Article: Greyhounds Make For “Interesting” Patients!
There are many differences between Greyhounds and other breeds when it comes to their physiology and biology. We will look at a few of the most popular. One difference is that they have higher quantities of red blood cells. As athletes, they need these to carry higher oxygen loads to their working muscles. Though the normal canine range for a PCV is 37 to 55, Greyhounds typically have levels between 41 and 64. A PCV of 38 is normal for any other dog, whereas a Greyhound with this result is anemic. I have seen greyhounds misdiagnosed that actually were anemic. It is important for us to know the numbers.
Greyhounds have normal low thyroid hormone (T4) levels. Greyhound: 0.5 - 3.6 (mean 1.47 +/- 0.63) other dogs: 1.52 - 3.60. They also frequently have clinical signs such as cold intolerance, inactivity, and hair thinning that can be wrongly confused with hypothyroidism. For this reason, hypothyroidism is often misdiagnosed in Greyhounds. A full thyroid panel, not just the T4 and TSH value coupled with clinical signs, is required to determine if a Greyhound has this disease. You can send a blood sample to Dr. Dodds. She will personally analyze it along with taking in to account the breed, age and symptoms. It is actually less expensive than sending to other sources in Canada and she is a specialist in his area. See http://www.hemopet.org/
Greyhounds have so much muscle mass and this causes them to produce a lot of Creatinine - the breakdown product of protein. Normal canine levels peak at 1 milligram per deciliter whereas healthy Greyhounds have values up to 1.6. Because Creatinine levels also rise with kidney disease, not knowing this breed's reference range can lead to a misdiagnosis of kidney failure. Be sure to know these numbers Greyhound: 0.8 - 1.6 other dogs: 0.0 - 1.0. I have seen greyhounds have routine blood work done before a dental for example, and were refused the dental due to "kidney failure" when all the time they were completely normal.
A Greyhound's heart is also unique . It is larger on radiographs than the heart of a dog of similar body stature. Some Greyhounds also have a murmur, which is caused by the huge amount of blood pumped and not by heart anomaly. They are powerful runners and larger heart accommodates the greyhound's unique nature.
Greyhounds also have some unusual skin disorders. one of these is know as ventral comedo syndrome. It affects many Greyhounds on their chests, where their skin makes contact with the ground. The turn out pens at the tracks are sand/dirt. Trauma to the hair shafts blocks hair follicles, causing the formation of a comedo (blackhead). There is no specific treatment for this condition, though shampooing with benzoyl peroxide products may help. Cleaning the area with an acne wash and face cloth once a day may also help. I had very good results with this for my own greyhound.
Bald thighs syndrome is a non-itchy, non-inflammatory alopecic (hair loss) condition that afflicts the backsides of the hind legs of Greyhounds. There is no proven cause and no specific treatment. It could possibly be due to kennel rub. The hair follicle is damaged from lying in a crate so many hours a day. It very often resolves within a few months of retirement from racing. It sometimes responds to thyroid hormone supplementation. If the thighs are both very bald with no new hair coming in and they are a purplish/red colour, it would be prudent to have the thyroid levels checked.
Greyhounds can have difficulty under anesthetics. Their lower levels of body fat and the way the liver metabolises can be the cause for this. Greyhounds are very sensitive to acepromazine's effects and need about 50% less than other breeds. Thiobarbiturate should never be used on a greyhound. Thankfully, there are a number of anesthetics available today that are much safer for this breed - isoflurane is the best example. Older inhalants like metofane and halothane should be avoided. Some safe inductions agents would include: Telazol (dose at 75-80% normal amount) Ketamine/Valium and Propofol. Another unique condition in greyhounds, although quite rare, is called malignant hyperthermia. In this genetic condition, their body temperature would rise dangerously high very quickly. A drug called Dantrolene is best to treat the emergency and the greyhound should be monitored very carefully whenever under aesthetic again.
Platelets are very low for Greyhounds: 80,000 - 200,000 Other dog: 150,000 - 400,000 and this can be mistaken for a problem. A lot of vets are not aware of this, so please again, know your numbers. Platelets are cells which are used by the body to help form blood clots and repair injuries to blood vessels. For this reason, Greyhounds tend to bleed longer, and bruise easy.
