|
|
Post by Graeme on Aug 6, 2013 23:55:28 GMT 10
Hi Tom and thanks for the great site. My bitch is very slow early. She's a touch slow from the boxes and over 480m is 10 lengths off the pace by half way and then powers home and while her run home times are outstanding it's not nearly enough to make up for the slow early sections.
She's 2 and a half and when in training 12 months ago she was ok early. I realise dogs get stronger and many get a bit slower early as they get older but 10 lengths slower doesn't seem right to me.
I've had her checked a few times by a muscleman and a couple of times by vets and they found no current injuries, although she has fractured both fibulas in the past at different times. I'm told they've healed fine. Do you think that might not be the case and she either feels pain there or allows for pain that may or may not be there? It takes quite a bit to get a pain response from either leg.
Any other ideas?
|
|
|
|
Post by Tom Meulman on Aug 7, 2013 8:15:50 GMT 10
Hi Graeme,
It’s impossible to provide any real guide as to what may be causing your girl to lose early speed without being able to thoroughly examine her.
Yes with age greyhounds can sometimes lose a bit of early speed, but 99% of the time this has nothing to do with the actual age of the greyhound but generally involves old injuries that are still causing pain, or scar tissue that is tight and loosens a bit during the run, or even undiagnosed injuries that continue to cause low level pain such as a split groin that has never healed.
The only other thing that does cause greyhounds to lose early pace which has nothing to do with old or current injuries to the body, but has more to do with the way getting knocked about early in a racing career can affect the manner in which the greyhound races during the latter part of their racing career.
Such as getting severely checked getting out of the boxes half a dozen times can make a greyhound appear to be a slow beginner out of the starting boxes, or getting bumped off the track on the first turn can make a greyhound hesitant to get there in the pack or even to cross the field on the first turn.
There are so many things both physical and mental that affect the manner and endeavour in which a greyhound races that in most instances it is only the trainer who by carefully examining exactly what has happened to the greyhound over a space of 12 months and when and how the racing manner changed that can shed light on the whole question.
Cheers,
Tom
|
|
|
|
Post by Graeme on Aug 7, 2013 16:28:57 GMT 10
Thanks Tom. It's heartening for me to know that it might be an undiagnosed injury and not just because she's getting older because it means she may have a racing career if we can get to the bottom of it. She broke in extremely well so I thought she'd be pretty quick over a short distance but that hasn't been the case.
She's only had 4 races, one she led all the way and the others she wasn't knocked around (that I could see) so it's more likely physical, although I can't rule out a mental problem.
The problem is finding someone who's thorough and knowledgeable enough to sort it out. I know you've been trying to get out of it but do you still check dogs? You've checked them for us in the past.
|
|
|
|
Post by Tom Meulman on Aug 8, 2013 14:38:10 GMT 10
Hi Graeme,
Sorry mate but my health issues currently stop me from working, and that includes checking greyhounds for injuries.
There again I do hope that I will come good sooner or later. :-)
Cheers,
Tom
|
|
|
|
Post by Graeme on Aug 8, 2013 19:21:08 GMT 10
So do we all hope you come good Tom.
|
|
