Veterinary Spotlight by Dr John Kohnke BVSc, RDA
There are a number of excellent books available on the care of the ex-racer, with advice on feeding, exercise needs and general management.
Most of the inquiries relate to arthritic problems as the greyhound ages, as well as toe and muscle injuries as a legacy from racing.
Reasons for Retirement
There are a number of reasons for a greyhound being retired from racing.
The most common is muscle, toe or wrist or other injury,which results in lameness and break down in more severe cases.
Injuries can be sustained by collisions and race falls, over exertion with muscle sprains, especially when racingpoorly maintained track surfaces.
The second common cause is lack of ability or speed in an individual greyhound and loss of competitiveness relativeto age.
After 31⁄2 years of age, many greyhounds become less compet-itive in races, and although there are races suited to older greyhounds, the combination of age, and in many cases, chronic underlying injury, often forces retirement.
Other less common reasons include severe muscle wastage due to stress-induced acidosis or hyperthermia, ‘racing thirst’ and chronic ‘cramping’.
Many of these greyhounds are retired to a life of ongoing physical disability and recurring medical problems.
Behavioral problems which can force retirement include failure to chase, nervousness and a non-competitive nature in the occasional young greyhound.
The majority of these greyhounds are reasonably healthy and sound in all respects, retiring to make faithful, loving pets for the family.
Although liver and kidney problems are often touted as a reason for retirement, these are not common in greyhounds less than 5-7 years of age and are more likely to develop in old age in retirement due to sickness or other aged-related diseases.
Muscle Injuries
Chronic muscle injury in the shoulders, hip support and gracilis muscles are usually a result of ‘wear and tear’ during racing or recurring injury due to an earlier muscle tear which does not heal successfully.
In most cases, walking and an occasional slip gallop as a retired greyhound, will not aggravate an underlying injury of this type, unless the animal is used for sporting or is allowed to run freely in a pack with other greyhounds or dogs as a form of exercise.
In some greyhounds, loss of muscle development (atrophy) at the site of the muscle injury, is noticeable, and in this case, massage with a warming liniment as required,will help improve comfort and mobility.
In a retired greyhound with multiple muscle, joint or bone injury as a legacy from racing, then the purchase of a magnetic field cage, such as a Portamag, is a good investment to reduce discomfort from general muscle, joint and bone injuries so as to improveoverall comfort and well-being.
There are recommended settings for a variety of injuries and when considered in comparison with all of the physiotherapy machines available, pulsed magnetic field therapy (PMFT) is safe and effective to help keep a greyhound, or any other aging dog for that matter, more comfortable and mobile.
The cage form of PMFT allows the animal to be given therapy as it rests, saving time and allowing the animal to be treated without direct supervision.
PMFT is suitable to warm up muscle and arthritic injuries before walking a greyhound and generally helps to improve circulation and well-being.
Joint Injuries
A common reason for retirement is either wrist or hock injury,with internal bone or ligament damage.
These joints are subjected to high loading stress when galloping and cornering at speed.
Often, in older age, the damaged joint surfaces develop cartilage erosion and degenerative joint disease.
The damaged joints may also begin to show reduced flexion or in more severe cases, pain and discomfort on flexion or lameness when weight bearing.
In cases of mild joint damage without excessive joint swelling or lameness, feeding a daily supplement containing glucos-amine and/or MSM, can help provideminor pain control and may assist joint surface repair.
Usually, a loading dose is given for an initial 14-21 days, depending on the response, and then reduced to a maintenance dose for long term daily relief. Consult your own vet for advice.
At least one brand of the dry feed formulated for aged dogs contains glucosamine and other joint active nutrients to assist joint function in elderly greyhounds.
In cases of more severe joint discomfort, a combination of oral supplementation, combined with controlled doses of coated phenylbutazone tablets or other anti-inflammatory compound for relief of more chronic pain, may be useful, as prescribed by your vet.
In severe cases with more mobility and pain, injections of cortisone drugs into the joint may help reduce arthritic pain.
