By Dennis McKeon
Copyright, 2024. The original post can be found here.
It's that time of year again. The time of year when people and their greyhounds emerge from their winters of confinement, to bask and revel in the warmth of the smiling sun, and the joys of life renewed. The glorious days of spring inevitably lead to the torpid days of summer, where a simple walk on blacktop pavement can present a burn hazard to a greyhound's paw pads. However, this is only one of the things of which we need to be aware, in safely caring for our greyhounds (and any other dogs) during these days of warmth, humidity and outdoor activity.
Greyhounds, like any other dog, (and unlike us) are not able to regulate their body temperature by perspiring. While they do have some sweat glands in their paw pads, the main way they try to regulate their body temperature is through panting, and thus, evaporation. When a greyhound can no longer cope with envionmentally or activity/exercise-induced, excess heat, they can develop hyperthermia---or what is commonly referred to as heat exhaustion or in more extreme cases, heat stroke.
To reminisce for a moment, invariably, when breeders would send their pups to a racing kennel to begin their careers, the breeder would tell the trainer to:
"Put them right on for schooling, they're dead fit and ready to go."
And while that may have been the case before they were hauled halfway across country in a dog truck/trailer, it was never the case upon their arrival at the racing kennel. Depending upon the duration of the journey, and upon the individual greyhound's ability to cope with road stress and road fatigue, young greyhounds might lose as much as five pounds (or more) of body weight, and suffer a complete loss of the muscle tone, racing form and the sharpness that had suggested to the breeder (or to the finisher) as he monitored their progress in training, that these pups were ready for showtime. So, in keeping with the God of All Greyhound's very First Commandment, that being:
"Thou Shalt Not Hurryeth Me Up, Lest I Maketh Thou Wait"...
...the prudent, painstaking and patient trainer was normally looking at a minimum of two weeks, usually more like three weeks, before those pups would have regained weight, hydration and form, and were then ready to safely school from the 5/16ths starting box, in a real race simulation.
Needless to say, extreme weather, either in the summer or winter, could often prolong preparations for the fledgling, performing greyhound.
Now the good ol' summertime presents the retired greyhound pet owner, who keeps his/her greyhounds reasonably active and fit, with a number of possible scenarios that may require special assessment, preparation and precaution. Foremost among these, is making sure the greyhound is prepared to cope with moderate/heavy doses of heat stress, when exercising or even vigorously playing, in the heat and humidity.
Critical to every greyhound's well being and fitness, is maintaining adequate hydration within the greyhound's physical organism. Making sure the greyhound has 24/7 access to fresh, unadulterated drinking water, supplementing their diet with electrolytes, adding liquids like bone broth, chicken or beef stock to their feed, and making certain they are not noticeably over or underweight, are of special importance at all times, but even more so in the steamy, sticky, hot days of summer.
What we used to refer to as "hide pulling" is the easiest way to assess whether or not your greyhound is properly hydrated. This only involves gently grasping a fistful of the greyhound's hide, at the widest part of his/her back, as you look down upon them. That area should be just above the waist tuck. Now, you gently stretch that fistful of hide, up and away from the dog's back, until it will no longer stretch. At that point, simply open your hand and release the hide. If it snaps right back into form, your greyhound is adequately hydrated. If it slowly sags back into place, if it just wrinkles and does not return to form at all, or of it is difficult to even grasp a fistful of hide, you have corrective action to take, and remedies to administer.
Very often, underweight greyhounds are not optimally hydrated. So if your greyhound fails the hide pulling test, it is quite possible that he/she is underweight. When a greyhound is extremely drawn up at the waist, so that in profile the dog looks more like a wasp than a greyhound, or when skeletal rather than muscular definition is the greyhound's dominant, physical feature, you have an underweight greyhound. There is a common misconception, most often among inexperienced greyhound trainers, that lighter means faster. In the case of a greyhound who is coping with the activity induced stresses of training and racing every fourth day or so, a little added weight can be their best friend. Likewise, for a retiree, who is active and exercised regularly, or who actually trains for and competes in racing, lure coursing, or any other canine sports.
For the greyhound who is as smooth as a porpoise, and bulging at the core seams, some weight reduction is needed, along with light exercise at first. Brisk walks, working up to as far as two miles, while reducing food intake and monitoring hydration are the way to develop a deep fitness base.
In any event, the reason for all this caution, is to prepare the greyhound for coping with heat-induced stresses, and to prevent heat-induced maladies from occuring, as a result of activity and exercise in the heat.
Everyone should familiarize themselves with the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke in canines, and first aid for it, regardless of what breed they own, but particularly if it happens to be a greyhound. A simple Duck Duck Go (or Google) search for "heat exhaustion and heat stroke in canines" will bring up any number of helpful articles on the subject, and the state of the science first aid to be administered.
Rule of thumb for me, was to only exercise the greyhound to the stages of what I would infer was "pleasant fatigue". Any of us who have trained for or played sports, under the demands of demented and sadistic coaches, know the difference between excruciating and pleasant fatigue. Likewise for those of us who frequent the gym, and work out as a matter of lifestyle.
So, in most cases, inducing a state of pleasant fatigue in one's greyhound(s), usually involves no more than a minute (or less) of vigorous and spritied activity in summertime heat and humidity. As common sense would suggest, this is best done early in the cooler morning, or later in the cool of the evening.
When training and performing prior to retirement, keep in mind that greyhounds only exert themselves to the max, for 30-40 second episodes, unless they are only being walked a distance.
Swimming can be a very effective aid at achieving pleasant fatigue, but again, keep in mind that greyhounds lack the buoyancy of other breeds who store body fat more easily, so it is hard work for a greyhound who is just beginning. A minute of swimming is more than enough for an aspiring, greyhound aqua dog.
When galloping is the order of the day, away from home, it is a good idea to bring along enough water to cool the greyhound off by application, and ingestion---in the former case, don't be afraid to soak the dog with cool (not ice cold) water, topside and underside. In latter instance, small, multiple drinks are preferable to allowing the dog to "tank up" all at once.
In their good article on the subject, the American Kennel Club lists the symptoms of heat induced injury, and what might be done immediately and afterwards:
- Heavy, frantic panting
- Dehydration
- Body temperature over 41° Celsius (105.8° Fahrenheit) and your dog feels warm to the touch
- Excessive drooling
- Bright red gums
- Rapid or irregular heart rate
- Vomiting
- Seizures
- Muscle tremors
- Lack of coordination (ataxia)
- Unconsciousness
"If you suspect that your dog is suffering from heatstroke or heat stress, remove them from the heat and call your veterinarian immediately. You will need to take them to an animal hospital, but in the meantime, you can run cool water on them from a hose or in the bathtub or put a soaked towel on their body. Always keep their head elevated and out of the water. Also, you can give your dog some cool water to drink."
To sum it all up, with greyhounds, it is always best to err on the side of caution--and that is especially so in the heat and humidity of summer, and with greyhounds who are just getting back into shape after a winter of disenfranchisement, if not discontentment.
Pleasant fatigue -- good for us, good for them.