Greyhound Health References

Ex-racing greyhounds are generally healthy dogs - if they weren't, they would never have made it to the racetrack. However, there are some pitfalls to the racing life, such as injuries, and a greater chance of exposure to parasites like ticks, fleas and worms (anyone who has had their dogs become parasite-infested know how difficult it can be to keep these pests at bay). There are also certain diseases that tend to show up more often in greyhounds as a breed, and educating yourself on these conditions can help you make the best decisions possible for your pet.

• The Ohio State Greyhound Health and Wellness Program was started in 2006 by Dr. Guillermo Couto. He and his staff have dedicated themselves to education and research on the retired racing greyhound. The Program provides free consultation to greyhound owners and veterinarians who treat greyhounds. The website also hosts a wealth of information on greyhound health issues.
  
  
• Greythealth is a compendium of articles written by Dr. Suzanne Stack, who has a special interest in retired racing greyhounds and has provided invaluable advice to greyhound owners over the years.
  
  
• Arizona Adopt A Greyhound maintains a Health Issues Page
  
  
• The Greyhound Project's section on Medical Advice
  
  
• The National Greyhound Association sells Care of the Racing & Retired Greyhound, which goes in to great detail about common injuries and illnesses in greyhounds. It can be a valuable resource, especially with injuries.
  

Specific Diseases That Often Affect Greyhounds

Tick Disease
Exposure to tick diseases are unfortunately rather common, mostly due to the fact that they have lived in kennels, where it can be easy for ticks to flourish. Tick diseases can be very serious, and the symptoms can be vague, leading to misdiagnosis. In recent years, however, both veterinarians and greyhound owners have become much more aware of tick diseases, resulting in quicker diagnosis and more rapid treatment. Some adoption groups provide blood testing for exposure to tick diseases, known as a tick titer, and others strongly encourage it. When you adopt a greyhound, you will most likely be given some educational material on this subject, and you should familiarize yourself with the possible symptoms, particularly with those of ehrlichiosis, since it is the most deadly and can be the most difficult to identify by symptoms alone. Below are links to more articles about the "Big Four" tick diseases - ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Lyme disease.

• Canine Ehrlichiosis, by Vetcentric.com
• Babesiosis article at PetEducation.com
• PetPlace.com article about Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
• North Shore Veterinary Hospital's article about Lyme Disease and Ehrlichiosis
• Canine Lyme Disease, by Vetcentric.com
• Lyme Disease at PetEducation.com
• Vetcentric.com article about tick titers and tick illnesses

Osteoscarcoma and Hemangiosarcoma
While greyhounds can be susceptible to other types of cancer just like any other breed of dog, these two types of cancer seem to occur more frequently.

Osteosarcoma is a bone cancer, and will typically occur in the long bones of the leg, with the lower end of the front leg bone near the "ankle" being the most common site. Osteosarcoma occurs mainly in large dogs with long legs. It is a very aggressive and painful cancer and dogs are usually euthanized within a few months of diagnosis if they are not treated. Standard treatment involves amputation of the affected leg and chemotherapy. While it sounds awful, a greyhound can do well with just three legs, and my JC did just fine. Below are some articles about osteosarcoma in dogs:

• Mar Vista Veterinary Hospital's osteosarcoma article
• Flat-coated Retriever Society of America article on osteosarcoma
• Auburn University veterinary school's osteosarcoma article

Hemangiosarcoma is a tumor that originates in the blood vessels. It develops more often in dogs than in any other species. It is a difficult cancer to treat since it spreads readily and usually starts in the internal organs, so it is often well-advanced by the time it is diagnosed.

Sometimes, however, it shows up as skin tumors known as cutaneous hemangiosarcoma, which look somewhat like blood blisters. These are more common in breeds of dogs that have thin hair coats, with little or no hair on their bellies, leading to the belief that sun exposure may be a factor. Fortunately, this type seems to be much less aggressive in nature and surgical removal is can be quite effective if done promptly. Below are some links to this type of cancer:

• Flat-coated Retriever Society of America article on hemangiosarcoma
• Golden Retriever Rescue, Education and Training hemangiosarcoma article
• PetPlace.com hemangiosarcoma article

Pannus (chronic superficial keratitis)
Pannus is an auto-immune disease, meaning that it occurs when the body's immune system for some reason goes haywire and starts attacking healthy normal cells. Pannus is limited to the eye and is treatable with eye drops. Prompt attention is important, however, because it can lead to blindness if left untreated. It is also suggested that the dog's eyes be protected from the sun.

• Vetinfo's pannus information
• Photos of what pannus looks like, from the Animal Opthamology Clinic, PC
• Pannus article from Animal Eye Care, LLC
• Doggles - goggles for dogs to protect the eyes from the sun.

Laryngeal Paralysis
Laryngeal paralysis is a disease that shows up most often in older large breed dogs, and is the result of the laryngeal nerve no longer being able to efficiently conduct impulses to the muscles of the larynx. This causes the larynx to block the airway, making it hard for the dog to breathe.

Most of the time the cause for this is not known. Regardless of the cause, surgery to tie one flap of the larynx back out of the way is the standard treatment.

• Vet 4 Petz.com laryngeal paralysis article
• Canine Laryngeal Paralysis support web site. This site contains not only a lot of info about laryngeal paralysis, it has a button you can click to join an email list dedicated to support and information on LP.