Feeding the racing greyhound by the late Alex Hauler
May 16, 2016 6:13:52 GMT 10
Post by Tom Meulman on May 16, 2016 6:13:52 GMT 10
FEEDING THE RACING GREYHOUND
The feeding regimes that are applied to the racing greyhound have a major influence on their health and their athletic performance and robustness. Ideally the greyhound should be presented with a naturally well-pigmented and glossy coat and a well muscled and toned body with particular emphasis on the muscling of the back. Both historically and scientifically there exist enormous variations of dietary recommendations and in reality there are some major paradoxes between dietary science and the composition of proven greyhound performance diets. For my part I have proceeded along the pathway of “what works” and time will resolve the science of what we do and why it works so well.
Here in Australia our major dietary advantage is the availability of affordable quality fresh meat. To be able to optimise the diet of the racing greyhound a high protein fresh meat source is the principle staring point. The ideal high protein cuts of beef are tongue or cheek and the quality must be HUMAN CONSUMPTION GRADE.
The ideal dry food source needs to be manufactured using quality ingredients and that translates to, no BY-PRODUCTS. It is essential that the dry food be WHEAT FREE. The dry food protein content should be at least 30% and the fat content at least 20%. At least two meat or poultry meals should be in the first four listed ingredients. There should be at least three different animal proteins in the food and this excludes the egg content. There should be no content of soy, peanut hulls, cellulose or sugars of any type. Probiotics should be present as well as vitamins A, E and D and B-group and a soluble fibre source such as beet pulp.
The meat and dry food components are the most critical ingredients of the racing greyhound diet. It is to be noted that extreme emphasis has been given to quality. The quotation “what goes round comes round” applies absolutely to greyhound dietary ingredients. It is difficult to conceive how trainers could believe that they could achieve performance optimisation and consistency where the dietary meat source is downer beef. This beef is sourced from cattle that have succumbed from calving mishaps, milk fever, grass tetany, infectious diseases and fractured limbs. A goodly proportion of this meat is bacteremic or toxic (despite its treatment with formalin) and this will severely and dramatically affect the health status of the racing greyhound. All of my consistently winning greyhound patients are fed meat of a quality equivalent to human consumption meat.
The similar discussion can be mounted in relation to the quality of the dry food that is incorporated into the diet. As I outlined above, the criteria for a truly quality dry food is exacting. Whilst some dry foods might approach the necessary quality of formulation the Eagle Power pack is the only dry food that conforms to my definition of ideal for the racing greyhound. The concept of dry food only diets is worthy of notation. Regardless of the quality of the dry food, in my experience it is not possible to present a performance optimised greyhound unless the diet is meat based.
WHEN THE ABOVE FEEDING RECOMMENDATIONS ARE APPLIED THE GREYHOUNDS WILL PRESENT WITH GLOSSY COATS, MAGNIFICIENTLY MUSCLED BODIES, EXHIBIT PRIME HEALTH AND CAN SUSTAIN THE STRESSES OF RACING.
The traditional and historic greyhound diet was home formulated and conformed to the following type:
BREAKFAST:
One cup of milk
One or two slices of toast with vegemite and margarine
Vitamin E and vitamin C
TEA:
1 ¼ to 1 ¾ lb beef
6 to 8 oz dry food (water soaked)
4 oz vegetable mix (cooked or vitamised pumpkin, carrot, celery, silver beet or spinach leaf (no stalk)
1 oz vitamised fresh beef liver
Vitamin mix
½ teaspoon potassium chloride powder or slow K tablet
1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
Iron supplement
NOTE: 1Kg = 2.2 lb and 16 oz =1 lb.
Following a race this diet was presented as a moist stew. In addition many trainers also supplemented various kidney mixtures and often on a daily basis. These kidney additives are various diuretic or bicarbonate formulations. Electrolyte mixes were also frequently added to the diet.
Once a week the greyhounds are provided a thighbone shaft and knuckle to chew to provide for teeth cleaning and gum health.
