Diet
A Greyhound's diet consists of four to six cups of premium dog food per day. We recommend brands such as Purina Pro Plan, Iams, Nutro Max or any high quality dry food. Avoid "supermarket" brands such as Gravy Train, Butcher's Blend, or the semi-moist foods such as Gaines Burger, etc., as they tend to be too rich and can cause gas or diarrhea. Retired racers do not need high protein dog food so get a food for regular adult maintenance. Boiled white rice or cooked pasta added to the food can help control loose stools.
Veterinary Care
Your dog will have been given the appropriate inoculations but booster shots need to be repeated yearly. Your dog's teeth will also need cleaning by a vet as the soft diet at the track causes tartar buildup. In time, this can lead to gum disease, tooth loss or a systemic infection. Your Greyhound will have had his or her teeth cleaned at the time it was spayed or neutered, but depending on the dog, this may need to be redone periodically.
Your Greyhound has tested negative for heartworm. Year round heartworm prevention is a must in Florida. You should, however, take a fecal sample to your vet so he can check for parasites. Droncit tablets are best for tapeworms and Panacur powder is best for hookworms, whipworms, or roundworms. Never use the dewormer called Task as Greyhounds react adversely to it.
Greyhounds are extremely sensitive to anesthesia and require only a fraction of the amount used on other dogs. We strongly recommend that you find a vetrinarian who uses Isoflurane Gas as an anesthesia. Also, make sure you give your vet our literature called "Research in Greyhound Anesthesia." If you choose to use our veterinarian for the spay/neuter, you will not have to worry about these risks, since our veterinarian treats hundreds of Greyhounds in his practice.
Greyhounds are also sensitive to many flea preparations. They cannot tolerate flea collars. Flea sprays or shampoos should be made of natural ingredients such as pyrethrins and should be safe for use on puppies or kittens. Flea preventatives such as Frontline, Top Spot, Program and Advantage are all available from your veterinarian and are convenient and safe for use on your Greyhound. Adverse reactions to certain chemicals can cause convulsions, permanent liver damage or even death!
Greyhounds are strictly indoor dogs. If left outside in winter or summer they may die from exposure. Greyhounds also need to wear coats if they are outside for more than a few minutes and the temperature is below 32 degrees. Indoors means inside the house, not in the garage or on the lanai.
Discipline
Greyhounds are extremely sensitive animals that cannot be disciplined roughly. A stern tone of voice is all that is needed to get a Greyhound to understand what you expect of him. The wrong disciplinary tactics will only teach your dog to be afraid of you.
Copyright© 2000 Racing Dog Rescue Project Inc. All photos used with permission of The Greyhound Project Inc. Milton MA Site design and maintained bySteven Gerety and Michael Marino for Geretygraphics.com at Keiser College.