A good, well-balanced diet is essential for your greyhound’s health and performance. Inadequate diet can lead to poor bone growth and reduce a greyhound’s ability to heal after injury.

A balanced diet requires a mix of protein, carbohydrates, fat and fibre, adequate to maintain body condition.

The precise amounts and proportions of food to provide to each greyhound to achieve this will differ. Greyhounds’ dietary needs vary according to a range of factors such as:

What to feed your greyhound

Getting the right mix of foods in your greyhound’s diet is a science, and many greyhound trainers guard their trade secrets closely! But here are some things to bear in mind:

	Greyhounds need protein for bone growth and muscle repair. They love meat, but more protein is not always better. Not only is meat more expensive, but balancing meat with carbohydrates will result in the protein content of meat being available for muscle repair, rather than being “wasted” in producing energy. Too much protein in a greyhound’s diet may also cause diarrhoea.
	Many trainers include rice, pasta or bread in their greyhound’s diet. Carbohydrates provide a greyhound with the energy it needs to run.
	Many trainers add fruit or vegetables to their greyhound’s diet. These are good for adding fibre to the diet, which assists digestion.
	Fat is essential in a greyhound’s diet to provide energy and assist with the absorption of vitamins from its food. Fat is often present in meat, and many trainers also add fish (but beware of Arsenic in fish products) or vegetable oils to their greyhound’s diet. Extra fat in the diet is necessary in cold weather.
	Mineral content – especially calcium - is necessary for bone strength. Inadequate mineral content - particularly when a puppy is growing - can impact bone strength and predispose the greyhound to injuries.
	Kibble is a convenient food for dogs, and most trainers now use kibble to form some part of their greyhound’s diet. Quality dog biscuits are formulated to provide for your greyhound’s nutritional needs but whatever brand you choose, it is important to check what is in it.
	Greyhounds are vulnerable to dental disease, which can be painful and costly to treat. Consequently, it is important to include raw, meaty bones or chews as part of your greyhound’s regular diet.

Supplements

A greyhound that is being kept as a pet and receiving a good, well-balanced diet should not need supplements. However, training, racing and pregnancy can result in increased demand for nutrients.  As a result, the greyhound may experience a deficit of particular nutrients, vitamins or electrolytes.

Many trainers include supplements such as calcium in their greyhound’s diet. When using supplements, it is important to remember that more is not always better. Giving the wrong supplements, or supplements in incorrect amounts, can have negative health effects for greyhounds.

Human supplements and vitamins may contain toxic or prohibited substances, so it is best to use supplements registered for use in dogs and speak to a veterinarian before use. Some commercially produced supplements contain prohibited substances such as arsenic or cobalt (vitamin B12) that can result in a positive swab, even in very small doses.

As with any food, be sure to check exactly what is in the supplement before giving it to a greyhound. ‘Natural’ or herbal products may still contain prohibited substances and are best avoided close to racing. If in doubt, ask your vet for advice. Vets can also do a blood test to identify vitamin or mineral deficiencies.

Things to avoid

There are certain foods that are harmful and even toxic for dogs, including:

Hydration

Water is essential to maintain good greyhound health, and promote a high level of performance.

The Greyhound Welfare Code of Practice requires all greyhounds to have access to fresh clean water at all times. This standard reflects a similar requirement in the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979 for all animals in our care.

Dehydration is a significant risk for greyhounds, particularly after racing or travelling.  Even mild dehydration can have major impacts on a greyhound’s race performance, as well as on their long-term health.

A greyhound requires about 2 litres of water a day – up to 3 litres in hot weather and depending upon their level of physical activity. Other periods of increased requirement include pregnancy and lactation.  Young growing greyhounds should also have access to plenty of clean fresh water - enough for the litter group - at all times, as water is essential for growth.

Much of this water will come from the greyhound’s food. With a balanced diet of wet and dry food, including some vegetables, the fresh water drunk in a 24 hour period by a greyhound may only make up 10 or 15 % of the total water consumed each day, but fresh water must remain available at all times.

Greyhounds are often not big drinkers – some will gulp water down while others are more fussy.  The key to getting your greyhound to drink is to offer them water when and where they would like to drink, and to have clean fresh water available to drink at all times.

If your greyhound is not drinking enough, it may be a result of anxiety about its environment – you could try moving its drinking bowl somewhere else.  You could also try adding a small amount of water to its food to help maintain fluid intake.

It’s vital to keep water bowls clean at all times - sanitise the bowls regularly and rinse them well before refilling them. Remember that dogs have a much better sense of smell than humans, and will be able to smell a problem with the water or the bowl.  Metal bowls are better than plastic ones, because they are easier to keep clean.

In hot weather, water can also warm up quickly and greyhounds will not want to drink it.  Try to keep water bowls in the shade, and change the water more often.  Adding ice cubes to the water or ice treats with food also provides an incentive for the greyhound to drink.

A basic test for dehydration is to pinch up the skin on the greyhound’s back for a few seconds, then release it.  It should return to normal almost immediately.  If the greyhound is dehydrated, the skin is less elastic and the return to normal will be slower.

A dehydrated greyhound will often show other symptoms as well, such as lethargy, dry skin and mouth, sunken eyes and a ‘tucked-up tummy’.

Severe dehydration can be life-threatening in dogs: if a greyhound is severely dehydrated, seek veterinary attention immediately. Even if a greyhound is mildly dehydrated, a visit to the veterinarian is advisable if the dehydration is recurring or persistent as there could be an underlying problem.

The Commission’s Race Day Hydration and Hot Weather Policy covers requirements around providing water to greyhounds on race days, including how to apply for an exemption from these provisions under specified circumstances.

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