Greyhound Recovery Initiative

On this page you will find information on:

• Introduction
• Funding
• Re-homing

On 1 April 2022 Greyhound Racing Victoria (GRV) enhanced its Greyhound Recovery Initiative (“GRI”) to provide additional funding.

The GRI is a program to provide funding towards the off-track veterinary diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of a greyhound that is suspected or confirmed to have a ‘GRI-eligible’ injury or medical condition sustained during a Victorian race meeting or coursing meeting that is attended by a GRV On-Track Veterinarian (OTV). A GRI-eligible injury or medical condition is defined as:

• any bone fracture except a single metacarpal or metatarsal fracture, a toe (phalangeal and/or sesamoid) fracture or a tail fracture; or
• any joint dislocation above and including the wrist or hock so does not include a metacarpal-phalangeal or metatarsal-phalangeal dislocation, a toe dislocation or a tail dislocation; or
• a complete Achilles tendon rupture; or
• any other injury or medical condition where on-track euthanasia may otherwise be considered appropriate in accordance with GRV’s On-Track Euthanasia Guidelines.

The OTV must stabilise the injury/condition and administer appropriate pain relief and may require that the greyhound receives overnight veterinary care at an emergency veterinary clinic (GRI-funded). The participant in charge of the greyhound must arrange to transport the greyhound to an off-track veterinarian of their choice for an initial off-track veterinary diagnostic consultation. The purpose of this consultation is to obtain an accurate diagnosis of the injury/condition and prognosis particularly where it requires confirmation by diagnostic tests such as x-rays.

Funding

Funding consists of veterinary costs payable directly to the veterinarian(s) and/or reimbursement of the participant; and, if eligible, a GRI Rehabilitation Grant payable directly to the participant.

Veterinary costs: Following the initial off-track veterinary diagnostic consultation there are two possible outcomes:

1. Injury/condition confirmed to be not GRI-eligible: GRV will fund all reasonable costs of the initial veterinary diagnostic consultation (including immediate treatment, such as pain relief and/or stabilisation necessary to ensure the welfare of the greyhound during this stage) up to the point of reaching a diagnosis but will not fund any subsequent treatment costs.
2. Injury/condition confirmed to be GRI-eligible: GRV will provide funding as follows:

• • Stage 1: GRV will fund all reasonable costs of the initial veterinary diagnostic consultation (including immediate treatment, such as pain relief and/or stabilisation necessary to ensure the welfare of the greyhound during this stage) up to the point of reaching a diagnosis plus:
    • where the greyhound is treated conservatively, this treatment and aftercare will be fully funded; or
    • where the greyhound is treated surgically, all reasonable pre-surgical costs will be fully funded (surgery costs are covered in stage 2 below); or
    • where the prospects of recovery with an acceptable welfare outcome are poor, such that euthanasia is considered by the veterinarian to be in the best interests of the greyhound, GRV will also fund the cost of euthanasia.
  • Stage 2 (surgery): Over and above stage 1 funding, GRV will also fund all reasonable veterinary costs for the surgical treatment and post operative care up to $5,000 (including GST) for complex surgical cases and up to $3,000 (including GST) for all other cases. Additional funds may be available in exceptional circumstances by application to GRV.

Rehabilitation Grant: The participant in charge of the greyhound must arrange appropriate care and rehabilitation for the greyhound while it recovers and is rehabilitated. In addition to funding for veterinary costs, the participant may also be eligible for the Rehabilitation Grant to help with the cost of caring for the greyhound during recovery, which can be used in any manner including payment of additional veterinary costs. To be eligible for the Rehabilitation Grant, the greyhound must have a confirmed GRI-eligible injury/condition and GRV must have received necessary documentation to show the greyhound has been treated under the GRI. This includes completed part B of the GRI Admission Form (showing the estimated period of rehabilitation), clinical notes, copies of x-rays and either invoice(s) from the veterinarian, or a request for reimbursement of the participant for veterinary costs already paid.

GRV will email the owner of the greyhound once documentation has been received by GRV, asking the owner if they wish to receive the Rehabilitation Grant, and if so who to pay it to and which bank account. The person receiving the Rehabilitation Grant will also have to confirm they have read and accepted the GRI Rehabilitation Grant Terms and Conditions, which will be provided to them in the email or read out to them on the phone. The Rehabilitation Grant is payable at GRV’s absolute discretion and is as follows:

• $70/week (maximum 12 weeks) if the participant intends to do the rehabilitation themselves or engages another person to do the rehabilitation; or
• Actual costs up to a maximum of $105/week (plus GST if the facility is GST registered) (maximum 12 weeks) if the participant engages a GRV-approved rehabilitation facility to do the rehabilitation.

Re-homing

The participant remains responsible for re-homing the greyhound if it is not kept as a pet or for breeding purposes. Any greyhound admitted into the GRI will be granted priority access to a standard GAP Pre-entry Assessment (GAPPEA) once sufficiently recovered, if requested by the participant. To be accepted into GAP, the greyhound must be in sound health (i.e. must not be lame), be fully vaccinated (to GAP requirements) and must pass the GAPPEA.

Process

1. OTV examines the greyhound, provides pain relief, injury stabilisation and other appropriate treatment, and assists in facilitating referral to a suitable off-track veterinary clinic where required.
2. OTV and Steward complete part A of this form and emails a copy to [email protected], plus a copy of the Steward’s Order for Follow-up Veterinary Consultation (if issued) and the Veterinary Examination Details form.
3. Steward provides the participant in charge of the greyhound with this complete form (part A completed), the Steward’s Order for Follow-up Veterinary Consultation (if issued) and the Veterinary Examination Details form.
4. Participant transports greyhound to veterinarian of their choice for assessment and diagnosis, within the required timeframe. Participant and off-track veterinarian discuss the most suitable treatment option.
5. The off-track veterinarian treats the greyhound and emails completed Part B of this form to [email protected] accompanied by clinical notes and x-rays. Invoices should be sent to GRV as soon as possible, noting veterinary invoices for follow-up treatment can continue to be sent to GRV up to the capped amount for that greyhound.
6. Where participants are seeking reimbursement of veterinary invoices that they have already paid, they must email a copy of the invoice(s) and receipt(s) to [email protected].
7. Where participants are applying for the Rehabilitation Grant, they must ensure GRV has the completed part B, and GRV must also have received invoice(s) directly from the veterinarian, or a request for reimbursement of veterinary invoices already paid by the participant (to show the participant’s acceptance of GRI veterinary funding).

If the greyhound is to race again, there is no requirement to reimburse GRV but there will be a requirement for an independent off-track veterinary clearance certificate prior to nomination (in addition to requirements as per rules).

Download the PDF version here.