kibble are often the CAUSE of diarrhea
BARF diet is dangerous, not adequate, etc.
- IF you're willing to do the research and cooking, it's worth it just to keep the teeth clean
- other benefits - highly digestible, allergies
Alabama Rot only happens to track greyhounds from eating the raw 4D meat.
- the strain of e. coli that causes Alabama Rot is found in everything from apples to alfalfa sprouts.
Feed several small meals daily / feed from raised feeders / make him eat slow / to prevent bloat.
- bloat isn't all that common in NGA racers
- racing greyhounds snarf down one meal daily from a bowl on the floor and you don't see them bloat very often
- bloat is mostly genetic and much more common in show (AKC) GHs
Leave him in the hospital until he eats.
- GHs are sensitive dogs
- unless they're doing something for him there that you can't do at home, he's likely to eat better at home where he's more comfortable and you can cook up yummy whatnot
- you may need to take him in for daily rechecks
- we do much more of this in a small town than in big cities with 24-hour clinics and it seems to me that ours do just as well if not better
The fecal is negative - he doesn't have worms.
- fecals are often negative, especially for whipworms
- if a GH has been having diarrhea ever since he came off the track, deworm with Panacur before doing further diagnostics; don't have the $1,000 case of hookworms
Greyhounds get so many vaccinations at the track that adoption groups should not revaccinate.
- maybe in the future as a result of recent highly publicized distemper and kennel cough outbreaks
- right now, it's hard to count on vaccines that were supposedly given
- requirements vary tremendously from state to state - tailor accordingly
- I prefer 2 consecutive years of "known shots," then go to every 3 years
Dogs need booster vaccines every year.
- many veterinarians and a majority of vet schools have safely gone to every 3 year vaccinations
- stop
vaccines in GHs >10-11 or if ITP, AIHA, or polyarthritis
-- Johnny Hoskins, ACVIM and geriatric columnist for "DVM Magazine"
Yearly dentals are the best way to keep your greyhound's teeth healthy.
- brushing at least every other day is the best way to keep your GH's teeth clean
- wait 'til GH in "food coma"
- start with regular brush so you don't upset them, then graduate to Sonicare
- BARF, chewies, turkey necks, all are preferable to knocking off tartar once yearly while the dog spends the other 9-10 months with dental disease
- dentals should be done when needed, but should not be the mainstay of dental care
Do all you can to save bad teeth - you don't want to lose them.
- bad teeth hurt - get them out of there!
- bad teeth form a nidus for infection which can damage kidneys and heart valves
- dogs with bad teeth often feel like new dogs after they're extracted
His heart is enlarged.
- normal GH heart is bigger than other dogs'
- huge
left ventricular hypertrophy (thickening of wall) - same with marathon
runners
-- Larry Tilley, ACVIM / cardiologist extraordinaire - vs big floppy ventricle with CM (can differentiate with US if in doubt)
His heart rate is abnormally slow.
- GH HR is slower than other dogs due again to atheleticism
- 60-90 normal at rest, faster if excited (like at the vet's office)
His blood pressure is high.
- GHs often
run on the high end of normal (160,170,180)
-- Tilley - can be higher if dog excited
He needs a complete cardiac workup for this heart murmer.
- low grade murmers (I & II) are common in all dogs, usually benign
- take a chest x-ray if concerned (where you will see a "big heart!")
Your greyhound has polycythemia.
- GHs normally have a higher HCT than other dogs, like 50's - 60's
- so it's going into the 70's if they're a little dehydrated
- actual polycythemia is a VERY rare disease (once in a lifetime)
Her platelets are abnormally low.
- GHs can normally run low platelets
- normal down to 80-110,000 (Dr. Couto, ACVIM - OSU)
- Ehrlichia can lower platelets (also lowers WBC) - titer if in doubt
We need a bone marrow biopsy to see if this low WBC is cancer.
- GHs normally run lower WBCs (3.0 - 10.0)
- Auburn study of 50 retired racers (March 2000 Compendium) range of 1,800-14,600
He can't have TBD, we don't have those around here.
