I have had an interest in Greyhound Medicine & Surgery since the 1970's when for a short time I owned a few greyhounds.That was before the 'Gabba venue was developed and we raced at Capalaba, Lawnton, Beenleigh or Tweed Heads.

I spent some time with Dr. Jim Gannon of Melbourne, learning various aspects of Sports Medicine, and how to diagnose and treat various injuries which greyhounds commonly sustain due to their abnormal mode of running. (ie: anti-clockwise at high speed).

I also spent time with Dr. Alex Hauler, also of Melbourne, learning chiropractic adjustments for greyhounds.

In the 1970's and early1980's firstly at the Morningside Veterinary Clinic, and later at the KippaRing Vet Surgery I was kept fairly busy practising Greyhound Sports Medicine. This involved using the specialised diagnostic techniques of Hauler & Gannon together with a mix of surgery, acupuncture and chiropractic for treatments.

In the 1990's I was living in Kuranda, and had practices in Mareeba and Cairns where I continued with my greyhound activities. For a period I was the track Veterinarian for the Cairns Greyhound Racing Club which raced on a Thursday night . Saturday mornings were always busy times, as we saw a large number of Greyhounds on a regular basis. In fact some clients had the same Saturday morning time slot for about 8 years.

To maximise a greyhounds performance it is necessary to keep the dog fit, injury free and "balanced". If a dog is carrying an injury it will compensate as it runs to try to protect that injury. This inevitably throws the dog out of balance and further injuries are guaranteed to occur. The ideal scenario is to give your dog a hydrobath the morning after every race or "hit out" as this will eliminate the small sorenesses. Then have your dog examined for injury the following day. If you race Thursday night, then Saturday morning is ideal for this procedure. At this visit I thoroughly examine the greyhound as a racing machine, carefully palpating each and every muscle and joint of the legs and spine, looking for muscle strains, sprains and tears, and also for any joint subluxations that may be causing dysfunction. In a greyhound that has not been seen before, it may take a few weeks of treatment to restore it to an injury free state using a combination of acupuncture, chiropractic and ultrasound and a graded exercise program. Once a greyhound is returned to a functional soundness, it is usually a simple matter to diagnose and treat injuries on a Saturday and have the dog fit for racing the next Thursday.

At our rooms at 259 Panorama Drive Nambour, I am now available to consult on greyhound problems either as they arise or on a regular basis. The Practice Ceased operations in 2005