Respiratory illness kills 15 greyhounds at dog track
Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Track imposes quarantine, reduces racing schedule as doctors struggle to stem rampant infection
Naples Daily News
No dogs in. No dogs out.
An upper respiratory illness that has incapacitated dogs at tracks across the state is hitting hardest in Southwest Florida, forcing a self-imposed quarantine at the Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Track in Bonita Springs.
According to the state, 15 dogs at the track have died from the infection, accounting for all but two of the deaths in Florida reported during the outbreak. Another 25 to 30 animals are sick.
Florida Division of Pari-Mutual Wagering officials say all but one track in the state have a quarantine in an effort to stem the spread of the highly contagious condition.
The Jacksonville Kennel Club and the Flagler Dog Track in Miami also have reported illnesses.
The ailment is believed to be kennel cough, an infection that is common among large populations of dogs that see a lot of turnover. Animal shelters and similar facilities often struggle with the sickness. Coughing spreads the bacteria that leads to the condition, leading to its name.
The Bonita Springs track announced Thursday it would cut back on races for a week or longer to give the greyhounds time to rest and recuperate.
It also has canceled its matinee performance today.
The Florida Division of Pari-Mutual Wagering, which oversees 15 tracks across the state, confirmed the dogs also are quarantined.
Reports of the most recent illnesses at the track come almost exactly a year after a smoldering fire at the facility claimed the lives of 17 dogs and forced dozens more into early retirement.
Kristen Ploska, spokeswoman for the agency, said the isolation began Wednesday. She was not sure how long the dogs would be sequestered.
Hakim Hamici, a veterinarian at the Bonita Springs track, said the virus might have been spread from the Miami track.
A researcher from the University of Florida will arrive today to do post-mortum work on the animals and take blood samples to determine the exact infection that killed them, he said.
The first dog died about a week ago. Nine of the dead greyhounds were from the same kennel, he added.
Hamici described the deaths as sudden.
Another 25 to 30 greyhounds at the track are believed to be sick. Many have a cough, but no fever, he said.
"It spreads very quickly in the air," Hamici said of the bacteria that is believed to be causing the illness. "It is hard to control, like a flu. We're doing our best to try and save them."
Larry Mosher, director of racing for the track, could not be reached for comment.
In a prepared statement, he said the greyhounds' safety is the track's "number one concern."
"By reducing the daily racing schedule, we allow the dogs to remain healthy," he said in the statement.
According to the track, the greyhounds' activity will be reduced to between eight and 11 daily races.
Larry Scrabis, veterinarian at Estero Animal Hospital, said common kennel cough is typically not fatal. Severe cases, however, can lead to pneumonia. Scrabis said the ailment is treated with antibiotics.
How long the illness lasts depends on the immune system of the dog, he said. Some will overcome kennel cough on their own, he said. The bug -- which can carry a persistent cough and high fevers -- is spread through bacteria that live in the nasal passageways, he said.
No one breed of dog is more susceptible to the bug than others, Scrabis said, although puppies, with their still-developing immune systems, are at increased risk.
Several dogs that died at the Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Track were young, Hamici said.
The summer months have brought kennel cough outbreaks to greyhound tracks in the state in the past.
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