Greyhound racing is to lose one more of its specialist vets with the impending closure of the Canine Sports Medicine Clinic at Shepshed
Owner Richard Torr, perhaps best known as the former track vet at Coventry, has decided to close the business after 11 years partly due to moving out of the area. Richard took over the surgery from Dennis Beary.
Torr said: “I decided to concentrate on the racing therapy side of the veterinary business many years ago, but the greyhound industry has continued to shrink and we have become more reliant on local pet work.
“We have clients from as far away and Scotland and Portsmouth, and many leading open race trainers, but the overall level of business just isn’t there any more.”
“Also, dealing with clients who may arrive half an hour late after a four hour journey, and then bring an extra dog or two, doesn’t fit comfortably with general pet business where people expect to be seen within a ten minute slot.
“We will actually close on May 31, so this announcement will give trainers time to make alternative arrangements. They can also stock up on things like bandages or supplements before we go, though it would need to be pre-arranged by phone.
I have already moved out of the area and am commuting backwards and forwards. I will take a bit of time off and then decide whether to continue to practise as a vet either in pet work and or in a limited capacity in working dog consultancy.
Thankfully, it is the sort of profession that you can take a break from, and then return. Working with the greyhounds and trainers has been great and I thank everyone for their support and wish them well but it’s time for me to take stock and pursue my other interests”
