badwolf Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 Hi everyone I have owned (and been around) dogs for almost half a century (damn I feel old lol), and have had a variety of breeds in the past (Labs, GSDs, Rotties, Collies, Lurchers) but when it comes to Greyhounds, I am a total noob! So I apologise for this really stupid question I'm about to ask This is about Age and accuracy of ear marks. As I said I'm a total noob with retired Greyhounds so please be gentle Basically, do ex-racers age quicker than non-racers and how accurate are the marks (with regards to age)? I volunteer at my local RSPCA rehoming centre and last Sunday decided to foster an ex-racer that has been with us for a couple of months (and I will be adopting her). According to her paperwork, she is 11 years old and was registered in Ireland. Unfortunately I think the paperwork is all wrong as her tattoos bear no similarity to what's on the paperwork (she was rescued with two others - that went to another centre - so I think the paperwork got messed up). According to her actual tattoos, she should only be 6 years old but instead of black she is very grey in the face and her eyes are slightly cloudy and has quite worn down teeth. Apart form that she seems in good physical condition but does wince occasionally randomly (arthritis?). Just wondering if these are features of ex-racers or whether her tattoos are wrong (and she is actually 5 years older than they indicate). She is adorable and I'm not really concerned about her age, but it would be nice to give the insurance company a reasonable estimate of her age (we used to have a rescued Lurcher, and no one had any idea how old he was - but we had him for 10 years) and I would like to amend her records at the centre (of course I want to sure of my ground before I start telling them their paperwork is wrong). I've sent her marks off to the Irish Stud, and they came back with a name and pedigree, but unfortunately I can't find any pictures of her to compare. Thanks (and sorry for hijacking my own introduction post ) Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocsDoctor Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 Hi and welcome to Greytalk! Yes, some of the black greyhounds go grey very early. My Ken, also six, has lots of grey on his face already and also on his shoulders and front legs. I don't think this is anything to do with the wear and tear of racing, but down to genetics - I have heard it said for instance that it is often the case with descendants of Molotov, a successful American sire who was Ken's great-grandfather. On the other hand the wear and tear of racing does quite often lead to arthritis, in later years. Six seems young for that and it may be that she has some other issue - muscle or nerve pain created by an old racing injury, for instance, which is making her wince. I would recommend a thorough check over at the vet's, one with greyhound experience for preference. They are the best at spotting this kind of issue and others like a corn in a toe pad. Those can be difficult to spot but make walking miserable and again sometimes get misdiagnosed as arthritis. Ask them to check out her eyes and teeth too. Ex-racers often have pretty grotty teeth, partly down to what they are fed but also according to my vet because of their long jaws. I expect you are right about the paperwork getting mixed up and that she is six not eleven, but a final thought - could you have read the tattoos wrong? They can blur with age. Shining a torch from behind the ear is a good way to check. The first letter of the right ear gives the year of birth, for an Irish hound - see quote below (from the Kent Greyhound Rescue website): How old is my Greyhound?Irish dogs have 2 letters in the right ear and 3 letters in the left ear. The first letter of the tattoo in the right ear establishes the year your greyhound was born in. English Dogs VX 2013 UV 2012 TU 2011 ST 2010 RS 2009 QR 2008 PQ 2007 NP 2006 LM 2005 JKL 2004 HIJ 2003 DEH 2002 ABD 2001 ZA 2000 Irish Dogs R 2016 Q 2015 P 2014 N 2013 M 2012 L 2011 K 2010 J 2009 I 2008 H 2007 E 2006 D 2005 B 2004 A 2003 Z 2002 Y 2001 Quote Clare with Tiger (Snapper Gar, b. 18/05/2015), and remembering Ken (Boomtown Ken, 01/05/2011-21/02/2020) and Doc (Barefoot Doctor, 20/08/2001-15/04/2015)."It is also to be noted of every species, that the handsomest of each move best ... and beasts of the most elegant form, always excel in speed; of this, the horse and greyhound are beautiful examples."----Wiliam Hogarth, The Analysis of Beauty, 1753. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badwolf Posted October 26, 2017 Author Share Posted October 26, 2017 Hi and welcome to Greytalk! ... I expect you are right about the paperwork getting mixed up and that she is six not eleven, but a final thought - could you have read the tattoos wrong? They can blur with age. Shining a torch from behind the ear is a good way to check. The first letter of the right ear gives the year of birth, for an Irish hound - see quote below (from the Kent Greyhound Rescue website): ... Hi Thanks for your reply. I did wonder about reading them wrong and got three different people to read them (without sharing my thoughts). To be honest, they are in pretty good condition and the right-ear ones are very clear (LS) - not sure how I could mistake the L for anything else (but anything is possible ). Regarding her left-ear ones two are very clear but the third not so much (it looks like a backwards "J" but there is scarring on the missing bit and it seems to match up to a "U"). I'm not too worried about the left ones as it's the age I'm trying to work out - perhaps I should check again that the "L" isn't an "E" lol. She'll be off to the vets in a couple of weeks for neutering so I will be asking the vets how much greyhound experience they have and get them to do a full check over at the same time . If I can work out how to get photos on here, I'll upload one of her settled with our 21 month old Lurcher (not bad considering they only met a week ago). Thanks again Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocsDoctor Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 Great! Yes we always love to see photos. Glad she's getting on so well with your lurcher. I've posted a recentish pic of Ken lounging next to my desk below so you can see all his grey bits: Quote Clare with Tiger (Snapper Gar, b. 18/05/2015), and remembering Ken (Boomtown Ken, 01/05/2011-21/02/2020) and Doc (Barefoot Doctor, 20/08/2001-15/04/2015)."It is also to be noted of every species, that the handsomest of each move best ... and beasts of the most elegant form, always excel in speed; of this, the horse and greyhound are beautiful examples."----Wiliam Hogarth, The Analysis of Beauty, 1753. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnF Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 Hi. Worn down teeth are one of the more reliable age-indicators. 11 may be correct. Yes, ear tats. are notoriously difficult to read. Any possibility the dog is micochipped (they all had to be in the UK since April last year)? Here's a recent photo of my 10 year old Peggy (also an Irish Greyhound) so that you can see the grey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreytTerp Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 We were given the wrong paperwork when we brought our guy home (he was not the dog with 12 extractions for sure, and the ear tattoos did not match either), so it happens. Marvin is only 8.5 y.o., and he is almost completely white in the face with white hairs popping up throughout his entire coat (he's a red brindle tiger dog). He started going 'grey' around age 4. His eyes have always been a bit cloudy, but his vision is fine, and his teeth are broken and very worn from attacking his crate bars while he was a racer. He really started slowing down and showing some stiffness and hind end weakness last year, but we started him on some basic supplements (Springtime Fresh Factors) a few months ago, plus moved where he has to do stairs and hills daily. He's completely rejuvenated and probably has more energy than he's ever had, and the weakness has almost disappeared entirely. I do think he has a bit of arthritis. The vet should be able to give you a better idea of which information is correct on her age. https://photos.app.goo.gl/59BwXkzfZE7Jlsml2 We can't wait to see pictures! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badwolf Posted October 26, 2017 Author Share Posted October 26, 2017 Thanks for the replies everyone. I'm writing this on my tablet so no idea if the pics will work. This is Rosie (not sure if she's keeping the name). Looking at your beautiful boys and girls, she doesn't look as grey so perhaps she is 6 after all lol. https://photos.app.goo.gl/1hbofnxbdBKrvZxu1 This is her right tattoo - definitely looks like an "L" (no change with a torch behind), which has would be 2011: https://photos.app.goo.gl/GK1JOYX8NvbtdtuA2 Here she is with our Lurcher, Storm: https://photos.app.goo.gl/V67IPOxNCii5knml1 She does have a microchip, but I think the number on the paperwork will be wrong so I'll have to either get the Centre to scan it or get the vet to. @GreygTerp, this was Shaman (my rescued Lurcher we had for 10 years) : https://1drv.ms/i/s!Aj1pse0Q-2qM1WsDvV5MLLTKUiBI Cheers Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badwolf Posted October 26, 2017 Author Share Posted October 26, 2017 Sorry, damn predictive text. Should have been @greytTerp. Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krissy Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 A lot of greyhounds go grey very early on. My 5.5 yr old started life with a half mask over one eye. It began fading at 1 yr old, and now it doesn't even cover her eye anymore. Her sister went from a full mask to basically just ear caps in 2 years. The eyes will tell you more about the age. Noticeable cloudiness doesn't usually begin until after 8-9 years of age. Some dogs develop cataracts, but even dogs that don't will have lenticular sclerosis, a normal age related condensing of the lens which gives a grey-blue cloudiness (compared to the milky white of cataracts). Quote Kristie and the Apex Agility Greyhounds: Kili (ATChC AgMCh Lakilanni Where Eagles Fly RN IP MSCDC MTRDC ExS Bronze ExJ Bronze ) and Kenna (Lakilanni Kiss The Sky RN MADC MJDC AGDC AGEx AGExJ). Waiting at the Bridge: Retired racer Summit (Bbf Dropout) May 5, 2005-Jan 30, 2019 Like us on Facebook! