Dear Greyhound Licensee,
This letter is to inform you that from 15 January 2024, Tasracing is upgrading the Greyhound Desexing Scheme to the Greyhound Retirement Preparation Scheme (GRPS).
The purpose of the new and enhanced Scheme is to support the efforts of racing industry participants to rehome their greyhounds, support compliance with the mandatory desexing requirements under the Greyhounds Australasia Rules of Racing and optimise overall greyhound health in retirement by providing a capped amount of reimbursement for the cost of desexing, dental prophylaxis/treatment, vaccination and pre-anaesthetic blood tests (where applicable) for eligible greyhounds that have been retired as pets, up to the maximums indicated in the table below:
|
Procedure |
Male
Aged up to 7 years old |
Male
Aged 7 years + over |
Female
Aged up to 7 years |
Female
Aged 7 years + over |
| Desexing (incl. veterinary consultation) | Up to $400 | Up to $400 | Up to $500 | Up to $500 |
| Abdominal Cryptorchid/Rig
*Both testicles must be removed for the additional $100 rebate payment to apply |
Up to $100* (additional to desexing rebate) | Up to $100* (additional to desexing rebate) | ||
| Pre-anaesthesia blood test | Up to $100 | Up to $100 | ||
| Vaccination C5 or C7 | Up to $100 | Up to $100 | Up to $100 | Up to $100 |
| Dental prophylaxis/treatment | Up to $200
(combined) |
Up to $200
(combined) |
Up to $200
(combined) |
Up to $200
(combined) |
| Maximum Amount Claimable | $800 (GST incl.) | $900 (GST incl.) | $800 (GST incl.) | $900 (GST incl.) |
Unlike the previous desexing scheme, greyhound owners/licensed persons will now pay the veterinary clinic directly for any work performed on their greyhounds and then apply for a rebate from Tasracing for all eligible work under the GRPS, up to the maximums stated in the table above.
In addition to desexing, veterinary practices have been advised to perform any dental treatment required on each greyhound. If the greyhound’s teeth and gums are healthy and no dental work is required, a certificate will be provided by the vet, which will need to be submitted together with the rebate claim under the GRPS.
Veterinary clinics may elect to do all treatments (e.g. desexing and dental) at the same time or stagger them, without affecting the individual rebate amounts.
An itemised invoice listing all procedures performed on the eligible greyhound must be provided by the veterinary clinic to assist in applying for the Tasracing GRPS rebate.
In summary:
- Greyhound owners and licensed persons in charge of the registered greyhound will need to pay the veterinary clinic directly for all work performed on their greyhound and then apply for a rebate for any work eligible under the Scheme up to the limits listed in the table above (see also Tasracing GRPS policy, available at: https://tasracingcorporate.com.au/wp-content/upload).
- Veterinary clinics should provide a comprehensive quote for all veterinary work intended to be performed on the greyhound.
- Following the veterinary work, an itemised invoice detailing all veterinary work performed will be provided by the clinic to assist in making a claim for eligible items under the GRPS.
- Practices performing work on eligible greyhounds covered by the GRPS must ensure that any dental work that is clinically required is duly completed unless the clinic certifies that there were no clinical indicators for dental work (e.g. gingivitis or plaque) at the time of the examination.
- Procedures, such as desexing and dental, can be staggered or performed together, depending on practice preference, without affecting the individual GRPS rebate amounts available for those procedures.
Further information on the GRPS can be found at:
tasracingcorporate.com.au, and
GRPS-Quick-Ref-Guide-1.pdf (tasracingcorporate.com.au).
Please direct any enquiries about the Scheme to: welfare@tasracing.com.au or telephone: 6212 9333.
Kind regards,
Dr Martin Lenz
Tasracing Chief Veterinary and Animal Welfare Officer