Anabolic Steroids and Greyhound Racing
After the City of South Tucson certified the Tucson Dog Protection Act, both parties — Tucson Greyhound Park which is in the town of South Tucson not the city of Tucson — were interviewed by KOLD-TV.
Now it’s time for the media to dig deeper.
I want the media to accompany the Arizona Department of Racing to go behind the scenes and see how Tucson Greyhound Park actually cooks the meat. Don’t take anyone’s word for it.
Don’t believe the B.S. that you have to be licensed to go behind the scenes. Contact Joyce Cozby of the Arizona Department of Racing. You only need to be accompanied by someone who is licensed.
I want the media to accompany the Arizona Department of Racing to go behind the scenes and see how the dogs are being let out 6 hours a day. Don’t take anyone’s word for it.
“We’re buying all the equipment, the cookers to cook the meat, we’re paying for all the shots,” Taylor said.
(What does Taylor mean that they are paying for all the shots? The Tucson Dog Protection is against female dogs receiving steroid shots.)
“The track is also looking into taking the dogs outside of South Tucson for steroids.”
Let’s consider that possibility: Steroids are a controlled substance. Let’s knock on the DEA door. They overrule the state, the city, and TGP. Controlled substances have to have a paper trail a mile long and at least in triplicate. Part of the cost of injecting steroids is in the vast amounts of filed paperwork that veterinarians must keep for records.
Okay, so consider that at least 300 female greyhounds will need these shots. How do they get to Tucson? In a limousine? On a greyhound bus? Dogs will have to be muzzled, transported, examined, paper work filed for meticulous record keeping since this is a controlled substance.
Before there were anabolic steroids, there were separation of the sexes. Today reputable breeders separate the sexes. It’s not rocket science. Wouldn’t that be easier and less of a hassle? Most of all, it would not compromise the female greyhounds’ health.
Will there be an ethical veterinarian willing to be responsible for all these controlled substances? Will the dogs sneak in after hours or crowd in during your regular patient scheduling? Will you hire extra personnel to fill out the paperwork? Some vets are already under investigation because of it.
103 veterinarians endorsed the Tucson Dog Protection which advocated discontinuing anabolic steroids which are dangerous to the health of greyhounds.
In this other TV clip, Taylor says, “With the small dosage that we give them…it has no affect on them whatsoever, that when they get off of it, they can go right back and start breeding again.”
Nobody wants these dogs to breed again–ever! We already have overbreeding of greyhounds and a pet population in general. Plus Taylor is no vet. What’s a dose? What’s a small dose?
Sorry ill-informed treehugging, do-gooder… females are not given “steroids”. They are given the male hormone testosterone to prevent them from coming into season. The girls do not suffer any ill-effects from this and it doesn’t hamper them in having puppies later in life if that’s something they’ll be selected for.
Just remember, it’s better to keep your mouth closed and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.
Sorry realist, Methyltestosterone, cheque, whatever you want to call what they give females to suppress estrus IS an anabolic as opposed to a catabolic steroid. Federal law defines it as such and regulates it as a controlled substance because of its potential for abuse (think MLB and Barry Bonds).
And the classic textbook on canine reproduction as reported on the UC Davis Veterinary School of medicine website states that testosterone should NEVER be given to bitches intended to be used for breeding, and in no case should it be given for more than two years.
Some female greyhounds race for 5 years – you do the math.
They do suffer chronic and long-lasting ill effects, often necessitating vulvar surgery. Personally I’d say that’s a pretty big ill effect!
Do yourself a favor and do some reading of the veterinary literature before you pontificate about subjects about which you are ill-informed.
This is so ridiculous… First of all the Greyhounds will NOT be covered by this act. Greyhound are classified as livestock by US. Dept. of Agriculture.
here is a news flash for you pro-racing folks – greyhounds are NOT classified by Arizonas or federal law as “livestock.” In AZ, they are classified as dogs.