Vaccination During Racing Career

[Guest lucylaruh]

Does anyone know what type of vaccination protocol racing greyhounds have during their career? Are they vaccinated? yearly? and for what? Do they take heartworm preventative? I know different areas will vary but in general...are greyhounds neglected medically or is it overkill?

New Greyhound owner,

Sandy

[Guest DorianGreyhound]

Well all my dogs as far as I know were on ivermectin for HWs just like they are in my care. I have never had a HW pozzie Greyhound. Also, they receive rabies jabs at least, as the law requires. The rest I am not sure.

[Guest CyndiW]

That is a really good question. I have always heard it is an overkill on the vacs but I really have no idea. However, I don't think they do much for kennel cough because I have one that the vets said must have had repeated untreated kennel cough. He has lots of scar tissue in his lungs.

[Hubcitypam]

Cheryl, Lynn or Pam will answer more in depth, but I do believe that they get DHPP yearly and rabies according to state law...or maybe yearly too as that would allow the dog to travel to or thru states with different vaccination laws. I think kennels do give heartworm preventative, though it may be in the form of liquid Ivermectin, which is the active ingredient in Heartgard.

 

As far as kennel cough, you can vaccinate for it all day long and still have a dog catch it. My vet estimates that it only works on about half the strains though some cite higher numbers. There is an especially bad strain running rampant through Dallas this summer and vaccinated dogs are catching it right and left.

 

 

[Guest chigal950]

I have heard that they are overvaccinated sometimes because the paperwork not convenient at hand when they change states.

 

 

[Batmom]

I think they do sometimes get extra vacs as chigal950 mentions. If they stay at the same track, believe most get vac'ed for everything (rabies, DHLPP or some variant of that) annually and bordetella (kennel cough) every 6 months. Can't race if they don't have the vacs that the state and track require. Most kennels I know of use ivermectin or similar for worming.

[dmdsmoxie]

Hi Sandy,

 

The dogs must be current on all shots or they can't race. They can't even get into the track without their paperwork being presented by the hauler and in proper order. This is what shots they must be current on.

 

Rabies Innoculation 04/29/07 - Current

 

DHLPPVC Innoculation 04/29/07 - Current

 

Bordatella Innoculation 04/29/07 - Current

 

This was taken from the B'ham website.

 

I had a dog that I took from Wheeling to be collected ( have semen drawn). He was gone about two months and needed to have, I can't remember if it was just rabies or all the shots again. He had to be at track in ten days or less for the track to accept the papers. If it took more than ten days, from the day of his shots, he needed shots again.

 

I would say the vast majority of dogs stay at the track they start at or move just one time. So the overkill of shots would be to a small percentage of dogs.

 

Good luck with your dog

 

Dick

[Greylover97]

I think they are over vaccinated as soon as they hit the adoption groups. I know my group vaccinates them as soon as they come off the track; no matter what their paperwork says. It's the same vaccines that they get at the track. The hounds are dewormed and I'm sure the track/kennel uses something to control fleas and ticks.

[Chicocat]

Kansas tracks have the same requirements as Birmingham. A dog is not allowed to enter the compound without being current on all vaccinations. The kennels are required to provide a quantity of Bordatella vaccine to the state vet, who tracks when the vaccinations are due and completes the shots. The state provides the other vaccines.

 

I agree that over vaccination more likely takes place when they reach the adoption groups. We always try to make sure paperwork travels with the dogs, but sometimes it just doesn't happen.

 

I forgot heartworm! Most of the kennels use Ivomac for worming, which is a heartworm preventative.

Edited September 1, 2007 by Chicocat

[onrushpam]

Race dogs in FL get DHLPP, Rabies and Bordatella yearly. The racing secretary keeps track of it and sends the vet down to the kennels each week to vaccinate the "due" dogs.

 

We get the paperwork on almost all the dogs in our adoption program. Everything is well documented as to the date and what vaccs were given.

 

Every now and then we have paperwork problems on dogs that come into JCKC from other tracks and their paperwork never makes the trip. So, we do get a few dogs with no paperwork. That probably happens once per 100 dogs.

 

 

[Guest chigal950]

I think they are over vaccinated as soon as they hit the adoption groups. I know my group vaccinates them as soon as they come off the track; no matter what their paperwork says. It's the same vaccines that they get at the track. The hounds are dewormed and I'm sure the track/kennel uses something to control fleas and ticks.

 

I am by no means very knowledgeable on this subject but I would think that this may not be great for the hounds.

[Guest lucylaruh]

Thank you, everyone, for all the great responses, I feel better informed now.

[Cheryl2]

Yep, as others have stated, they have to be fully vaccinated to race. Rabies, DHLPP (7-way) and in some states, coronavirus. Sometimes we'll get pups in from the farms without all their shots and then we have 7 days to get them fully vaccinated or they have to leave the compound.