OldieA Greyhound's normal blood work can look abnormal on a standard laboratory report. Retired racing Greyhounds have higher red cell counts, haemoglobin and haematocrit than other dogs, lower white cell and platelet counts, lower total protein and globulins, higher creatinine, and a number of other analytes outside the usual reference intervals; most of the blood count differences have been described in other sighthounds too1. Thyroid results are the most frequent source of confusion: in 46 healthy young Greyhounds, total thyroxine was below the general reference range in 91 percent and undetectable in a third, while thyroid stimulating hormone was normal in every dog2. A low thyroxine alone in a sighthound is therefore not a diagnosis of hypothyroidism.
For a senior sighthound this matters because the twice-yearly screening blood panel that AAHA recommends is where these numbers appear3. Ask the clinic to read results against sighthound reference intervals where they exist, and to confirm a suspected thyroid problem with the fuller panel rather than a single value.
This is general information, not a diagnosis. Your vet knows your dog.
Sources
- Clinical pathology of Greyhounds and other sighthounds (Zaldivar-Lopez S et al.). Veterinary Clinical Pathology 40(4), 2011 (peer reviewed). Accessed 2026-09-22.
- Thyroid hormone concentrations in young, healthy, pretraining greyhounds (Shiel RE, Brennan SF, Omodo-Eluk AJ, Mooney CT). Veterinary Record 161(18):616-619, 2007 (peer reviewed). Accessed 2026-09-22.
- 2023 AAHA Senior Care Guidelines: Diagnostic Tests and Recommended Frequencies for Senior Dogs and Cats. American Animal Hospital Association. Accessed 2026-09-22.