This is usually regarded as a last resort in most cases, because of the risk of more long term internal joint surface deterioration and calcification resulting from the cortisone injection.
It is probable that if the injury forced retirement, that this type of therapy may have already been used to help ‘patch up’ a joint to allow the greyhound to continue to race.
Magnetic field therapy may be a useful adjunct to manage soreness, swelling and discomfort from joint conditions.
Skin Conditions
Some retired greyhounds develop seborrhea-like skin conditions with greasy, inflamed skin under the belly and around the head and ears.
Skin scraping for demodectic mange should be carried out by your vet, because as a greyhound ages, natural suppressive immunity wanes and the parasites become more active.
Other common skinconditions can be caused by allergies to diet or environmental allergens.
In most cases, if they persist and cause discomfort with scratching, then examination and treatment by your vet is recommended.
In cases where the skin is oily and inflamed, check the bedding for allergy by removing it and replacing it with a low-allergy dog bed covering.
In most cases, this type of skin allergy will subside in 7-10 days if the bedding is changed.
If a greyhound is allowed to roll or rest on a lawn or grassy area in a yard, a short–coated animal with a bare underbelly, such as a greyhound,may be sensitized to compounds in the grass, especially the newly cut surface of a lawn after mowing.
Restricting access to the grass for a few days and administering anti-inflammatory medications, as prescribed by your vet, may help resolve this form of contact allergy or skin hypersensitivity.
In really allergic reactions, simply covering the area affected area with a thin layer of kitchen film to help avoid excess moisture and risk of infection, and applying ice or a frozen wet towel over the allergic skin to help keep it as dry as possible, can help to settle it down until a definite diagnosis can be obtained from your vet.
The most common dietary related allergy is red meat allergy, most commonly to beef, which affects mainly greyhounds and German Shepherds.
Sensitive animals can develop a low grade skin allergy with soft wheals or whelts over the belly, chest and neck, but in most cases, they also suffer from mild-unrelenting diarrhoea until the red meat is withdrawn from the diet.
Often this form of allergy is established during a greyhound’s racing career and fresh red meat is avoided, with the diet being based on dry food and chicken or fish if available.
I often recommend a diet based on 500grams of boiled mutton flaps for economy and 300grams of boiled rice for 10 days, as these feeds are considered low allergenic.
This can help reduce diarrhoea in sensitive greyhounds and also some allergic skin reactions. It is important to remove any bones from the boiled mutton flaps, as boiling makes the thin rib bones brittle and they are likely to shatter when chewed, risking damage to the mouth and gut.
Very dry skin conditions can often be rectified by feeding a supplement of mixed Omega-3 and Omega-6 oils, usually 1-20 ml per day in the feed, or in severe cases, capsules of Evening Primrose Oil with trace-minerals, which I have found to be very effective in managing skin allergies and flakey, dry skin.
As greyhounds age, in common with other animals and even humans, their health can deteriorate and they may need careful nursing or daily medication to help them live well into their twilight years.
On average, a retired racing greyhound is likely to live to around 12 years of age, although some well cared for greyhounds, perhaps those with a ‘longevity’ gene and otherwise good health, can live to 16-17 years of age and remain quite active.
In common with other animals, it is often an individual’s slower rate of aging which determines its longevity, combined with a well balanced diet and regular exercise which helps them reach a graceful old age.
Teeth Problems
The condition of an animal’s teeth are often a significant factor in wild dogs which determines its ability to be able to catch food,as well as protect and care for itself.
In domesticated companion animals, such as dogs and greyhounds, modern medicine and special diets can help maintain an elderly animal in reasonably good health as it does not have to physicallycatch or compete for food.
Most diets formulated for aged dogs are fortified with nutrients to ensure that the greyhound is provided with a wide range of nutrients, including extra calcium, good quality protein and vitamins essential to health as the animal ages.
Usually the diet is based on dry food, with either fresh minced meat or cooked meat to maintain the appetite and a more natural way of feeding.
