Do ex racers live as long as non racing greyhounds? Can they get any leg problems from being a racer? I'm only asking as my mothers friend has a ex racer called Jules and he's 6 now but seems to be going on a downwards spiral health wise, he's got leg problems and all sorts, The vets have said it could be to do with the fact he exerted himself when he was racing and now he's obviously not, is this rubbish or do ex racers have a lot more problems then non racing greyhounds?x
They usually do live long lives yes. I do think some look "frail" from about 8yrs or so but probably more to do with the individual dog than the breed.
Lady by us has 6 ex racers and 2 non racers....the one non racer is now 9 but she does look very very old, walks slower than the others, seems ailing so to speak, but one of the ex racers is just a bit older (by months) and looks in good shape. So I am not sure if the vet was surmising....as some do:?
In my experience it very much depends on how many races they have had, how many injuries they had and if the injuries were treated and they way they were kept by the trainers. My old girl as some know has recently gone to the bridge we got her when she was six pretty much straight off the track, she was old in comparison to some even then. She was nine when she left us, she had quite a few scars and was extremely nervy and wary of pretty much everyone. She had over 80 races, quite a lot in comparison to most. My other nutlet is around 3ish (tats been scrubbed so cant be sure) we think she had about one race, broke her toe which was not treated and dumped yet she is still a whirling dervish and puppy like.
I remember reading that if they've had steroids used on them while racing they die younger, but I don't know if it was referring to the UK or if that is a problem here. It's not uncommon for them to develop an unexplained limp as they get older due to an old racing injury.
Or limping can be due to corns in the pads as well, Kym had one and had it removed by the vet and it grew back again unfortunately so i will have to maybe get it removed again. Apparently its common that they grow back. I know in some extreme circumstances that dogs have their digits removed with the offending corn.
Corns nearly always grow back unless you sort out the problem that is causing the corn, it could be a wonky toe or what have you depending upon where the corn is, it is pressure that causes the corn, your vet should be able to cut it back to relieve the pressure.
I have a 4 year old ex-racer and she looks about 12! Her muscles are shaky and she has an injury to her front leg which was left untreated. We're now feeding her good food and giving her glucosamine and chondroitin tablets and already we can see a difference. She's bounding around and is much more steady on her feet! It may be worth checking the teeth. Holly's teeth were awful and had 2 removed and she can eat better now. Hope this helps xx
I think the question is too general and it's all down to the individual dog and their experiences on and off the track. We have two four-year old ex-racers in excellent condition - neither sustained any injuries and both did well on the track (we have met both their trainers and discussed their health and careers with them). We also have a friend with a 16-year-old ex-racer.