This diet is an acceptable diet where the following alterations are applied. The diet must be converted to wheat free and as such the morning toast requires to be replaced by rice cake. The dry food in the evening meal must be of a wheat free variety. Where the trainer cannot afford to feed the premium dry foods such as Eagle Power then the use of dry food such as the Greens Special Care Chicken and Rice is an acceptable alternative. Be very conscious of the fact that a considerable number of greyhounds become wheat sensitive and that when they do they are incapable of exhibiting their race performance potential. Also recognise that the wheat sensitive greyhound is not born wheat sensitive but rather it becomes sensitised most commonly after a gastroenteric infection where the wheat allergens come into contact with the vascular components of the gut.
I would suggest the complete removal of oral iron supplementation and its replacement with a once monthly intramuscular injection of ½ml (= 50mg) of Rubrafer iron (Intervet Aust.) and 1ml Vitamin B12.
The use of kidney flushes or additives and the use of electrolyte mixtures are of great concern.
It is this area of greyhound diet formulation where the worst of the past ignorance lives on and the greatest dietary harm can be done. When the greyhound exhibits signs of dehydration or of excessive drinking (polydipsia) or urination (polyuria) the answer to the problem is never found to be a primary electrolyte deficiency.
It may be the result of a potassium deficiency created by the supplementation of alkalising electrolyte agents where the supplemented bicarbonate or lactate has induced a potassium diuresis and hence created a potassium deficiency.
It may be the result of a training regime where the greyhound is over-worked and has insufficient recovery rest time.
It is often found to be the result of poor kennelling environment such a cold, immediate neighbour incompatibility and kennel hyperactivity.
It can be the expression of an injury state such as injury of the left vastus or it can be the expression of infection states.
Be very conscious of the fact that the majority of electrolyte supplementation is based on erroneous logic or diagnosis.
On the one hand the trainer is led to believe that the provision of acid neutralising bases such as bicarbonate or lactate will, by reducing the acid levels in the greyhound aid and assist the performance and stamina of the dog. On the other hand the trainer is conditioned to the application of electrolytes to the greyhound when the dog is observed to exhibit signs of dehydration. In the first instance, the concept of improving the buffering system of the greyhound by the supplementation of acid neutralising bases is blatantly physiologically incorrect and is detrimental.
In the second instance, trainers need improved guidance to assist their ability to differentiate the underlying factors that are seen to result in dehydration.
The provision of potassium in the diet is the only electrolyte supplement that is routinely required.
Equally important, the avoidance of any agents that promote the renal diuresis of potassium cannot be emphasised strongly enough.
The final consideration that must be applied to this diet is its fat content. The greyhound sources its energy from fat. The TOTAL fat content of its diet should approximate 10%. Where the meat is lean and the fat content of the dry food is low the addition of fat to the diet is essential. The addition of fat is achieved by the use of a quality fat such as pork fat (lard) and the amount to be added is arrived at by an arithmetic guest mate. Lean meat will contain less than 5% fat. The dry food has a label-listed fat content and for the sake of the discussion let this content be 5%. Given a total meat and dry food mass in the diet of 30 oz and a dry food and meat fat content of 5% then an additional 5% of fat must be provided (5% of 30 oz which is 1.5 oz). In general terms where the dietary meat is lean, most trainers will add 1 to 2 tablespoons of lard and this is often guided by the time of the year. That is to say in the warmer months the fat is added more sparingly while in the colder months that fat is added more liberally. Be very conscious of the fact that the greyhound sources its energy from fat. The use of sugars in the diet of the greyhound is contraindicated and harmful.
This now modified traditional diet is a very suitable greyhound racing diet and will provide for the dietary needs of the racing greyhound.
It is of interest to note that my most successful greyhound patients are fed a diet that consists of human consumption grade beef cheek or tongue, wheat free premium grade dry food and potassium chloride supplement only. They are not supplemented with vitamins and no vegetables are added to the diet. The who’s who list of these greyhounds includes the most notable of the Australian racing and stud greyhounds.
