Injuries

[Aussie Whip 4,106]

I used to run big 30in Aust staghounds who were forever getting injuries but now in my older age, been working whippets and there crosses,have seen way less injuries except skin rips on the younger dogs,but not the career ending injuries of the big types.What do others think.

[shaaark 10,832]

I think exactly that. In my experience, bigger dogs have far more injuries than smaller, lighter dogs. Shoulders, toes, ligaments etc, not rips or tears like you say

[shaaark 10,832]

A 70-80 lb dog is going to have a lot more stress and strain on it's joints etc, than a 30-40 lb dog. And obviously, when bigger dogs hit something running at roughly the same speed as the smaller dogs, they hit it with a lot more force and impact, resulting in more damage . 

All the smaller dogs I've owned have suffered less injuries than my bigger dogs

Edited June 30, 2018 by shaaark

[shaaark 10,832]

But you'll also get people saying they have big, strong, robustly built dogs that hardly ever have injuries, even after they've had a good few bumps whilst working. When people tell me that, I just think their dog couldn't be that fast, and/or didn't hit any object hard enough.

Watch people's reaction to this post now A W lol

[Saltmoon 2,208]

My old bullx would get injured just on a normal walk free running always coming back limping. Dog I have now free running never don't anything to himself but I'll see how he gets on in the season but he has good brakes where my bullx didn't have any and would always run in to stuff 

[Maximus Ferret 2,063]

Big dogs undoubtedly get more bad injuries.

Having said that my big bitch, 29 inches at the shoulder and around  75lb weight, has only had one bad one and that was from a head on collision with quarry. Apart from that she's only had one sprained toe (while playing at the beach on clean sand) and a load of the usual stopper injuries that all my dogs pick up regularly. She is quite fast but knows when to slow down and has been lucky so far with collisions. (Fingers crossed and touch wood).

[mud 2,044]

I hope not I’ve just lined my 27inc deer/bull/grey to a 29 inc coursing greyhound

[green dragon 701]

My dog hit a stone wall last week playing with another lurcher cost me 500quid in stitches and xray and meds it's going to take a few weeks to get him running again the vets just filled him full of smack  he 25 in 26/27kg if he was a smaller dog I don't know if he would be running again or even survived it 

 

Edited July 1, 2018 by green dragon

[Aussie Whip 4,106]

They always seem to hurt themselves more when mucking around,going on silly,compared to working when there more focussed.Good luck with your dog mate.

[ChilliMark 9]

My dog hit a concrete post going full pelt.she collapsed in the long grass but tried to get up again,looked like a scene from platoon,the amount of blood gushing out of her mouth was scary.I thought she'd burst a lung or something as bad.Turned out she had bitten through her tongue 3/4 of the way.she maybe had half inch stopping it from being completely off.Vet said I had to just let it heal,they can't stitch tongues,it went back together quite quickly but wasn't quite straight,when she drank she made he'll of a mess.

[Daniel cain 45,566]

Old bitch hit a metal roof sheet..... Split her from her chest to her fanny..... Wrapped her up and got her to vets..... They will amaze you sometimes how tuff they are

[terryd 8,470]

Yes I think you are right my beddy whippet was a feather weight and tiny and I could lamp her any where. She seemed to float over stuff. Sadly didn't float over an electric fence one night. But that was invisinvisible and she had to retire after that.

MY big pudding now is four times the weight and it gives me a cold shiver when I think of his last tumble. I could hear him running full blast down through an open wood. I could hear the thud thud as he went flat out. I new it wasn't going to end well then I heard an all might yelp when he hit the fence then quiet followed by a whopping thud when he went over the edge of bank and hit the deck. Never forget that sound. But his still hear at least for a  bit longer 

But I also think the beddy whippet ran according to the ground and used her head where as blunderbus only has one speed so that has a lot to do with it. 

[Aussie Whip 4,106]

I'm thinking the little running dogs know there more fragile and therefore more careful,but not always.My little 3/4whippet 1/4stag would jump off 20ft cliffs into blackberries after rabbits.Luckily has finally calmed down at nearly 6.Only ever broke 1 rib which sticks out a bit,but has got stitched heaps.A truly reckless dog but very exciting to watch work.

Edited July 1, 2018 by Aussie Whip

[Caravan Monster 323]

4 hours ago, Aussie Whip said:

They always seem to hurt themselves more when mucking around,going on silly,compared to working when there more focussed.Good luck with your dog mate.

Mine cracked some ribs a few weeks back running into a ditch. It was odd because she was just messing around and knows that field inside out having jumped that ditch a thousand times. She uses her head when working, which I am thankful for as on top of the usual hazards, there is plenty of that angle iron fence round here about 16" high with single strand barbed wire, just right for killing and maiming lurchers. She's not a happy dog now, panting in the sun with sore ribs and come into season for good measure

[Maximus Ferret 2,063]

Those drainage cuts that the forestry make when they plant up a new area of moorland......  those scare me. Once the heather grows a bit they just disappear. So far the dogs have been lucky but I've fallen in the b*st*rds loads of times. If ever a dog hits one wrong when going flat out it'll do damage for sure.

Edited July 1, 2018 by Maximus Ferret