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badwolf Posted October 27, 2017 Author Share Posted October 27, 2017 Thanks Krissy. It does seem to be a grey-blue cloudiness rather than milky white. Thinking I'm more confused than ever now Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocsDoctor Posted October 27, 2017 Share Posted October 27, 2017 She's lovely - and the two of them are very sweet together! Even without that L on the tattoo I'd put good money on her being six rather than eleven! But yes get the microchip checked out for added confirmation. Quote Clare with Tiger (Snapper Gar, b. 18/05/2015), and remembering Ken (Boomtown Ken, 01/05/2011-21/02/2020) and Doc (Barefoot Doctor, 20/08/2001-15/04/2015)."It is also to be noted of every species, that the handsomest of each move best ... and beasts of the most elegant form, always excel in speed; of this, the horse and greyhound are beautiful examples."----Wiliam Hogarth, The Analysis of Beauty, 1753. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badwolf Posted October 27, 2017 Author Share Posted October 27, 2017 She's lovely - and the two of them are very sweet together! Even without that L on the tattoo I'd put good money on her being six rather than eleven! But yes get the microchip checked out for added confirmation. Thanks - I wish I could "like" posts. They have been together for 5 days now and seem very comfortable in each other's company. I'm at the centre again tomorrow and will be asking about neutering and scanning the chip. Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EllenEveBaz Posted October 28, 2017 Share Posted October 28, 2017 She and Storm are lovely -- no matter what age. And Shaman looks like a total cutie, too. Quote Ellen, with brindle Milo and the blonde ballerina, Gelsey remembering Eve, Baz, Scout, Romie, Nutmeg, and Jeter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badwolf Posted October 29, 2017 Author Share Posted October 29, 2017 She and Storm are lovely -- no matter what age. And Shaman looks like a total cutie, too. Thanks. Poor Shaman was abandoned in a house with another dog when he was about 2 years old. After being rescued he spent 2 years in kennels until we fell for him. I think we did ok giving him a loving home for 10 years but we never got him out of the habit of stealing food lol. Storm came along 2 years later and is now 21 months old. Rosie seems to be settling in nicely on day 7 - she can handle the stairs. I think we need a bigger bed though, definitely not enough room for two humans and two dogs - guess we are sleeping on the floor from now on lol. Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4My2Greys Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 Hi from Alabama, USA! Welcome to GT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badwolf Posted November 26, 2017 Author Share Posted November 26, 2017 Hi All Just a quick update. It's been a busy few weeks for us all. We had confirmation of her age from the microchip records (6 years old) and I managed to get her race name from the Irish Stud Book and her racing history from Greyhound-Data (she wasn't brilliant but won a few races) and she has recovered well from being neutered. We have decided to keep her called Rosie as she has now started responding to it (and doesn't to her race name). She and Storm are fine together and is even learning to play with him. This photo was taken this morning on the bed: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Wa1D1sdNyhPYnP623 Best news last, we officially adopted her yesterday . Cheers Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remolacha Posted November 26, 2017 Share Posted November 26, 2017 congratulations! Rosie is a beauty and she and Storm are so cute together Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EllenEveBaz Posted November 26, 2017 Share Posted November 26, 2017 You will have to start sleeping on the floor. It would be a shame to disturb that picture of peace and contentment. Quote Ellen, with brindle Milo and the blonde ballerina, Gelsey remembering Eve, Baz, Scout, Romie, Nutmeg, and Jeter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozgirl2 Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 Hi All Just a quick update. It's been a busy few weeks for us all. We had confirmation of her age from the microchip records (6 years old) and I managed to get her race name from the Irish Stud Book and her racing history from Greyhound-Data (she wasn't brilliant but won a few races) and she has recovered well from being neutered. We have decided to keep her called Rosie as she has now started responding to it (and doesn't to her race name). She and Storm are fine together and is even learning to play with him. This photo was taken this morning on the bed: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Wa1D1sdNyhPYnP623 Best news last, we officially adopted her yesterday . Cheers Tony They're both gorgeous! And that picture should go in a calendar! PS - welcome to GT from Maryland, USA Quote Jeannine with Merlin, the crazed tabby cat and his sister, Jasmine, the brat-cat With Angel Cody(Roving Gemini), and Weenie the tortie waiting at the Bridge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badwolf Posted December 4, 2017 Author Share Posted December 4, 2017 They're both gorgeous! And that picture should go in a calendar! PS - welcome to GT from Maryland, USA Thanks. That pic is definitely going in the calendar for next year . Cheers Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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