Greyhounds, don’t need to run constantly. It’s nice when they can, as long as they are fit enough to run without hurting themselves, and they do love it. Many greyhounds live happily in apartments with several daily walks and maybe an occasional trip a securely fenced area as their only exercise.
If you feed dry kibble, it should be moistened thoroughly. This helps prevent choking as the dog eats, and also helps prevent bloat (which can kill quickly) afterwards when the dry food absorbs stomach fluids and expands. Also, to avoid deadly torsion, never let your dog run or play too hard right after eating. If your greyhound tends to eat it’s food very rapidly, you may want to place a racquet ball or other type of rubber ball of similar size in it’s dish with it’s food or turn another small dish upside down inside the larger feeding dish, either of which will slow the dog down while eating and should help keep it from gulping food and thus swallowing air.
If you think you have already found a greyhound you would like to consider, complete our online application for adoption. If you prefer NOT to apply online you may request a printable application in PDF format click here. You will need Adobe Acrobat reader to print this application. After you complete the application, mail it to GEM at:
A good quality kibble is fine as a basic diet. Good quality does not necessarily mean expensive, nor does expensive necessarily mean good quality. Look for one with meat as the first ingredient and with no soy products. Some recommendations are: Nutro Lamb & Rice, Iams Lamb & Rice, Exceed Lamb & Rice (from Sam’s Club), Pro Plan or Science Diet are also acceptable. Foods that have dyes, sugars or other additives listed should be avoided such as Kibbles-n-Bits.
Muscle is dense and heavy. Unless your dog is getting a lot of hard exercise, he is naturally going to lose some of those muscles. If you try to add five pounds to your dog’s weight too quickly you may actually be adding ten pounds of fat as it replaces the muscle weight. This is likely to be unhealthy for the dog. Excess weight and fat cause unnecessary strain on their hearts (shortening their life expectancy) and also result in many forms of lameness.
Most greyhound adoption groups recommend feeding quality kibble as the dogs primary food. As Rocky Mountain Greyhound Adoption explains, “switching a retired racer to dry dog food helps to keep their teeth in healthy condition,” since many dogs ate mainly soft food — which is often a cause of faster tooth decay — during their racing careers. A kibble with around 20 percent protein content is appropriate for greyhounds in retirement, according to the Retired Greyhound Trust, and the best foods will have chicken, beef, fish, lamb, buffalo or a similar protein as the number one listed food ingredient on the label.
In certain cases, your greyhound may need special prescribed foods. For example, if your greyhound has severe allergic reactions to most kibbles, your veterinarian may prescribe a food that is formulated for your dogs sensitivities. Many greyhound owners also feed their dog a special senior formula kibble when the dog reaches age 7. Senior formula kibbles are created to compensate for the changes that the senior dogs body will experience. For example, many senior kibbles add extra glucosamine and chondroitin to help with joint and mobility issues. Senior-specific formulas also tend to have an easy-to-digest protein such as chicken or beef, since richer protein sources like lamb may be too difficult for an older dogs digestive system to handle.
There may be times when your greyhound will need a different food. Although its not common, sometimes dogs who have done well with a particular type of food for years will suddenly start having trouble digesting the food smoothly and will exhibit gas, diarrhea or an stomach upset. It is always wise to check with your veterinarian first to rule out any health problems. If the vet feels the food could be the issue, you may want to make a change. Sometimes this can be as simple as a brand name change to a similar food with the same primary ingredients but different secondary ingredients, and other times you might want to make a more pronounced change by starting a food with a different primary protein source. It is best to make food changes gradually by slowly introducing more of the new food and less of the old food each day. Continue mixing the two foods to ease the transition, gradually eliminating the old food entirely.
Greyhounds may be thin, but make no mistake: These canines love to eat. Although your greyhound would happily eat virtually any foods available — especially human food — healthy eating is important. Keep the retired greyhound in your nest in “greyt” health with these best food guidelines.
Food supplements include all the additions that you may add to your greyhounds kibble. Because greyhounds became accustomed to eating a varied diet including meat, veggies and kibble during their racing careers, they may become bored with plain kibble quickly. Some greyhound owners add supplements like white or brown rice, boiled ground beef, crumbled boiled egg, cheese shreds, green beans, carrots, cottage cheese, boiled pasta, plain yogurt or unsweetened canned pumpkin to entice their greyhound to eat more enthusiastically. Supplements are best added in small amounts — one to two tablespoons of each is sufficient daily, and you need not use more than one or two supplements at a time.