Corns are a condition that is very common greyhounds but not in other breeds. If your vet is not used to working with greyhounds, they may not know this. It usually starts with a limp and this condition is quite painful. Eventually you will see the start of the corn protrude through the pad of one of the toes. At this time there is no known cure. Surgical removal often has the corn growing back, and in my experience, its was twice as big. There are different treatment plans and I will not get into those for the purpose of this article. You can start with the reference below "Grassmere Hospital". I also have some other resources if you contact me.
Cauda equina or lumbosacral stenosis is another Greyhound aliment. It can effect other large breeds but mostly shows up in our ageing greyhounds, although it can happen to younger dogs as well. With vets who are not familiar with greyhounds, they may think it to be problems with the hips. It effects the spinal discs in the their back, close to the tail region. I had three greyhounds with this condition and it is devastating. It can present a little different with each dog. It starts with a weakness in the back-end. See "Grassmere Hospital" for this one as well. You will find most useful x ray pictures and a lot of useful information including a complete list of symptoms. If you think your dog may have this, I can share the symptoms my dogs presented with and the treatment options we did.
Pannus is another condition that greyhounds can get. I have one greyhound with this condition. It is an autoimmune disease that effect the corneas. It must be treated for life with cortisone drops. It usually effects both eyes and if not treated it can lead to blindness. It is important to seek medical treatment from your vet as soon as you see any changes to the eyes.
Greyhounds may have unusual bruising or bleeding after a surgical procedure, even though all the pre-op blood work was normal. The Greyhound Program at OSU can give your veterinarian details about use of aminocaproic acid (generic of Amicar) to prevent it. They recently posted:
"We have a new phone number. It's 614-407-GREY (4739). Call us to make appointments with our clinic at Ohio State. Share the # with your veterinarian - we welcome their burning Greyhound questions!"
As greyhounds become more popular as pets, (18,000 annually) we are learning more about this very unique breed. Greyhounds are special and unique in so many ways. Be sure your vet is up to date on the latest Greyhound Health News.
References:
An article by Dr. Jeff Grogner, DVM, from the American Kennel Club Gazette.
What's in those Blood Tests? by Suzanne Stack, D.V.M. http://www.recycledracers.org/FAQ/greyhound-blood-values.html
Grassmere Hospital http://www.grassmere-animal-hospital.com/greyhounds.htm
Greyhounds have normal low thyroid hormone (T4) levels. Greyhound: 0.5 - 3.6 (mean 1.47 +/- 0.63) other dogs: 1.52 - 3.60. They also frequently have clinical signs such as cold intolerance, inactivity, and hair thinning that can be wrongly confused with hypothyroidism. For this reason, hypothyroidism is often misdiagnosed in Greyhounds. A full thyroid panel, not just the T4 and TSH value coupled with clinical signs, is required to determine if a Greyhound has this disease. You can send a blood sample to Dr. Dodds. She will personally analyze it along with taking in to account the breed, age and symptoms. It is actually less expensive than sending to other sources in Canada and she is a specialist in his area. See http://www.hemopet.org/
Greyhounds have so much muscle mass and this causes them to produce a lot of Creatinine - the breakdown product of protein. Normal canine levels peak at 1 milligram per deciliter whereas healthy Greyhounds have values up to 1.6. Because Creatinine levels also rise with kidney disease, not knowing this breed's reference range can lead to a misdiagnosis of kidney failure. Be sure to know these numbers Greyhound: 0.8 - 1.6 other dogs: 0.0 - 1.0. I have seen greyhounds have routine blood work done before a dental for example, and were refused the dental due to "kidney failure" when all the time they were completely normal.
A Greyhound's heart is also unique . It is larger on radiographs than the heart of a dog of similar body stature. Some Greyhounds also have a murmur, which is caused by the huge amount of blood pumped and not by heart anomaly. They are powerful runners and larger heart accommodates the greyhound's unique nature.
Greyhounds also have some unusual skin disorders. one of these is know as ventral comedo syndrome. It affects many Greyhounds on their chests, where their skin makes contact with the ground. The turn out pens at the tracks are sand/dirt. Trauma to the hair shafts blocks hair follicles, causing the formation of a comedo (blackhead). There is no specific treatment for this condition, though shampooing with benzoyl peroxide products may help. Cleaning the area with an acne wash and face cloth once a day may also help. I had very good results with this for my own greyhound.
