Bleeding Issues

HEALTH-GREYHOUNDS ARE DIFFERENT: Bleeding Issues

Another topic where knowledge is the best medicine is that you should be aware that some greyhounds seem to have a tendency to bleed excessively post surgery or when injured. This is a particular concern to GreySave when our new greyhounds go in for spay surgery, but an adopter must also be aware of the possibility just in case their greyhound starts to bruise or bleed after any surgery or after a tumble. In the early days of GreySave, we were given various explanations for the problem by vets and even one of the national testing labs. We were very worried as we searched for what we could do to potentially help post-surgery. In early 2000 the Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center started work on the topic as they were doing osteosarcoma surgeries and experiencing bleeding issues.

The following is a link to a comprehensive report titled Why Do Greyhounds Bleed.

Now that we have worried you that maybe your greyhound could just start to bleed internally the good news is that they also identified a medicine that is useful in preventing excessive bleeding or stopping it if it starts. The one medicine ALL greyhound adopters and veterinarians should know about is Aminocaproic acid, more commonly called Amacar. Aminocaproic acid can be used to treat excessive postoperative bleeding. It can be given orally or intravenously. The specialty veterinary clinic GreySave takes our orthopedic greyhounds to for surgery uses it and has saved many greyhound’s lives. Interestingly enough, the Greyhound Bleeding Disorder has been know for some time and the use of Aminocaproic acid is even referenced in the Care of the Racing and Retired Greyhound book as far back as 2007. Even back then the book mentions Amacar but still many vets don’t know about it or even will fight your suggestion to use it. You, as the adopter, must know about the potential for greyhound bleeding so you can make sure your vet and/or an emergency room vet you may encounter is aware of the bleeding possibilities and the medicine to counteract it.

A good source of information on Amacar is the Greyhound Data website.