As with other companion animals, such as cats and horses, there are a multitude of formulated diets for aged animals which are processed by extrusion to gelatinize the starches to improve digestibility and acceptance, even if the animal’s teeth are failing.
The major dental problems include the premature loss of incisor teeth as they wear away or the gum recedes and molar teeth which become decayed due to build up of caries or plaque as the animal eats softer feeds becauseit is unable to chew its food as efficiently.
Most elderly greyhounds are unable to gnaw on bones, which can be dangerous if large pieces are swallowed and compact in the large bowel to cause a blockage.
Therefore, once the abrasive action derived fromgnawing on bone is denied, the teeth are more likely to accumulate food residues with secondary bacterial colonization.
The nutritional contribution from bones can be replaced in the dry food formulation, but the mental and physical benefits of bone chewing cannot be totally replaced.
Some dry foods contain substances, such as sodium hexametaphosphate, which are incorporated into the dry food and have an action of reducing the build-up of plaque on the teeth. In this way they assist in keeping the bacterial loads in the mouth lower and reduce the development of gum infection (gingivitis) and receding gum margins which also contribute to loss of teeth.
Regular checks at regular 6 monthly intervals to remove the accumulation of plaque by ultrasound cleaning of the teeth, with removal of diseased or decayed teeth is important before the halitosis of decaying teeth almost anaesthetizes one patting the animal.
The animal may become ‘toxic’ and suffer digestive problems, including diaarrhoea, because of the high bacterial ‘load’ in its mouth.
Regular de-scaling is helpful to improve general well-being, as well as avoiding the yellow-orange staining of the white areas in the coat where the animal licks itself.
The plaque colouring stains the hair, often around the buttocks and chest front, and mouth odour levels increase due to the putrefying bacteria mixed with hair residues being trapped between the teeth and plaque build-up at the tooth-gum margins which ultimately cause decay along with food acids.
Most greyhounds, in contrast to smaller breeds of dog, will tolerate their teeth being cleaned once a week with a‘doggie’ tooth paste or swabbed with a mixture of 50% hydrogen peroxide in water to help oxygenate and control anaerobic bacteria which colonise plaque deposits and are responsible the ‘bad breath’ and general smell of aged greyhounds from licking themselves.
Eye sight
As a greyhound ages, although they are ‘sight hounds’ by nature, often the clarity of their eyesight starts to deteriorate due to cataract formation and lens opacity, or in some cases, due to corneal infections.
A significant number of greyhounds develop corneal scarring due to abrasive sand being flung up into their eyes when racing, or as a result of Superficial Stromal Keratitis or ‘pannus’ when racing.
This is an auto-immune related eye disease which develops between 1-2 years of age, which is thought to be inherited in some bloodlines of greyhounds.
The risk may be increased if a genetically susceptible greyhound isexposed to high levels of UV light in outside yards during the summer months.
The affected eyes develop a spreading network or ‘mesh-like growth’ of fine blood vessels across the cornea, which if not controlled at an early stage, can result in clouding of the cornea and corneal opacity, which in turn severely limits vision.
Unfortunately, unless the younger racing greyhound is treated promptly with cortisone drops to suppress the auto-immune attack on the cornea, the greyhound can lose night vision initially, making it unsound to race and thereby forcing its retirement.
The continued deterioration of the cornea leads to premature blindness and a restricted lifestyle in retirement. If you notice any cloudiness in one or both corneas, then have the animal checked by your vet.
Early intervention and targeted treatment can help prevent further corneal opacity and long term blindness.
Although not common, Progressive Retinal Atrophy is another inherited eye condition which results in loss of the retina’s ability to detect light to form images. In most cases in greyhounds which develop the disease are between 2-3 years of age.
They are forced to retire as night racing becomes difficult and dangerous. Affected greyhounds can then end up in adoption programs and carry the legacy of this progressive condition into retirement, with gradual loss of sight by middle age.
If you notice that a retired greyhound adopted as a pet has corneal opacity, scarring of one or both corneas or apparent ‘poor sight’, then it is important to have the animal’s eyes examined and a diagnosis given as to the long term risk of premature blindness.
