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Cover Stories Summer 2003 Kennel Cough Epidemic and Distemper Outbreak Updates Nationwide: AAn epidemic outbreak of kennel cough that originated in Florida, sickening thousands of greyhounds and killing two in March before moving up the East Coast, spread westward in early May. Quarantines remained in effect late into June at tracks in Wisconsin and Texas. In response to the latest kennel cough outbreak, the greyhound racing industry has committed more than $275,000 to obtain federal approval for a new vaccine for the illness. Brad Fenwick, DVM, a professor of veterinary medicine at Kansas State University and a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist, is developing a new vaccine. USDA approval could take two to five years and cost up to $500,000. The distemper outbreak that killed more than 100 greyhounds on an Abilene farm and 18 greyhounds in Arizona in January [See GNN Winter 2002-03] also claimed the lives of greyhounds in Florida and Massachusetts. According to information obtained by the Greyhound Protection League (GPL), six greyhounds at the Sarasota Kennel Club contracted the fatal disease and were euthanized between Jan. 13 and Feb. 18, 2003. According to an April 6 Miami Herald article, Dr. Peter Fernandes of the Aardvark Animal Hospital, said he recently had seen several fatal cases of distemper among greyhounds at the Florida Kennels in Hialeah, where more than 2,000 greyhounds are housed. "Several distemper cases in greyhounds" were reported in two kennels at the Lynn Kennel Compound in December 2002, according to a Massachusetts Department of Food and Agriculture letter sent to GPL. The attending veterinarian did not report the distemper cases to the health department until nearly three weeks later. No disposition for the dogs was reported. The Lynn compound houses racing dogs for the Wonderland track 12 miles north of Boston. Sources: Tampa
Tribune: Steven Isbitts
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