GREYHOUND

Dermatological conditions

Idiopathic cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy

• Seen in kenneled and racing Greyhounds
• No age or sex predilection

Pattern baldness

• Affects almost exclusively females
• Ventral neck and ventrum affected

Ehler-Danlos syndrome

• Also known as cutaneous asthenia
• Inherited group of diseases
• May be inherited as an autosomal dominant trait

Ventral comedone syndrome

• Common

Vasculitis

• Uncommon
• Usually type III hypersensitivity reaction

Drug reactions

Thiopentone

• This breed has a greatly increased susceptibility to thiopentone

Haematological conditions

Haemolytic uraemic syndrome

• A disorder of platelet hyperaggregability

Musculoskeletal conditions

Polyarthritis of Greyhounds

• Affects animals aged 3–30 months

Exertional myopathy

Medial displacement of biceps brachii tendon

• Uncommon

Accessory carpal-bone fracture

Carpal soft-tissue injuries

• Often caused by carpal hyperextension during racing

Chronic sesamoiditis

• Common

Avulsion of tibial tuberosity

• Growth-plate fracture

Spontaneous tibial fracture

Calcaneoquartal subluxation due to plantar tarsal ligament rupture

Calcaneus fracture

• Common in racing Greyhounds

Central-tarsal-bone fracture

• Very common in racing Greyhound

Superficial digital flexor tendon luxation

• Uncommon

Neurological conditions

Congenital deafness

Ocular conditions

Chronic superficial keratitis (pannus)

• Breed predisposition
• Age of onset: 2–5 years

Lens luxation

• Breed predisposition; inheritance suspected
• Age of onset: 3–5 years

Generalised progressive retinal atrophy

• Mode of inheritance unknown but presumed recessive
• Condition occurs early and may progress to blindness by 2 years

Physiological conditions

Hypertension

• Greyhounds have higher blood pressures than other breeds.

Cardiac hypertrophy

Prominent cytoplasmic vacuolation of eosinophils

Short red blood cell lifespan

Packed cell volume

• Mean cellular haemoglobin concentration and mean cell volume is higher than for other breeds
• Red blood cell count is lower than for other breeds

Thrombocytopaenia

• Platelet counts are lower in this breed than others

Blood group

• This breed tends to be DEA 1.1 and 1.2 negative

Thyroid hormones

• T4 and free T4 are lower in healthy Greyhounds than other breeds
• Mean cTSH is the same as for other breeds

Supernumerary teeth

• Present in 36.4% of Greyhounds surveyed
• Usually first premolar
• Usually occurs in the upper arcade