Greyhound Feeding & Digestion in Calgary

Stress colitis is large-intestine inflammation triggered by sudden change. Adoption transport + new home + unfamiliar food + first-time alone time stack into a perfect storm. Roughly 30–50% of newly-adopted retired racing Greyhounds develop loose stool or full diarrhea within the first 24–72 hours. Symptoms: soft to liquid stool, sometimes with mucus or streaks of blood (alarming but usually not serious), normal energy and appetite. Treatment: bland diet (boiled chicken + white rice 1:2 ratio) for 3–5 days, gradual transition back to regular food, probiotic (FortiFlora widely recommended), keep stress low. Vet check if: diarrhea persists past 5 days, contains significant blood, or pairs with vomiting/lethargy.

Most-recommended kibbles in the Greyhound community:
• Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach (lamb + oatmeal or salmon + rice)
• Royal Canin Gastrointestinal (vet prescription, used for active flares)
• Hill's Science Diet Sensitive Stomach
• Acana Singles (limited-ingredient)

Available across Calgary at Pet Planet, Tail Blazers, Tisol, and major pet retailers. Start with whatever the rescue was feeding for the first 1–2 weeks, then transition slowly (10% new food increase per day over 7–10 days). Sudden food changes are the #1 cause of new-home GI flares.

No, with current evidence. The FDA opened an investigation in 2018 linking grain-free diets (especially those with peas, lentils, and potatoes as primary ingredients) to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) — a serious heart condition. While research is ongoing and not all grain-free is implicated, the conservative position adopted by most veterinary cardiologists is to avoid grain-free in breeds without a confirmed grain allergy. Greyhounds are not a wheat-allergic breed by default. Choose a kibble with whole grains (rice, oats, barley) from a brand with veterinary nutritionist on staff (Purina, Royal Canin, Hill's, Eukanuba). If your dog has a confirmed grain allergy diagnosed by elimination diet, work with your vet on a grain-free alternative — don't guess.

Greyhounds are deep-chested and high-bloat-risk. Feeding-side prevention:
(1) Feed 2–3 smaller meals daily instead of one large meal
(2) NO exercise 1–2 hours before or after meals
(3) Use a slow-feeder bowl if your Greyhound gulps food
(4) Keep water available but not gulped after exercise
(5) Ground-level bowl preferred — current research walks back the older “elevated bowl” advice (elevated may actually increase bloat risk)

Symptoms of active bloat (true emergency): distended abdomen, retching without producing vomit, drooling, restlessness, pale gums, collapse. Drive to Calgary 24-hour emergency vet immediately — bloat is fatal in 1–2 hours untreated.

Not in the first 6 months after adoption, and probably not at all for a new retired racer without a vet-supervised plan. Reasons:
(1) Retired racers are coming off bagged track diets — switching directly to raw is a massive GI change that triggers stress colitis
(2) Raw food carries pathogen risk (salmonella, E. coli, listeria) that healthy adult Greyhounds usually handle but a stressed new adoptee may not
(3) Commercial raw is expensive ($150–$300/month for a 70-lb Greyhound in Calgary)
(4) Homemade raw without a vet nutritionist commonly produces calcium/phosphorus imbalances

If you want to switch eventually: wait until 6 months post-adoption, then transition over weeks under vet guidance. For most Greyhounds, a high-quality kibble matches or exceeds raw on outcome metrics.

Most recommended Greyhound kibbles are available at Calgary pet specialty stores:
• Pet Planet (multiple locations including Marda Loop, Country Hills, McKenzie Towne) — carries Pro Plan, Royal Canin, Acana, most premium brands
• Tail Blazers (multiple Calgary locations) — focuses on premium and limited-ingredient brands
• Tisol, Bosley's, Pet Valu — stock the major sensitive-stomach lines
• Royal Canin GI prescription — through your regular vet clinic
• Costco — Kirkland Signature kibble is a decent budget option but lacks the breed-specific sensitive formulas

Greyhounds can reach the back of any standard kitchen counter without effort — their nose-to-paw height is roughly 36–40 inches at full stretch. Counter-surfing is opportunistic, not malicious; if there's food on the counter, it's within reach. Prevention is environmental: never leave food on counters when unsupervised, push everything to the back wall, install baby gates if needed, supervise during cooking. Don't bother with “training out” counter-surfing — punishment doesn't work because the food reward (the steak you left out) is too valuable. Manage the environment, accept that an unattended Greyhound + an unattended sandwich = no sandwich.

A 60–90 lb adult Greyhound at maintenance weight typically eats 3–5 cups of high-quality kibble per day, split into 2–3 meals. Specific amount depends on activity level, age, metabolism, and calorie density of your specific food. Greyhounds are athletic builds — they should be lean (you can see the last 1–2 ribs and a clear waist when looking from above). Many new adopters under-feed because they think the dog “looks too thin,” but Greyhounds are SUPPOSED to look thin compared to other breeds. If you can see the spine clearly or the hip bones are sharp, feed more. If you can't see ribs at all, feed less. Calgary winters can increase calorie needs by 10–20% for outdoor-active dogs.

The 7–10 day gradual transition is essential for Greyhounds.