After much anticipation, I was fortunate to finally visit and spend some time at the Greyhound Health and Wellness Program (GHWP) at The Ohio State University.

I met with the veterinary staff and interviewed C. Guillermo Couto, DVM Diplomate ACVIM, the program founder, and clinical oncologist and hematologist at the veterinary college. I learned about the work they do there for Greyhound health and the services they offer veterinarians and Greyhound owners worldwide.

Here is my interview with Dr. Couto and some photos from this visit.

Vet Med Guide: What sparked your interest in Greyhounds, and how did you get started in Greyhound-specific veterinary medicine?

Dr. Couto: I got started with Greyhounds because I adopted one instead of a Lab sixteen years ago. (laugh) I had just lost my German Shorthair Pointer and was treating a 3-year old Greyhound named Clyde, who had both Babesia and Ehrlichia. Clyde "smiled" like my Pointer, and I was intrigued by how very different (anatomically, physiologically, behaviorally) Greyhounds are from other breeds. I wanted to learn more.

Dr. Couto started the GHWP in 2004, as a means to learn more about Greyhound medicine, help Galgos (Spanish Greyhounds) in Spain, and teach veterinary students about these dogs so they will be well-equipped to deal with the special medical issues of Greyhounds in practice.

Dr. Couto travels to Spain several times a year, often bringing veterinary students, to provide health care for abandoned and abused Galgos and to provide awareness and education about this breed.

Learn more about these veterinary trips to Spain and the work they do there.

Vet Med Guide: The GHWP web site mentions that you and your team provide consultations to veterinarians and Greyhound owners. What are the most common health questions from veterinarians? Greyhound owners?

Dr. Couto: My team and I provide 20-30 consultations a day. The most common question by far is about osteosarcoma, frequently seen in Greyhounds. The second-most common questions deal with what are "normal" bloodwork values for Greyhounds.

According to Liliana Marin DVM, the Greyhound Health and Wellness Program Coordinator, 80% of the calls and emails received are from Greyhound owners.

Vet Med Guide: As I unfortunately know from personal experience with my Greyhound Lotsie, osteosarcoma is very common in Greyhounds. GHWP provides chemotherapy for retired racers to help find a cure. How many Greyhounds a year do you provide chemo for, and do you have any new data about osteosarcoma that you can share?

Dr. Couto: We treat 3 - 5 cases of osteosarcoma a month here at GHWP. We also provide consultations and chemotherapy drugs for adopted retired racers around the country.

Working closely with human physicians and researchers, Couto's team are mapping the genome of the Greyhound, and may be close to finding genetic osteosarcoma markers. Dr. Couto is head of a clinical trial for a new (experimental) drug, Suramin, that is used pre-chemo to make the chemotherapy drugs more effective at killing cancer cells.

Normal post-diagnosis survival times, even with limb amputation, are a few months to a year for dogs with osteosarcoma. Clinical trials with Suramin are extending survival times to 14 - 24 months, and the longest survival time to date was 46 months, almost 4 years, after diagnosis.

Vet Med Guide: How long does each veterinary student spend at the GHWP while in school, and are there electives for those interested in spending additional time learning about Greyhounds?

Dr. Couto: The vet students do not rotate though the OSU GHWP specifically, but rather through Oncology (the service in which the Program resides due to the fact that I am the Service Chief). They rotate for 2 weeks, with options to do elective rotations as desired. Students see 3 - 15 Greyhounds a day in clinics.

Vet Med Guide: Do the Greyhounds in your program participate in the OSU Animal Blood Bank?

Dr. Couto: No Greyhounds live at our facility, they all live in homes. Blood donors are fostered - living with students (expenses paid by the university), or pets living in homes. All donors, cats and dogs, in the program receive annual examinations, bloodwork and flea and tick products to ensure good health.

The blood bank collects 1300 - 1500 units of blood per year. The blood and plasma products are used in the OSU veterinary hospital and shipped around the country.

Learn more about the OSU Animal Blood Bank and Donors.

Thank you, Dr. Couto and the entire veterinary staff at the Greyhound Health and Wellness Progream for your time and hospitality during my visit there, and for the services you provide for Greyhounds, veterinarians and Greyhound lovers everywhere.