Leading Australian greyhound trainer Robert Britton gave an insightful interview to Greyhound Racing Victoria on how he manages the nutritional requirements of competitive Greyhounds.
I’ve summarized the key points from his interview below. (The original interview can be viewed at the end of this article).
Frequency of Feeding: Daily Meals and Snacks
Feeding racing greyhounds is an important aspect of their care regimen to ensure optimal health and performance. The frequency and quantity of feeding are two factors to consider.
Once a day with a snack at night: A common practice is to feed racing greyhounds once a day, typically around 9:30 in the morning, and then offer them a small snack at night. Examples of suitable night snacks include a dog biscuit or a bun.
Alternative feeding schedules: While feeding once a day and providing a snack at night works for many, you may also choose to divide the meals and offer smaller portions in the morning and at night. It is crucial to observe and understand your greyhound’s specific needs and make adjustments accordingly.
Quantity of Feeding: Meat Component and Adjustments
Greyhound diets often include a meat component, which is adjusted based on the dog’s size and performance.
Typical Meat Quantities
- Males: For male greyhounds, which are generally larger, the recommended meat portion is approximately 600 grams.
- Females: Female greyhounds, being smaller, generally receive around 500 grams of meat in their meals.
Adjustments Based on Individual Dogs
It is essential to observe and understand the requirements of individual dogs, adjusting their meal quantities as needed.
- Specific needs: Some greyhounds may be more active or engaged in more challenging training regimes, and consequently have a higher calorie requirement.
- Weight maintenance: Adjustments should be made with respect to the dog’s weight and overall health, ensuring they remain in good condition.
When feeding racing greyhounds, it’s important to balance frequency, meat quantity, and individual adjustments to maintain their overall well-being. Experimenting with meal schedules and different portions will lead to understanding the specific nuances of your greyhound’s needs.
Balanced Diet for Greyhounds: Controversies and Considerations
Maintaining a balanced diet for greyhounds is key to their overall well-being and performance. While weighing out all the food portions might seem meticulous, consistency is important to ensure that the meal is nutritionally balanced. However, the source of the meat content of their meals has become a topic of controversy.
The Debate Over Knackery Meat
Knackery meat, or slaughterhouse meat, was a common feed source for greyhounds in past years due to its good quality. However, recent developments have stirred controversy.
Potential contamination: With the advancement of swabbing procedures and health inspections, there have been instances where knackery meat has tested positive for contamination. This contamination can potentially result in positive doping tests for racing greyhounds.
Risk involved: For those who continue to feed knackery meat, considering the possible contamination, they are exposing themselves to considerable risk.
Preferred Meat Choices: The Shift towards Cleaner Meat
Given the controversy over knackery meat, the shift in preferred meat sources for greyhounds’ meals has been towards cleaner alternatives.
Clean meat preference: These safer alternatives to knackery meat are examples of ‘clean meat’. This type of meat has a lower risk of contamination, thus reducing the chance of potential positive swab tests due to the dog’s diet.
The choice of meat for greyhounds’ meals requires careful consideration due to the potential contamination risks associated with certain sources. Regardless, the emphasis should always be on providing a balanced diet to maintain the health and performance quality of the racing greyhounds.
Personal Preferences and Trends in Greyhound Feeding
The choice of feed for greyhounds can vary widely based on individual preferences and evolving trends in the industry. The objective remains to provide a balanced, high-quality diet that supports the health and performance of these dogs.
Composition of Diet: Meat Choices and Quantities
The meat portion of greyhound meals often comprises different types of meat, consumed in varying proportions.
Kangaroo and chicken meal: In Australia a popular choice for feeding greyhounds was a 50:50 mix of kangaroo and chicken. Both these meats offer unique nutritional benefits that contribute towards a balanced diet.
- Typical feeding amounts: For this particular meat mix, males are generally fed around 600 grams and females about 500 grams.
Alternatives to kangaroo and chicken: However, personal preferences can vary widely, and other high-quality meats can be just as beneficial. For example, good quality beef can serve as a suitable alternative.
Dry Food: Persistent Challenges and Future Trends
Aside from meat choices, the inclusion of dry food in a greyhound’s diet has seen changing trends.
- Traditional views: Historically, many have found it challenging to incorporate premium dry food into greyhound diets. Old-time trainers and owners often rely heavily on meat-based diets and may hesitate to include dry food.
