Case Study: This case study, of female greyhound Escapology, shows another series of injuries as result of her being a racing greyhound. She competed in 64 races during a career spanning just 2 years and 5 months. Escapology’s whereabouts are unknown following her retirement from racing. It is hoped that she is now in a loving home.
Name: Escapology
AGE/SEX: Born 20/6/19, female
STATUS: Retired following injury on 8 September 2023.
TRAINER: Colleen Pierson
PRIZE MONEY: $38,085
INJURIES TO DATE: 8 on-track injuries, 1 0ff-track injury, 1 off-track illness and 1 no apparent. Total cumulative stand downs given:137 days, total actual time way from racing: 347 days, not including unexplained absences.
SUMMARY OF INJURIES: Escapology sustained three hind leg muscle injuries, three back injuries, two shoulder muscle injuries, three split webbings, two foot lacerations, an unknown off-track injury and an unknown off-track illness.
INJURY DETAILS:
Escapology’s first start was on 21 April 2021, she performed poorly and raced wide, however was not examined by the on-track vet, and then did not return for 28 days (reason unknown). She was scratched due to an unknown off-track injury two starts later and then did not return until 1 August 2021, exactly 8 weeks later.
On 4 September 2021 she again performed poorly and tailed off due to injury. The on-track vet issued her with a 7-day stand-down for a sore lower spine and left thigh muscle. She returned to racing 14 days later. On 23 September she was again seen by the vet but they could find no apparent injury and she returned to racing 16 days later.
Escapology was then absent from racing for 66 days, from the 6 February 2022 to the 13 April 2022. On her return she fell, and was stood down for 14 days, having sustained a sore back, split webbing and a sore groin. She returned to racing 25 days later, on the 7 of May 2022.
She then raced without any major incident until the 4 November 2022, when she sustained a laceration to her left hind foot. She was stood down for 21 days with orders for veterinary follow-up within 24 hours. She returned 28 days later, on 2 December 2022.
On 16 January 2023 she was scratched due to an unknown off-track illness, she did not return for 27 days.
On the 4 March Escapology collided with another dog in the catching pen and sustained a dew claw laceration, she was stood down for 5 days and returned 11 days later, on the 15 March.
From the 22 March 2023 she sustained four consecutive on-track injuries, ultimately ending her racing career. In the first of these incidents on 22 March, she stumbled and tailed off, sustaining a muscle tear to her right shoulder and left hind thigh muscle, along with a split webbing. She was given 28 days to recover but did not return for 72 days. On her return she fell and was again diagnosed with a right shoulder muscle tear, which may have been a new tear or the reoccurrence pre-existing injury. She was given 14 days to recover but spent exactly 6 weeks away.
On her return, she again sustained an injury while racing. She was given a 21-day stand-down for yet another split webbing and did not return for exactly 8 weeks. Orders were again made for veterinary follow-up within 24 hours.
Her final injury occurred on the 8 of September 2023, when she sustained a sore back and was given a 7-day stand-down. Orders were made for the satisfactory completion of a solo trial before being able to return to racing, but this did not eventuate and she has since been listed as retired.
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