GREYHOUND MAIL - MARCH 2003 TIPS FOR TRAINERS - NEWS IN BRIEF
Greyhound people will be pleased to learn of the recent release of a powerful, palatable, all wormer tablet for dogs. The tablet, CANAMEX, a product of VIRBAC animal health, suits dogs of all ages and sizes and is safe for puppies, lactating bitches and older dogs. I see CANAMEX with all of its advantages as an effective companion to ELIMINATOR, when rotation is required with worming treatments. WHAT WILL CANIMAX DO? CANIMAX does a lot. It is recommended for the treatment of roundworm, hookworm, whipworm and tapeworm, including hydatids, and for the prevention of heartworm. This tablet is terrific. It is effective, it is safe, and it is economical. It is used every six weeks and it is Australian made so you can't beat that. For more information about CANIMAX, call VIRBAC on their toll free number 1800 242 100. VITAMIN E AND OTHER VITAMINS The December edition of Walk and Talk alerted readers to the importance of Vitamin E for peak performance. In February, more facts about Vitamin E surfaced (courtesy of Greyhound Update, Volume 1). Here are more interesting points about Vitamin E and other vitamins. 1.     Do not feed Vitamin E, or Vitamin E and Selenium, or Vitamin C at the same time as supplements of Iron and Copper as these minerals can interact and destroy these vitamins. 2.     Do not store damp feed containing minerals and vitamins for more than 3 to 4 hours as this environment will destroy some of the vitamins. 3.     Do not mix vitamins into warm feeds after cooking. Wait and mix just prior to feeding. 4.     Do not mix vitamins into feed containing Alkaline Electrolytes (example Bicarb soda) as some may be destroyed before the greyhound consumes them. 5.     Use extra vitamins in times of stress. Remember dr. Kohnke emphasised in his talk in Kentucky, USA, last year that recommendation for B group Vitamin intake for the racing greyhound is at least 3 times higher than NRC (1985) recommendations (see Walk And Talk, December 2002). 6.     Freezing destroys Vitamin E in meat and vegetables and therefore it is important to add extra Vitamin E to meet requirements. WATCH THE CARBOHYDRATES Watch the amount of carbohydrates in the diet, don't overload and match carbohydrate intake with exercise, or cramping could result. Carbohydrates include bread and cereals. TAKE CARE WITH SUPPLEMENTS When supplementing their dogs, trainers should follow the directions laid down by the manufacturer. After all, double dosing or giving too much (often in the hope of a better result) is unnecessary, wasteful, expensive and at worst harmful. This also applies to product duplication where inadvertent doubling up with similar products can have the same outcome. For example if using Beta-Cel as your daily electrolyte replacer, why use another as well? In the case of Beta-Cel, specifically designed for greyhounds, more electrolytes are definitely not required. The same advice applies to other products, especially hemopoietic agents (these products help production of blood cells and platelets) where trainers may have difficulty in knowing if they are duplicating or not. In cases such as this it is best to seek the unbiased advice of someone who know and go from there. For example, if using Hippiron as your injectable iron supplements, do not use another brand as well. Oral iron type products are a group where misuse can easily occur with unfortunate results. Overdosing with these products may cause mucosal blockage, irritation to the stomach, toxic effects will produce black stools. There are some excellent products in the market place, but simply, more of the same is not necessarily better. PICK ME UP FOR PUPS Most pups are good doers, especially when getting to the weaning stage and sniffing around the mother's food bowl. However, occasionally for one reason or another, this is not the case. In stances like this, the following advice will be helpful (courtesy Sue Simpson, Broadford Victoria. Sue is a very experienced pup raiser). Try 1 ml VAM PASTE over the tongue. Three days later giver another 1ml. In Sue's case with a backward litter, she noticed they started to eat the day after the first dose and didn't look back. In discussion about this episode, Dr. Kohnke reminded me that milk is deficient in iron and at that stage the pups were probably anaemic (the mother was also a poor milk producer). The iron in VAM is thought to help oxygen transfer in muscle activity and so this and the other components in VAM encourage and maintain appetite. An effective alternative if VAM is not on your shelf is Blood Food Tablets. These are not expensive and have the advantage or oral administration, which is handy for needle shy dogs and when your injection technique is not too good. Blood Food Tablets as the name suggests, contain a highly available source of iron with important blood minerals and trace minerals, a full range of B Complex vitamins and vitamin C which helps absorption of iron and the activity of bone marrow. Of economic importance is the low dose of Blood Food Tablets which are designed to "top up" iron and vitamin supplies. The pup and growing greyhound dose of half that of an adult dog. This dose is 1 tablet daily for 7 days, followed by a 3 days break, then 1 tablet daily for a further 3 days. That's it. The course can be repeated every 3 to 4 weeks if required. Tablets are coated and best given over the tongue after the evening meal. If you need to know more about the use of Blood Food Tablets help is at hand by using the Virbac free call service line on 1800 242 100. Allan Brown is a technical Journalist, Director of Performance Print and the Publisher of "The Greyhound Update"