DRUGGING OF DOGS

Opunake Times, 16 January 1934, Page 3

DRUGGING OF DOGS

THEORY EXPLODED REVERSE EFFECT As the result ot a series of scientific experiments conducted to obtain precise data of the effect of drugs on greyhounds, says a London paper, the popular belief that dogs can be speeded up to win races by the administiation of '"dope" has been exploded. This remarkable disclosure is supported by the testimony ot leading veterinary surgeous who have made a close study of the subject. Crooks who hope to gain by deliberately slowing down fancied runners, have now to contend with the elaborate precautionary measures instituted by the greyhound racing authorities. Results of tests which have disproved the theory that "doj)e" improves the form of greyhounds can be summarised as follows: Stimulants which have no harmful effect on a dog actually decrease, instead of increase, the speed of a greyhound. Powerful drugs, such as strych. nine or cocaine, are useless unless administerd in quantities that have such a bad after-effect that detection is certain. The tests were carried out in secret under the supervision of veterinary surgeons of long experi ence.

In one instance, five greyhounds were selected. All were kept in the pink of condition, and their times in trial races carefully noted. "Dope" was then given to one of the dogs before a trial race. The dog that had been "doped" finished last in well below its avenge time in previous races. In this case the stimulant given to the dog was in alcohol, which was often secretly administered in the early days of greyhound racing in the mistaken belief that it increased a dog's speed. Tests with dangerous drugs such as strychnine and cocaine were necessarily restricted on account of causing serious harm to the greyhounds.

It was found that the action of these drugs, by stimulating the heart, caused the greyhounds to try harder than they would havp done without a stimulant.

Small doses, however, which had no noticeable after effect, were useless. Every time the quantity of the drug was increased to an extent to accelerate speed, the dog suffered afterwards

Fatal Results. A number of cases have been recorded ol the deaths of greyhounds from ttie administration of strychnine by some unskilled, unscrupulous persons.

The scientific experiments proved that the administration of "dope" in effective quantities is as likely to result in incapacitating the dog as in improving its speed, for it was found that the susceptibility to drugs of different dogs varied, and there was no means of ascertaining the right dose for each greyhound.

TJie.se conclusions were confirmed in an interview with "The ]News of the World" by Major Hopkins, veterinary surgeon of the (i.11.A. Bellevue track at Manchester.

"It is impossible to foretell the effect of 'dope' on a greyhound," he declred. "Often the'result is contrary to all expectations. "There is no possibility, with the precautions that are in force on our tracks, of a greyhound winning l a race because it has been doped. "It is perfectly true that at one time 'dope' was frequently used on tracks that were not under proper control. Cocaine was the favourite drug, but it has to be administered bv hypodermic injection to be effective, and it causes the dogs to become half demented. Guarding Against Trickery. ... "Administration of cocaine on a properly controlled track is impossible because the dogs are locked up and under guard for two hours before the race. And even if cocaine was injected, the veterinary surgeon who examines each greyhound carefully would at once notice its effect.

"Our chief difficulty is to prevent dogs being slowed up. This is much easier. We have to be constantly on our guard against all sorts of trickery to this end. "I know of one case in which a dog was tied up all night with its toes only just touching the ground. This was done five or six times with the result that the greyhound ran far below form. "But 'doping' nowadays is utterly impracticable. We often make a dog sick and conduct a chemical analysis just as a check (iii our precautions against 'dope.' "I have had scores of these tests made, but in no single case has the analyst found any trace of a drug."