The Three Deadly Ps – Persimmons, Peaches and Plums: These fruits all have one nasty thing in common – seeds/pits. Persimmon seeds are quite small and can cause a blockage and/or inflammation of the small intestine. Intestinal obstruction can also occur from pits contained in peaches and plums. To make matters worse, peach and plum pits contain cyanide, which is fatal to just about every living thing. Most people wouldn’t make a habit of eating cyanide deliberately, and consequently, don’t each peach or plum pits. However, dogs don’t know the difference, and may eat these by accident.
Potatoes (Raw): Do not feed raw potato to your dog, and do not allow your dog to eat any potato plants if you grow potatoes in your garden. The enzymes in raw potatoes are very harmful and will induce symptoms of food poisoning. Unlike in cooked potatoes, some of the starch in raw potatoes is digested poorly. It’s called ‘resistant starch’ and passes through the small intestine into the large intestine, where it ends up being fermented by the flora that live in the large intestine. As a consequence, your dog may experience increased faecal bulk, bloating and very unpleasant gastrointestinal effects. The potato plant itself produces some defensive (ie, toxic) substances in the upper plant (being the stems, leaves and above-ground potatoes themselves). Sometimes, toxic alkaloids, such as solanine might also be present. Cooked potato is much more healthy, both for humans and for dogs!
Milk and other Dairy Products: Look here, I’m as guilty as the next person of giving my gorgeous greys an ice cream on a hot day. Some dogs do not show any reaction to milk or dairy products. Be aware though, that milk and dairy products can cause an allergic reaction in your dog. The enzymes and lactose in dairy cause all sorts of allergies in people, and can do the same in dogs. The most common indication that your beloved hound doesn’t react well to dairy is the onset of diarrhoea and other digestive upsets, as well as a sudden itchiness. If your dog starts becoming itchy for no apparent reason and you’ve been feeding it dairy products, it’s probably time to stop. The sooner the better.
Onions and Garlic: Look people, the jury is out on the garlic. I know of many people who give their dogs garlic in very small does (usually in the minced form, ie, ‘jarlic’) to ward off fleas. When I say very small doses, I mean barely a teaspoon in at least 2kg or more of meat. It’s up to you, but don’t say you weren’t warned! If you don’t know, then it’s best to avoid taking the chance. All forms of onion should be avoided completely, whether it be raw, cooked, dehydrated or in powdered form. The enzymes in onion destroy the red blood cells, leading to anaemia and poisoning. Be aware that some baby food has powered onion in it, so this should be avoided as well. Symptoms of toxicity from ingesting onion include weakness, vomiting, loss of interest in food, lethargy and difficulty breathing.
Coffee, Tea and Other Caffeine Products: Caffeine in large enough quantities will kill your dog. If your dog has ingested a fatal dose of caffeine, nothing will save it. Symptoms of caffeine poisoning include restlessness, rapid breathing, heart palpitations, muscle tremors, fits and bleeding. In addition to coffee and tea, caffeine is also found in cocoa, chocolate, colas (never give your dog Coke or cola under any circumstances), some cold medicines and pain killers, and also in stimulant drinks such as Red Bull and V. Red Bull may give people wings, but it will give your dog angel wings.
What do Greyhounds eat?
An average dog’s lifespan is 14 years so, if on average we’re talking 2 meals a day, that’s over 10,000 meals during it’s lifetime. That makes food choice for your hound a very important one.
Below are the building blocks of knowledge for you to consider when it comes to keeping your greyhounds happy and healthy through their diet. As always, research widely, but be a critical thinker….
You can’t see them, but like us dogs share their bodies with many unique colonies of microbes eg bacteria, fungi, viruses. The largest colony of these microbes is found in the gut, more correctly known as the Enteric Nervous System. All these separate communities of microbes are collectively known as the microbiome.
A relatively new body of science is emerging which is making it very clear that the microbiome is a ‘forgotten organ’ of sorts however it plays a vital role in overall health. The individual ecosystem of gut microbes shapes your dog’s immune system, influencing digestion, and affecting their risk of developing disease.