The only additional food supplement that is added to the diet of my most successful greyhounds is Transfer Factor. This is an extremely effective stimulant of the immune system and has been found to be able to overcome the immunosuppressive effect of consistent hard racing. Here the greyhounds are initially supplemented with one capsule twice daily for two weeks and then given a pre-race and post-race supplementation of one capsule daily for the two days before and after the race.
These dietary recommendations are based on the philosophy of “what works”. It flies in the face of the canine nutritionists and presents quite a paradox to the science of canine feeding. It must be born in mind however that the greyhound occupies a truly special place in the canine world of today in that it is the only domesticated canine that is subjected to a selection process that could still be defined as natural selection. It would seem that the wild dog and the greyhound are capable of ingesting what is essentially a native diet that is predominantly meat and yet maintain calcium homeostasis--- adds to the suspicion that there are very few domesticated “true” dogs left on the planet. How fortunate it is that the role the greyhound has been given in society has led to its selection criteria and in this way maintained its “real dog” metabolism and functionality.
.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
The late Alex Hauler was one of Australia's most innovative and knowledgeable greyhound veterinarians until his untimely death as a result of an inoperable brain tumour. I have reposted this article because it contains a lot of valuable information and consider it certainly worth bringing it to the attention of those that train racing greyhounds.
While I personally do not agree totally with Alex's requirements that a greyhounds diet must be wheat free, and have personally found more problems with feeding excessive yeast or vitamin mixtures containing yeast rather than problems with feeding wheat, I have to respect Alax's opinion on this point as he had access to a larger pool of racing greyhounds than I ever did, and should therefore have had more insight into this dietary issue.
However what I do totally agree with is the damage unknowingly done by trainers to the metabolism of their racing greyhounds by the use of so called "kidney flushes" the rubbish that is sold to supposedly fix the "tying up syndrome" that in most instances is simply the result of some very poor training decisions on the part of the trainer.
Cheers,
Tom
The feeding regimes that are applied to the racing greyhound have a major influence on their health and their athletic performance and robustness. Ideally the greyhound should be presented with a naturally well-pigmented and glossy coat and a well muscled and toned body with particular emphasis on the muscling of the back. Both historically and scientifically there exist enormous variations of dietary recommendations and in reality there are some major paradoxes between dietary science and the composition of proven greyhound performance diets. For my part I have proceeded along the pathway of “what works” and time will resolve the science of what we do and why it works so well.
Here in Australia our major dietary advantage is the availability of affordable quality fresh meat. To be able to optimise the diet of the racing greyhound a high protein fresh meat source is the principle staring point. The ideal high protein cuts of beef are tongue or cheek and the quality must be HUMAN CONSUMPTION GRADE.
The ideal dry food source needs to be manufactured using quality ingredients and that translates to, no BY-PRODUCTS. It is essential that the dry food be WHEAT FREE. The dry food protein content should be at least 30% and the fat content at least 20%. At least two meat or poultry meals should be in the first four listed ingredients. There should be at least three different animal proteins in the food and this excludes the egg content. There should be no content of soy, peanut hulls, cellulose or sugars of any type. Probiotics should be present as well as vitamins A, E and D and B-group and a soluble fibre source such as beet pulp.
The meat and dry food components are the most critical ingredients of the racing greyhound diet. It is to be noted that extreme emphasis has been given to quality. The quotation “what goes round comes round” applies absolutely to greyhound dietary ingredients. It is difficult to conceive how trainers could believe that they could achieve performance optimisation and consistency where the dietary meat source is downer beef. This beef is sourced from cattle that have succumbed from calving mishaps, milk fever, grass tetany, infectious diseases and fractured limbs. A goodly proportion of this meat is bacteremic or toxic (despite its treatment with formalin) and this will severely and dramatically affect the health status of the racing greyhound. All of my consistently winning greyhound patients are fed meat of a quality equivalent to human consumption meat.