Early treatment can help improve the chances that the animal can live a normal lifestyle into old age.
Other conditions, such as diabetes, which is becoming more common in retired greyhounds and pet dogs in general, can also contribute to cataracts and lens crystallisation.
Improved surgical techniques can now remove the diseased lens and replace it with a prosthetic lens to help give the animal a better lifestyle as it reaches old age.
Prostate Disease
It is not uncommon for a retired male greyhound to develop an enlarged prostate, with some estimates suggesting that up to 20% of elderly dogs developing a degree of prostate hypertrophy or enlargement.
Although it is not linked to a cancerous growth, as is increasingly common in aged men, prostate enlargement commonly develops in greyhounds which suffer from a chronic microbial infection of the prepuce, referred to as balanitis.
This is seen as a creamy ‘pus’ discharge oozing from the prepuce, especially in male greyhounds which habitually lick their prepuces.
The infection is likely to ascend up the urethra towards the bladder and can cause inflammation and enlargement of the prostate gland. This restricts the urethra tube and results in the classical signs of urinating in spurts and in severe cases, discomfort and reluctance to empty the bladder.
Again, early intervention by having your vet manually check the size of the prostate, as is carried out in men, will help to identify an enlarged gland and usually a course of antibiotics will arrest the infection and allow the inflammation to subside.
However, in a small percentage of elderly dogs, the prostate may develop a cancerous growth, Often,these are usually too advanced in size or secondary complications to operate or try chemo therapy options, which are expensive and have undesirable side-effects.
In Part 3 of this series, we will discuss other common problems as a greyhound ages, including the apparent increase in the incidence of diabetes mellitus or ‘sugar’ diabetes over the last 20 years.
As with all ageing animals, greyhounds are subject to the effects of ageing body parts and also a legacy of joint or other injury from the racetrack. There are a number of common age-related conditions which if carefully managed, can enable a greyhound to maintain an active lifestyle to 12 years or beyond.
Digestive problems are more likely in old age, including low grade diarrhoea, smelly body odour and secondary diabetes or Diabetes Type 2 in over-weight retired greyhounds.
Low Grade Diarrhoea
As animals age, they are unable to absorb calcium and protein as efficiently from their small intestine and this may lead to a relative deficiency of these important nutrients.
Low 16-20% protein diets based on cheaper dog foods may reduce protein availability and quality, resulting in a low protein-induced diarrhoea or protein losing enteropathy.
When combined with a worm burden, this invariably leads to chronic diarrhoea andloss of condition and muscle mass.
It is important to provide a good quality, higher protein dog food formulated for aged dogs to reduce the risk of low protein induced digestive upsets,as well as counteract the already reduced ability to absorb protein as the animal ages.
Many of these special ‘geriatric’ feeds also contain higher levels of calcium, vitamins and amino acids to ensure the aged greyhound is provided with an adequate intake to maintain its bones and body structures.
Combined with a low protein diet, many aged animals also lose the ability to absorb water from the hindgut or large intestine, which in turn results in the droppings becoming more fluid and bordering on diarrhoea.
An excessively high protein diet, above 30% crude protein, can also cause the same effect as more fluid is passed out bound to protein in the droppings.
If you notice that the animal’s droppings are becoming excessivelymoist or fluid is passed before or after a bowel motion or emptying out, then this may be due to reduced fluid re-absorption.
It may also be caused by early diabetes as the greyhound drinks an excessive amount of water to flood its bowels. This is discussed below.
Milk sugar or lactose is also likely to be poorly absorbed from the small intestine, passing into the large intestine to carry fluidwith it and increase the risk of watery motions.
Normally milk should be avoided in aged greyhounds for this reason, although it can contribute protein and calcium.
As animals age, they may also become more sensitive to certain foods, even eggs, raw beef, chicken or canned fish such as tuna etc.
Often this is due to the reduced ability to absorb protein, with the protein carrying more water in its structure through the hind gut and resulting in more fluid droppings.