Perhaps, most interestingly is the role that gut health plays in mood and behaviour as the microbes living in your dog’s gut communicate directly with their brain through a complex network of neurons. Research has found that, not only do the types of gut microbes change when animals are exposed to stress, health problems related to the gut can be the cause of mood and behavioural shifts.
Additionally, 95% of the serotonin (a chemical responsible for good mood) in the body is found in the gut and the types of microbes found in the gut have been found to strongly influence the levels of serotonin.
Keeping the microbes in the gut happy, stable and healthy is vital to ensure a happy and healthy hound. You can think of these gut microbes as tiny friends who can support and benefit your dog; however, they need the right ingredients to do their job.
When you change your dog’s diet, you also change what you’re feeding the microbes in their gut. Switching diets alters the diversity of the microbiome and if typically, the dog only eats a limited selection of food and this transition occurs quickly, they may get an upset tummy. To avoid discomfort (and diarrhoea) gradually introduce new foods to give the gut time to adjust safely.
Finding the right base food, whether that be raw, biscuits (kibble), or wet food (dog roll, canned) is also tricky. There is one website that can help you make more informed decisions called dog food advisor: https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com
Here they have given nutritional information and an unbiased rating system for each of the foods.
· Feeding an exclusively fresh and unprocessed diet is not always possible, convenient or affordable. But even replacing 25% of your dog’s base food (even if processed) with fresh food, three times a week will make a huge difference. One study showed that dogs that ate dark leafy green, yellow and orange vegetables 3+ times per week had a 90% decrease in cancer risk.
· When looking at the ingredients in dog biscuits, look for meats and ideally not by-product or meal (which is usually a ground up version of the bits humans refuse to eat). In terms of how much of the product should be meat, look for food which contains 65 – 80% animal content.
· Grains and vegetables are usually a good source of protein and carbohydrates as well. This will include some (but not too much) corn and wheat. Grain-free is a recent gimmick and currently there is no real evidence to support that this is beneficial to our dogs.
· Fresh vegetables are a better source of carbohydrates than grains so watch to ensure your dog’s carbs are coming from a good, ideally fresh, source. You can finely chop or grate veges to mix in with meat to make it more palatable if necessary.
· You can mix raw food with cooked food. There is no research to suggest kibble or cooked food takes longer to digest or that dogs struggle with this.
· Raw meaty bones such as chicken frames and briskets are great for cleaning dog’s teeth.
Scavenging is a natural behaviour and is what turned our free roaming street dogs into the pets that lay beside us on the sofa. With that in mind it is boring to eat the same thing, out of a bowl, every day. Each meal is an opportunity to enrich your dog’s life. Here are some ideas:
· You can provide an outlet for the dog to scavenge through hide and seek games. Hide a few pieces of food in easy places to begin with e.g. around their usual eating area, then multiple locations around the house or the garden. This is a feast for all the senses and encourages less confident dogs to explore their environment.
· Scatter feeding in long grass, this slows down dogs who like to inhale their food and makes them smell, look and taste a little more.
· Kongs or other durable food dispensing toys (even muffin trays) slow down manic eating behaviour. You can stuff Kongs or cow hooves with raw meat/canned food and then freeze or refrigerate them as a cool treat in warm weather.
· You can also make DIY toys and hide treats in recycling; carboard boxes, egg cartons, or folded over toilet roll tubes for dogs to dissect (another species-specific behaviour).
· Tasting trays allow dogs to try different foods and select the ones they like the best. Place different foods in the muffin tins, so there is a difference in taste, smell, and texture. Experiment with variety and pick out ‘human foods’ you may not usually feed – fruit, vegetables, egg, different kinds of meat. You might be surprised what their preferences are. Remember you can check online if you have concerns about unsafe foods to feed (e.g. chocolate, grapes, avocado, macadamia nuts, stones from fruit, onion, large amounts of garlic, xylitol).
· Use a portion of your dog’s daily meal to reward desirable behaviour in training or to create positive associations.
Do not feed multiple dogs in the same space at the same time. Food is a highly valuable resource and feeding in close proximity can cause unnecessary stress and conflict.
Please leave your dog alone while they are eating and monitor any children to ensure they do not interfere.