The similar discussion can be mounted in relation to the quality of the dry food that is incorporated into the diet. As I outlined above, the criteria for a truly quality dry food is exacting. Whilst some dry foods might approach the necessary quality of formulation the Eagle Power pack is the only dry food that conforms to my definition of ideal for the racing greyhound. The concept of dry food only diets is worthy of notation. Regardless of the quality of the dry food, in my experience it is not possible to present a performance optimised greyhound unless the diet is meat based.
WHEN THE ABOVE FEEDING RECOMMENDATIONS ARE APPLIED THE GREYHOUNDS WILL PRESENT WITH GLOSSY COATS, MAGNIFICIENTLY MUSCLED BODIES, EXHIBIT PRIME HEALTH AND CAN SUSTAIN THE STRESSES OF RACING.
The traditional and historic greyhound diet was home formulated and conformed to the following type:
BREAKFAST:
One cup of milk
One or two slices of toast with vegemite and margarine
Vitamin E and vitamin C
TEA:
1 ¼ to 1 ¾ lb beef
6 to 8 oz dry food (water soaked)
4 oz vegetable mix (cooked or vitamised pumpkin, carrot, celery, silver beet or spinach leaf (no stalk)
1 oz vitamised fresh beef liver
Vitamin mix
½ teaspoon potassium chloride powder or slow K tablet
1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
Iron supplement
NOTE: 1Kg = 2.2 lb and 16 oz =1 lb.
Following a race this diet was presented as a moist stew. In addition many trainers also supplemented various kidney mixtures and often on a daily basis. These kidney additives are various diuretic or bicarbonate formulations. Electrolyte mixes were also frequently added to the diet.
Once a week the greyhounds are provided a thighbone shaft and knuckle to chew to provide for teeth cleaning and gum health.
This diet is an acceptable diet where the following alterations are applied. The diet must be converted to wheat free and as such the morning toast requires to be replaced by rice cake. The dry food in the evening meal must be of a wheat free variety. Where the trainer cannot afford to feed the premium dry foods such as Eagle Power then the use of dry food such as the Greens Special Care Chicken and Rice is an acceptable alternative. Be very conscious of the fact that a considerable number of greyhounds become wheat sensitive and that when they do they are incapable of exhibiting their race performance potential. Also recognise that the wheat sensitive greyhound is not born wheat sensitive but rather it becomes sensitised most commonly after a gastroenteric infection where the wheat allergens come into contact with the vascular components of the gut.
I would suggest the complete removal of oral iron supplementation and its replacement with a once monthly intramuscular injection of ½ml (= 50mg) of Rubrafer iron (Intervet Aust.) and 1ml Vitamin B12.
The use of kidney flushes or additives and the use of electrolyte mixtures are of great concern.
It is this area of greyhound diet formulation where the worst of the past ignorance lives on and the greatest dietary harm can be done. When the greyhound exhibits signs of dehydration or of excessive drinking (polydipsia) or urination (polyuria) the answer to the problem is never found to be a primary electrolyte deficiency.
It may be the result of a potassium deficiency created by the supplementation of alkalising electrolyte agents where the supplemented bicarbonate or lactate has induced a potassium diuresis and hence created a potassium deficiency.
It may be the result of a training regime where the greyhound is over-worked and has insufficient recovery rest time.
It is often found to be the result of poor kennelling environment such a cold, immediate neighbour incompatibility and kennel hyperactivity.
It can be the expression of an injury state such as injury of the left vastus or it can be the expression of infection states.
Be very conscious of the fact that the majority of electrolyte supplementation is based on erroneous logic or diagnosis.