Cooking these foods can assist in digesting the protein, but even feeding a large portion of the diet as canned dog food, which contains a high moisture content, can trigger low grade diarrhoea.
Therefore, in some cases, it is a trial and error approach to selecting a suitable dietary base, but in most cases, a well formulated dry food is the most likely to minimize bowel upset, complemented by small amount of cooked meat added to improve its acceptance.
Bacterial Diarrhoea
In their twilight years, often aged greyhounds developed a reduced immune defense as the immunity wanes or protein uptake is lowered.
They become more susceptible to digestive upset from bacterial contamination of their food, water and general living area as they lick themselves.
Many of the ‘normal’ gut bacteria which they have been able to cope with or suppress by their immunity in their younger years, can become the source of intestinal disturbance, and germs ,such a Samonella spp and E.coli can colonize the gut lining more easily, leading to digestive upset and diarrhoea.
Therefore it is important to ensure strict food hygiene, discarding any meat that is slightly ‘off’, which may not affect a younger healthy greyhound, but is likely to upset an aged animal with reduced gut immunity.
Always ensure water bowls are cleaned daily to reduce bacterial contamination.
Regular worm control is also important as intestinal immunity against worms is also likely to wane in old age.
Discuss the best worming program with your own vet.
Body Odour
It is well recognisedthat as mammalian bodies age, they develop a distinctive body odour. Often skin cell shedding is increased, fat in the skin is increased and higher levels of bacterial colonization of the skin is also more likely.
Often the animal loses its innate desire to clean itself and body odour, combined with low-grade diarrhoeais some cases, increases to a noticeable and sometimes offensive level.
Regular washing with a good quality shampoo, combined with brushing the coat to remove shedded skin cells, loose hair and scurf, as well as keeping bedding clean and dry is part of an increased hygiene effort to improve over all cleanliness and reduce body odour.
Diabetes
Although any aged greyhound is likely to develop ‘sugar’ diabetes (diabetes mellitus) due to falling pancreatic production of insulin hormone, severe disease can result in earlier onset of diabetes if a greyhound develops pancreatitis as it ages.
This is often related to the diet, with a high intake of fats, obesity and obstruction of the pancreatic ducts due to intestinal diseases or infection. In old age, the pancreas often deteriorates and reduces its production of insulinhormone.
Symptoms include weight loss despite an adequate diet, weakness, increased drinking and passing of weak diluted urine and even developing cataracts in the lens of the eyes.
Diagnosis by your vet with a urine test for sugar and a blood test is essential to confirm ‘sugar’ diabetes.
Medication with insulin hormone and feeding a low carbohydrate and fat diet, with a higher protein content, or a commercial specialised diabetic diet, can help improve the quality of life in an aged greyhound.
Diabetes due to Obesity
Over the last 20 years as dietary changes have lead to an increased risk of obesity, a form of Type Two diabetes, such as occurs in older overweight men, can develop as a metabolic disease associated with high levels of circulating insulin.
Aging, overweight greyhounds being fed on high carbohyd-rate, cereal grain based dry foods are especially prone to this metabolic form of Type Two Diabetes.
Symptoms include loss of energy, increased gut fat storage and fatty liver syndrome.
Glucose intolerance and insulin resistance can result, with affected aged male greyhounds, in particular, developingcardio-vascular disease and risk of heart failure.
These signs are similar to those suffered by over-weight older men with fatty liver and a bulging belly appearance resulting from a high carbohydrate, affluent diet, often made more severe by drinking high carbohydrate beer!
In greyhounds, a simple blood test to check blood glucose and insulin (insulin resistance) after 12 hours of fasting, helps to diagnose the condition.
Reducing carbohydrate intake to decrease blood insulin; supplementing with amino acids such as methionine and choline, along with B vitamins, vitamin C and manganese supplements to ‘burn’ fats and control fat build-up in the liver, as well as increased exercise, helps avoid the long term risk of heart disease and premature death in a retired greyhound.
