Track leg

Hi Nowso,

A greyhound hitting the inside bone surface of left hind leg with the point of the left elbow creates sufficient bruising on the bone surface to cause a calcification to form, and unless the resultant inflammation is treated immediately, this calcification will get bigger after each subsequent run.

The end result being a rather large lump of hard bone on the inside of the hind leg that will then increase the chances of the dog hitting it again, no mater if the original injury or injuries that caused the “track leg” in the first place are fixed or not. Any greyhound in this situation is then best to have a “track leg” bandage applied to cushion the impact every time it runs.

To avoid it getting to that stage it is essential that the very first time a greyhound finishes up with swelling on the inside of the hind leg, the fluid is drained as soon as possible and a cold compress is applied three times daily for at least two or three days to reduce further inflammation and fluid accumulating.

If the cold treatment is not successful in reducing the inflammation it may be necessary to have the area injected with a cortisone type anti-inflammatory.

At that point in time it is also essential to find and correct the injury that caused the dog to "track" before it is allowed to run behind the lure again.

For more information on the likely causes of a track leg problem occurring see THIS post.

Cheers,
Tom