Nash Is Losing A Toe

[Guest cwholsin]

Nash is having a toe amputated today. He broke it badly while lure coursing on Sunday. They love doing it, but I don't think we'll be taking the greyhounds again. He was in excellent condition, they are just so into it they are not aware of what's happening to their bodies. It's just not worth it, not at the crazy speeds the greys do it.

Edited March 5, 2013 by cwholsin

[TINMANPDX]

Good thoughts going out to you and Nash. My girl, Lea, came to us with a toe amp - have no idea the cause, but she gets along fine on the foot. It is sad that he won't be able to lure course - I am sure he enjoyed it and it kept him in good shape - it is a calculated risk whenever we let our greys run, I suppose.

[Guest cwholsin]

I've heard that greys adapt really well after amputations, and it's not a toe that bears much weight so we'll probably feel worse than he does. We'll keep lure coursing with our borzoi, but the greyhounds just get too into it and it's not worth breaking their feet >.<

[racindog]

I'm going out on a limb and saying he'll be fine -don't worry. I feel confident about this as I watched Ivy go through a LEG amputation and I honestly have to say it didn't appear to bother her at all! She continued to fly on 3 legs-and it was when she was the happiest she ever was in this world-she loved and needed to fly. At first I was concerned-I knew an imjury to just one of the remaining 3 legs could mean death-and after all she had gone through with chemo and all! I even asked the vet about restricting her activity because she still ran sooo fast and hard. But the very wise vet told me that I needed to let her run-and in my heart I knew it was true. And the truth is she wouldn't have had it any other way herself. Greyhounds push the envelope even when they do zoomies. Some I know can't live without it. In fact thats when Ivy crossed over. The cancer spread to another leg. She knew she wouldn't be able to fly anymore & she left immediately. It wasn't pain or associated sickness or anything else that took her then. It was simply she didn't want to live if she couldn't run. So sorry Nash hurt his toe. I just know though that he will come through it with flying colors happily

zooming around again. I hope you'll post a post amp recovery pic when does! JMO

[Hubcitypam]

I've had lots of greys with previous toe amputations come through and none seemed to be bothered at all. Buck had an outside rear amputated before I got him and Buddy came minus a left rear weight bearing toe. When Buddy was at the ortho specialist for his spinal issues he just kept remarking on what a wonderful clean amputation it was, referring to something that looked like some of his work.

[kudzu]

Sending good thoughts for Nash. I've now had two Greys break toes. One did it in the smallish dog yard this Saturday. The other broke her toe inside the house while napping. No kidding. Something fell off a counter onto the floor nearby, she spooked, flew up out of the bed somehow shattering a bone in her toe in the process. While I agree that lure coursing pushing them to the edge & increases the risk of injury, please don't feel about how it happened. These things can happen anytime, anywhere. You were just letting your dog have fun.

[greytpups]

Sending good thoughts for Nash. I've now had two Greys break toes. One did it in the smallish dog yard this Saturday. The other broke her toe inside the house while napping. No kidding. Something fell off a counter onto the floor nearby, she spooked, flew up out of the bed somehow shattering a bone in her toe in the process. While I agree that lure coursing pushing them to the edge & increases the risk of injury, please don't feel about how it happened. These things can happen anytime, anywhere. You were just letting your dog have fun.

Look how many get hurt running in their back yards. I'm so sorry Nash has to go through this...Bailey had to have her toe amputated due to a tumour...it's probably more common than you realize.

[greysmom]

Nash should adapt just fine. You know, greys can even continue their racing careers after a toe amp, so if you want to keep coursing there shouldn't be anything stopping him. I'd say give it a good 6-8 months to be sure it's completely healed and that the foot has settled into it's new configuration. An amp won't stop him from running.

[Guest cwholsin]

Thanks guys. Nash is home and resting well (as long as he's getting petted) minus toe and a tooth. I'm sure he'll be fine in time. It's probably harder for us than him. It's true they can hurt themselves any old way (while napping is a new one, I gotta say 0.o) but I think we'll either stick with no lure coursing or stick to speed trials with no twisty turns. That seems to be how they hurt themselves the most, anyway. Nash enjoys running around at the dog park, I just don't know if I want him to push himself that hard. If he's running at the park he'll pull up if he steps on something, on Sunday he was running on a toe that fractured the entire length diagonally for some of his run and with all the adrenaline didn't start limping until an hour later!

[JJNg]

Sorry to hear about Nash's injury. As others have said, he'll be just fine without that toe. Hopefully his recovery is fast and uncomplicated.

 

There is certainly risk of injury with any athletic event, and I think it's important to be aware of limitations of each individual dog. There are also a number of outside factors that can predispose to injuries, such as ground condition, course design, and lure operation. Unfortunately, there are some clubs who do not have the knowledge to design a course that is safe for greyhounds, and some lure operators who are not as experienced, which may also increase the risk of injury. And sometimes it's just plain bad luck.

 

Of my 2 greyhounds, Willow has run in both lure coursing and amateur racing events for years, and her only significant toe injury was when she broke an inside front toe chasing a rabbit in the back yard. That was several years ago, and we had the toe fixed. At 8 years old, Willow is still actively lure coursing and racing.

 

On the other hand, Wiki is my boy who has had a number of toe injuries, both at home and at organized events. He's had one toe amputated, and he no longer gets to lure course. However, I still let him run in racing events, both straight and oval, since there are no sharp turns, and I try to keep an eye on the weather and only let him run if the ground is not too dry. I also take him along when we go lure coursing, and if there's time for practice, most of the clubs around here are good about letting him do a practice run on a straight section of the course.

 

If you're interested my greyhounds' toe saga, here's a link to an old post, which I also mentioned in kudzu's recent thread about Sol's broken toe.

[kudzu]

Hope Nash is recovering well. Venus' is definitely the only Grey I've heard of who broke a toe while napping. FWIW, the real pain of the break was only evident an hour or so later when, as you mentioned, the adrenaline wore off. She did get a different toe injury from lure coursing & though the skin break from the initial dislocation was evident she didn't limp until later. I do believe the girl would run on a broken leg. She's just that intense when racing. She recovered from that & seemed fine for long stretches of time but then that spot would split open again after some twist or turn while running. However, straight racing never caused a problem, nor did oval track on the practice track down in Jacksonville. She ran oval track on grass and made it to the last race before it was a problem. Decided then there'd be no more oval racing on grass. But she still enjoyed straight racing.

[PrairieProf]

Good luck from me and Beth, another three-toed hound following a running injury (not coursing, just had a foot slip on some wet grass clippings). Is Nash losing a weight-bearing toe or a side one? Beth lost a weight-bearing one and while she does run fine and runs hard at the dog park I will say I would never do athletic events with her now and am also very careful about footing -- that foot is much too fragile. Also really restrict activity during the healing process -- Beth got bad abrasions from the foot wrap, then the sutures ripped, and it was generally a mess. Now that my vet has it I would absolutely do laser therapy for faster wound healing if we were going through this again -- it really helps.

[GreyPoopon]

Glad he's home. Hope he recovers quickly.