- GHs have a disproportionate incidence of TBDs due to their years on dog farms and in racing kennels, sharing ticks with other GHs from all over the country
- Ehrlichia can take 5-7 years following a tick bite to show signs
That ehrlichia titer is too low to treat.
- treat ANY ehrlichia titer - we do in Arizona (an endemic area)
- severity of signs does not always correlate with titer
- IDEXX Snap test picks up >1:100, most labs pick up >1:20 or so
- doxycycline 5 mg/# every 12 hours for 2 months unless SURE it's not a chronic case (i.e. a pup)
- virtually all cases of ehrlichia in GHs are chronic
- the alternative to treating is waiting for a bleedout - there is too much to lose
- veterinarians working with adopted GHs should maintain a high index of suspicion for ehrlichia
Imizol is dangerous.
- anyone out there had anything exciting happen?
- labeled to treat babesia but also kills ehrlichia
- 2 injections 2 weeks apart – if titer warrants
A low T4 means she needs to be on thyroid supplement.
- two schools of thought; either most GHs have the disorder or they are naturally lower in thyroid hormone
- Rule of thumb: GH T4 half that of other breeds (Dr. Bruyette, ACVIM, VIN moderator)
- should not be on Soloxine unless there are clinical signs
- too many GHs are on supplement that don't need it
- use half of normal dog dose
- sick dogs commonly have low T4s ("sick euthyroid") - dog is not hypothyroid
Bald butts are because they're hypothyroid.
- cause of bald thigh syndrome is unknown
- happens with both low and high thyroid levels
Bald butts are from laying in crates at the track.
- greyhounds that have never been crated have bald butts
He has a toenail fungus.
- SLO (symmetrical lupoid onchodystrophy) aka "pemphigus" is the autoimmune condition that causes greyhounds to lose multiple nails
- treat as per "Care of the Racing Greyhound"
The "dent" in her back is a genetic abnormality / racing injury / where she was beaten with a bar.
- I don't know why it's there (any chiropracters out there?), but it is
This female is the first hermaphrodite I've ever seen!
- clitoral hypertrophy from testosterone given at track to keep females out of heat
Skin hemangiosarcomas in greyhounds are usually highly malignant.
- skin HSAs in "glabrous" (ventrally "nude" breeds such as GHs and IGs) are solar induced and only metastasize 25% of the time (Ogilvie's book)
I don't want to amputate (or euthanize) for bone cancer. I'll just make him comfortable for as long as possible (or . . . amputation is not the end of the world).
- constant, throbbing pain - the most intractable pain in veterinary medicine
- the pain is not well controlled with meds - if it was, we wouldn't recommend amputation
- amputation is done simply to get the dog out of pain, will not increase survival time
- only adding chemo will make him live longer
- if not amputated, be generous with pain meds and be ready to euthanize
I don't want to give Rimadyl, Deramaxx, etc. for bone cancer - it might damage his liver.
- don't become hung up on the possibilty of side effects - OSA does not have a long term; give what it takes to keep him from hurting
- combine meds (NSAIDs, narcotics, Ultram, Fosamax, etc.)
She's not in pain - she just limps, has never cried out.
- if she's limping, it hurts!
- poor appetite, panting, shaking, can't get comfortable, stops participating
- pathologic fracture
Dogs can't take Tylenol.
- Tylenol /codeine is one of the most common pain meds given to OSAs & amputations
That hind end weakness is probably hip dysplasia.
- hip dysplasia is rare in GHs
- hind end problems most likely LS in older GH
- hands-on test for LS pain
- inject DepoMedrol every 3-5 months as needed
We sent the x-rays to a radiologist and he can't find a reason why she's limping either.
- you need to pinpoint the problem area (if possible), THEN take x-rays
- many things that cause limping aren't seen on x-rays (soft tissue, neuro, corns)
- a good
orthopedic exam is key - an orthopedic surgeon is a good bet for finding
obscure lamenesses
