Understanding track injury data
The Greyhound Board of Great Britain publishes annual track injury data. The vast majority of all reported injuries relate to slight muscle sprains or minor cuts. We look at the numbers and explain the context.
At first sight, the concept of 4,238 injuries to greyhounds – even expressed as being little more than 1% - might appear shocking, however, it needs to be remembered that these are injuries of all kinds, from minor to more serious. The vast majority of these injuries relate to slight muscle sprains or a minor cut, things that on a pet dog wouldn’t involve veterinary intervention or, in the case of minor muscle pulls, would go unnoticed by their owner.
These are situations where a greyhound may need a week or two off from running to allow things to heal and to prevent them from incurring more serious injury by continuing to run. Most won’t even require any treatment beyond a massage, which they get regularly anyway. This can be likened to a footballer who has a couple of weeks on the sidelines due to a small injury that prevents them from playing at the top level – an inconvenience but nothing serious.
So why is this type of injury even reported? Two reasons, the first being the integrity of racing. In an average race lasting around 30 seconds, these amazing athletes are expected to race within two to three lengths of their optimal form. In other words, within 0.20seconds (one body length is calculated at 0.08 seconds). As a result, any greyhound carrying even the most minor injury will not run to form. The second is the sport’s statutory requirement to record all injuries. These figures are collated by the GBGB and are subject to scrutiny by The United Kingdon Accreditation Service (UKAS).
Some injuries are, of course, more serious and sometimes even career ending. Even in these cases the vast majority are mended, with the Injury Retirement Scheme covering veterinary costs, so that the greyhounds can live happy and normal lives in their forever homes. Most previous injuries would be undetectable to the average person. A top athlete can live a perfectly normal life following a career-ending injury: so can our canine athletes.
In rare cases – approx. 1 in 3,348 performances - sadly the decision is made to put a greyhound to sleep under immediate veterinary advice as the nature of the injury would cause undue suffering both at the time and moving forward. No greyhound can be put to sleep unless it is advised by the track veterinary surgeon. The ‘fatality at tracks’ figure has steadily declined over the years so it is disappointing to see a very slight rise from 2022. The quest for further improvement continues with track, breeding and training research.
