The most catastrophic injuries occur when greyhounds collide at speed of up to 68km per hour, particularly at track bends where they are attempting to turn and follow a lure position that is too close to the inside rail.
This is compounded by too many greyhounds starting each race. To reduce injuries, greyhounds can run on straight tracks; the number of greyhounds can be reduced per race; and a lure can be attached to an extended arm.
By far the most common injury suffered by racing greyhounds is a broken leg. These are often treatable injuries at an estimated cost of $4,000 depending on the severity, but most dogs are put down.
Greyhounds also suffer compound fractures and occasionally communited fractures which is where the bone is shattered and more often associated with being hit by a car or shot.
Many thousands of greyhounds continue to be seriously injured whilst racing, and many of these are killed. Injuries and deaths are partly due to the speeds at which greyhounds race. They are the fastest breed of dog, able to maintain average running speeds of around 40 mph (65 km/h). However, many factors relate to the design of the tracks and races themselves, and are preventable.
Professor Andrew Knight, University of Winchester
- Professor Andrew Knight, University of Winchester, Injuries in Racing Greyhounds (see Reports
- Injury footage: see 18 seconds in, one year old greyhound Entanglement (black and white and wearing no 8 rug) dies as a result of a collision with another dog.
