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Cover Stories Winter 2002/03 Distemper Outbreak Kills 100 Greyhounds on Abilene Farm Wichita: The Topeka Capital-Journal reported Dec. 18 that two cases of distemper at Wichita Greyhound Park have been confirmed, with one other possible unconfirmed case. Tracy Diel, executive director of the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission, said the track had been quarantined since Dec. 6 and the disease has been contained. The quarantine was due to be lifted shortly. Greyhound Protection League president Susan Netboy, who received information about the outbreak from an informed source, issued a press release Dec. 15 calling upon Gov. Bill Graves to institute a statewide quarantine of greyhounds at the two Kansas tracks and at breeding and training facilities. Netboy also called for a moratorium on the transport of greyhounds in or out of Kansas and an investigation into the source of the outbreak. "Since Kansas is the greyhound capital of the country, with constant movement of dogs in and out of the state, the implementation of these measures is essential to the protection of racing greyhounds everywhere," Netboy said. The disease originated at Vince Berland's Flying Eagles Kennel in Abilene. The kennel has between 400 and 500 breeding dogs. Berland blamed the outbreak on a mistake in vaccinations, claiming the animals were given combination shots, and the vaccination given for parvo-virus overrode the distemper immunization. Berland said about 100 greyhounds had to be euthanized, half of them puppies. According to Berland, the outbreak has been contained on his farm. His son had dogs at two other kennels, but those dogs didn't affect the other vaccinated greyhounds at those kennels. Netboy said it would be extremely rare for adult greyhounds with previous immunity to succumb to the distemper virus. "Either the dead greyhounds were not properly vaccinated or a mutated strain of distemper is threatening the canine population in the State of Kansas." Gary Guccione, spokesman for the National Greyhound Association in Abilene, said, "An isolated situation does not justify or warrant shutting greyhound tracks down." Addendum: On Jan. 1, sick greyhounds kenneled at the Apache Junction track in Arizona were discovered during a routine state inspection. After a diagnosis of distemper was confirmed, Wade Turner, Director of the Arizona Department of Racing, issued a directive ordering that the state's 4,000 racing dogs be immediately vaccinated against the disease and imposed an intrastate and interstate quarantine. Eighteen greyhounds at the Apache Junction kennel compound had to be euthanized. [Editor's Note: As this issue of GNN nears press time, there have been unconfirmed reports that the distemper outbreak has reached Massachusetts. The complete story will appear in the Spring 2003 issue.] Sources: The Topeka Capital-Journal:
Roxana Hegerman, Associated Press:
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