On the one hand the trainer is led to believe that the provision of acid neutralising bases such as bicarbonate or lactate will, by reducing the acid levels in the greyhound aid and assist the performance and stamina of the dog. On the other hand the trainer is conditioned to the application of electrolytes to the greyhound when the dog is observed to exhibit signs of dehydration. In the first instance, the concept of improving the buffering system of the greyhound by the supplementation of acid neutralising bases is blatantly physiologically incorrect and is detrimental.
In the second instance, trainers need improved guidance to assist their ability to differentiate the underlying factors that are seen to result in dehydration.
The provision of potassium in the diet is the only electrolyte supplement that is routinely required.
Equally important, the avoidance of any agents that promote the renal diuresis of potassium cannot be emphasised strongly enough.
The final consideration that must be applied to this diet is its fat content. The greyhound sources its energy from fat. The TOTAL fat content of its diet should approximate 10%. Where the meat is lean and the fat content of the dry food is low the addition of fat to the diet is essential. The addition of fat is achieved by the use of a quality fat such as pork fat (lard) and the amount to be added is arrived at by an arithmetic guest mate. Lean meat will contain less than 5% fat. The dry food has a label-listed fat content and for the sake of the discussion let this content be 5%. Given a total meat and dry food mass in the diet of 30 oz and a dry food and meat fat content of 5% then an additional 5% of fat must be provided (5% of 30 oz which is 1.5 oz). In general terms where the dietary meat is lean, most trainers will add 1 to 2 tablespoons of lard and this is often guided by the time of the year. That is to say in the warmer months the fat is added more sparingly while in the colder months that fat is added more liberally. Be very conscious of the fact that the greyhound sources its energy from fat. The use of sugars in the diet of the greyhound is contraindicated and harmful.
This now modified traditional diet is a very suitable greyhound racing diet and will provide for the dietary needs of the racing greyhound.
It is of interest to note that my most successful greyhound patients are fed a diet that consists of human consumption grade beef cheek or tongue, wheat free premium grade dry food and potassium chloride supplement only. They are not supplemented with vitamins and no vegetables are added to the diet. The who’s who list of these greyhounds includes the most notable of the Australian racing and stud greyhounds.
The only additional food supplement that is added to the diet of my most successful greyhounds is Transfer Factor. This is an extremely effective stimulant of the immune system and has been found to be able to overcome the immunosuppressive effect of consistent hard racing. Here the greyhounds are initially supplemented with one capsule twice daily for two weeks and then given a pre-race and post-race supplementation of one capsule daily for the two days before and after the race.
These dietary recommendations are based on the philosophy of “what works”. It flies in the face of the canine nutritionists and presents quite a paradox to the science of canine feeding. It must be born in mind however that the greyhound occupies a truly special place in the canine world of today in that it is the only domesticated canine that is subjected to a selection process that could still be defined as natural selection. It would seem that the wild dog and the greyhound are capable of ingesting what is essentially a native diet that is predominantly meat and yet maintain calcium homeostasis--- adds to the suspicion that there are very few domesticated “true” dogs left on the planet. How fortunate it is that the role the greyhound has been given in society has led to its selection criteria and in this way maintained its “real dog” metabolism and functionality.
.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
The late Alex Hauler was one of Australia's most innovative and knowledgeable greyhound veterinarians until his untimely death as a result of an inoperable brain tumour. I have reposted this article because it contains a lot of valuable information and consider it certainly worth bringing it to the attention of those that train racing greyhounds.
While I personally do not agree totally with Alex's requirements that a greyhounds diet must be wheat free, and have personally found more problems with feeding excessive yeast or vitamin mixtures containing yeast rather than problems with feeding wheat, I have to respect Alax's opinion on this point as he had access to a larger pool of racing greyhounds than I ever did, and should therefore have had more insight into this dietary issue.
However what I do totally agree with is the damage unknowingly done by trainers to the metabolism of their racing greyhounds by the use of so called "kidney flushes" the rubbish that is sold to supposedly fix the "tying up syndrome" that in most instances is simply the result of some very poor training decisions on the part of the trainer.
Cheers,
Tom