Bald thighs syndrome is a non-itchy, non-inflammatory alopecic (hair loss) condition that afflicts the backsides of the hind legs of Greyhounds. There is no proven cause and no specific treatment. It could possibly be due to kennel rub. The hair follicle is damaged from lying in a crate so many hours a day. It very often resolves within a few months of retirement from racing. It sometimes responds to thyroid hormone supplementation. If the thighs are both very bald with no new hair coming in and they are a purplish/red colour, it would be prudent to have the thyroid levels checked.
Greyhounds can have difficulty under anesthetics. Their lower levels of body fat and the way the liver metabolises can be the cause for this. Greyhounds are very sensitive to acepromazine's effects and need about 50% less than other breeds. Thiobarbiturate should never be used on a greyhound. Thankfully, there are a number of anesthetics available today that are much safer for this breed - isoflurane is the best example. Older inhalants like metofane and halothane should be avoided. Some safe inductions agents would include: Telazol (dose at 75-80% normal amount) Ketamine/Valium and Propofol. Another unique condition in greyhounds, although quite rare, is called malignant hyperthermia. In this genetic condition, their body temperature would rise dangerously high very quickly. A drug called Dantrolene is best to treat the emergency and the greyhound should be monitored very carefully whenever under aesthetic again.
Platelets are very low for Greyhounds: 80,000 - 200,000 Other dog: 150,000 - 400,000 and this can be mistaken for a problem. A lot of vets are not aware of this, so please again, know your numbers. Platelets are cells which are used by the body to help form blood clots and repair injuries to blood vessels. For this reason, Greyhounds tend to bleed longer, and bruise easy.
Corns are a condition that is very common greyhounds but not in other breeds. If your vet is not used to working with greyhounds, they may not know this. It usually starts with a limp and this condition is quite painful. Eventually you will see the start of the corn protrude through the pad of one of the toes. At this time there is no known cure. Surgical removal often has the corn growing back, and in my experience, its was twice as big. There are different treatment plans and I will not get into those for the purpose of this article. You can start with the reference below "Grassmere Hospital". I also have some other resources if you contact me.
Cauda equina or lumbosacral stenosis is another Greyhound aliment. It can effect other large breeds but mostly shows up in our ageing greyhounds, although it can happen to younger dogs as well. With vets who are not familiar with greyhounds, they may think it to be problems with the hips. It effects the spinal discs in the their back, close to the tail region. I had three greyhounds with this condition and it is devastating. It can present a little different with each dog. It starts with a weakness in the back-end. See "Grassmere Hospital" for this one as well. You will find most useful x ray pictures and a lot of useful information including a complete list of symptoms. If you think your dog may have this, I can share the symptoms my dogs presented with and the treatment options we did.
Pannus is another condition that greyhounds can get. I have one greyhound with this condition. It is an autoimmune disease that effect the corneas. It must be treated for life with cortisone drops. It usually effects both eyes and if not treated it can lead to blindness. It is important to seek medical treatment from your vet as soon as you see any changes to the eyes.
Greyhounds may have unusual bruising or bleeding after a surgical procedure, even though all the pre-op blood work was normal. The Greyhound Program at OSU can give your veterinarian details about use of aminocaproic acid (generic of Amicar) to prevent it. They recently posted:
"We have a new phone number. It's 614-407-GREY (4739). Call us to make appointments with our clinic at Ohio State. Share the # with your veterinarian - we welcome their burning Greyhound questions!"
As greyhounds become more popular as pets, (18,000 annually) we are learning more about this very unique breed. Greyhounds are special and unique in so many ways. Be sure your vet is up to date on the latest Greyhound Health News.
References:
An article by Dr. Jeff Grogner, DVM, from the American Kennel Club Gazette.
What's in those Blood Tests? by Suzanne Stack, D.V.M. http://www.recycledracers.org/FAQ/greyhound-blood-values.html
Grassmere Hospital http://www.grassmere-animal-hospital.com/greyhounds.htm
