Animal Welfare Report – 26 April 2022

Vaccinations for greyhounds

The Code of Practice requires all adult greyhounds to have a current C5 vaccination. A “current C5” for an adult greyhound usually means a C3 (parvovirus, distemper and hepatitis) every three years and a Kennel Cough every 12 months. However, vaccination requirements for acceptance into GAP are more specific, so please check with GRV if you are planning to get a vaccination for this purpose. Also see https://gap.grv.org.au/about-gap/intake-model/ for the requirements.

Please speak to your veterinarian about when your greyhounds are next due for a vaccination and ensure your Kennel Cough vaccine is up to date, because that is the infectious disease of most concern in the greyhound industry. You will need to record your greyhound’s adult vaccinations in its Greyhound Record (paper-based, electronic or FastTrack).

On 1 April 2022 GRV made significant improvements to the GRI in terms of available funding. Just a reminder that greyhounds who are eligible for the GRI may, in addition to financial support for veterinary costs, also be eligible for the GRI rehabilitation grant which is paid directly to the participant to support recovery from the injury (it can also be used for additional veterinary costs). As part of the changes on 1 April, additional funds are available if you choose to pay someone else to rehabilitate your greyhound, including a rehabilitation facility. Instead of having to apply for the Rehabilitation Grant, GRV will be contacting the racing owner once GRV as received the necessary documentation. For more information on the scheme (especially the changes), please speak to your OTV (if you are on-track), contact the GRV Welfare department or visit https://greyhoundcare.grv.org.au/greyhound-recovery-initiative/.

When a greyhound sustains a significant injury on-track, the Steward may issue a written order, to the trainer or participant-in-charge of the greyhound, requiring the participant to seek off-track veterinary treatment according to the timeframe stated by the On-Track Veterinarian (OTV); either same day, next day or within three days.

It is critical that the participant:

• sees the off-track veterinarian within the required timeframe; and
• gets the off-track veterinarian to sign the bottom of the order form; and
• emails a photo or scan of the completed form to [email protected]

It is the participant’s responsibility to comply with the order so please do not leave the order form with the veterinarian for them to return to GRV because commonly it does not get returned to GRV in time.

GAP bookings and priority for desexed greyhounds

This is a reminder that desexed greyhounds on the GAP waiting list (i.e. those not yet allocated a date/time) are given priority into new slots over un-desexed (entire) greyhounds. However, FastTrack must have your greyhound recorded as desexed for the priority system to work so it is worth checking with Racing Services that your greyhound is recorded on FastTrack as desexed when you first book your greyhound on the waiting list or if your greyhound is on the waiting list and you have just had it desexed. If you have a desexing certificate, please email it to [email protected] so we can update FastTrack for you. Please do not assume that GRV has received a certificate from your veterinarian – even if it went through the GRV Desexing and Dental Scheme.

In addition to priority entry, advantages of desexing include:

1. The potential to increase the likelihood of the greyhound passing its assessment; and
2. In the case of females, it avoids the situation of her coming into season at the last minute and not being able to attend the assessment; and
3. Greyhounds arriving at GAP desexed can be adopted quicker (if teeth are in good condition) which ultimately benefits participants by GAP being able to accept more greyhounds more quickly.

GRV’s Desexing and Dental Scheme (see https://greyhoundcare.grv.org.au/rehoming/desexing-and-dental-scheme/) will cover the entire cost of both desexing and dental treatment in most cases.

Ideally desexing should be done at least 6 weeks prior to PEA to gain the benefits from a behavioural point of view, but if it is not possible to be done that far in advance, it should be a minimum of 2 weeks for a female and 1 week for a male.

In addition to desexing and dental treatment, participants can assist greatly by having their greyhounds as “adoption ready” as possible before PEA, which will also maximise the chances of the greyhound passing the assessment. This includes ensuring greyhounds are used to being around small dogs and other people; and ensuring medical issues (including previous injuries) are resolved.

What do I do if my greyhound is on the waiting list?

Preparation: You can use the waiting time to further prepare the greyhound for rehoming, including desexing and dental treatment and ongoing handling and socialisation (which will increase the chances of the greyhound passing the assessment).

1. Alternatives: You can try contacting other rehoming groups but be aware they also currently have waiting lists and will generally require desexing prior to acceptance.
2. PetCheck: From March onwards, GRV will again be offering PetCheck behaviour assessments to greyhounds on the waiting list (very similar to a PEA except GAP will not take the greyhound on the day if it passes). This will be useful to provide some certainty about the greyhound’s behaviour and, if you are opting to rehome the greyhound privately, to help you better place the greyhound in the right home. If you would like to have a PetCheck for your greyhound, please ring Carly at GAP on 03 5799 0166 to discuss and book it in. The plan is to offer slots at the end of the PEA sessions. To be eligible, your greyhound will need to be on the PEA waiting list and vaccinated as per the requirements for GAP (to protect the GAP helper dogs).

For more information see https://gap.grv.org.au/about-gap/intake-model/.