- Future trends: Despite the challenges, the industry is witnessing a growing trend towards the inclusion of premium dry food in greyhound diets. This shift reflects evolving nutritional understanding and commercial availability of high-quality dry food options.
Feeding greyhounds is a combination of personal preferences, industry trends, and ensuring nutritional balance. Whether it’s a 50:50 mix of kangaroo and chicken, or high-quality beef, or even the inclusion of premium dry food, the end goal remains the same – a healthy, performing greyhound.
Understanding and Choosing Premium Dry Food for Greyhounds
There exists a variety of dry foods for greyhounds out on the market, encompassing a wide range of formulations and qualities. Premium dry food, in particular, boasts specially formulated ingredients that aim to provide comprehensive nutritional benefits.
Defining Premium Dry Food
A premium dry food doesn’t just carry the label ‘premium’ but offers tangible benefits due to its superior formulation.
- From kibble to premium dry food: Dry food, commonly known as kibble, has evolved significantly over time. The modern-day kibble is scientifically formulated and balanced to provide nutritional needs without needing additional additives.
- Aspect of ‘premium’: Using a premium product implies utilizing dog food that is nutritionally balanced and complete. There is no requirement for additional supplements as all necessary nutrients are already part of the product.
What to Look for in a Premium Dry Food?
When choosing a suitable premium dry food, a close examination of the nutritional contents and the ingredient list of the product is essential.
- Nutritional Content: Looking at the nutritional composition, a product that contains about 20% protein and 30% fat is considered ideal for maintaining a greyhound’s health and performance.
- Ingredient Quality: Beyond the basic nutritional content, the quality of ingredients plays a pivotal role in determining the quality of a premium dry food. If chicken is listed as the main ingredient, it is typically an indication that the food offers high-quality protein as opposed to grains like wheat.
Feeding Quantity: How Much to Give?
While the diet quality significantly impacts the greyhound’s health, the quantity of food provided is equally important. Different dietary compositions may require different feeding quantities.
For instance:
- Mix diet: For a dietary plan that incorporates dry food (kibble), meat, and two slices of brown bread, approximately one cup of this mixed diet is recommended for males while just under a cup suffices for females.
- Only dry food: If feeding only premium dry food, the recommended quantity increases to roughly three cups for male greyhounds and two and a half cups for female greyhounds.
By considering these factors, owners and trainers can effectively leverage premium dry food to provide optimal nutrition to greyhounds, supporting their performance and wellbeing.
Effects of Pure Premium Dry Food on Greyhounds: An Experiment
The nutritional benefits of premium dry food, coupled with its convenience and easy accessibility, make it an appealing choice for many greyhound owners and trainers. An experiment conducted on six greyhounds offers fascinating insights into the impact of feeding pure premium dry food over an extended period.
Experiment Setup and Overview
The experiment was initiated by a leading pet food company and aimed to assess the effects of feeding premium dry food as the exclusive diet for a six-month duration.
Key details of the study setup:
- Study Duration: Six months
- Number of Dogs Involved: Six greyhounds
- Diet Detail: The greyhounds were fed only premium dry food with water.
- Monitoring and Testing: A leading veterinarian regularly tested and monitored the dogs throughout the experiment.
Findings and Observations
The observations from this experimental study suggest that feeding greyhounds solely on premium dry food does not necessarily impact their performance or appearance in negative ways.
Key findings from the experiment:
- Change in Performance: The experiment demonstrated there was little to no change in the greyhounds’ performance over the course of the six months.
- Impact on Appearance: Similarly, there were no significant changes observed in the dogs’ physical appearance or condition.
These results affirm the nutritional completeness of premium dry food and its suitability as a standalone diet for greyhounds.
Implications and Continuing Practices
Despite the promising results of the experiment, changes in feeding practices among long-time greyhound owners and trainers are not always straightforward. Reasons for maintaining traditional feeding routines include:
- Persistence of old habits: For some, switching to purely feeding premium dry food can be challenging due to long-standing feeding routines and years of relying on a mixed-feed approach.
It should be noted that while the experimental results underline the nutritional adequacy of premium dry food, owners and trainers should always consider the unique needs and preferences of individual dogs when devising their feeding strategies.
