Kinsley Greyhound Stadium - near Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England

NGRC is continuing investigations with the Animal Health Trust (AHT) into cases of several greyhounds which have been reported to have died in unusual circumstances following severe illness.

Scientists at the AHT have today indicated that tests are continuing with no confirmed results as yet. Initial rapid tests for equine flu have proven inconclusive so further tests are being conducted with a better indication of the cause of death expected within the next few days.

The NGRC can confirm that no further outbreaks have been reported at the affected site but all greyhounds continue to be closely monitored by the trainer concerned.

We have today been informed of a separate case of a greyhound which has died in similar circumstances. This occurrence does not appear to be linked to the previous case and is in a different area of the country. Similarly whilst the symptoms appear to correspond with previously reported deaths, the cause is as yet unconfirmed and there are no reports of any other greyhounds developing symptoms.

We would like to thank everybody for their continued support and co-operation during this investigation in what are difficult circumstances.

Advice at this stage remains not to panic, but to exercise caution by following the precautionary measures detailed below:

Monitor all greyhounds closely for signs of ill health. Call your veterinary surgeon for advice and examination at the earliest opportunity if a greyhound is off-colour for no obvious reason. Should there be a suspected case the NGRC will co-ordinate the investigation of the likely cause.

Inform the Area Stipendiary Steward who will be monitoring the ongoing situation with the NGRC Veterinary, Welfare and Scientific Committee.

DO NOT feed horse meat, and avoid contact with horses as far as possible.

Good hygiene is invaluable. Effective cleaning should be followed by disinfection daily, and when greyhounds join or leave kennels. Detailed information is given below. Not all disinfectants are very effective and very few work unless physical dirt is removed first.

Good ventilation will help to reduce the likelihood of airborne infections spreading

Avoid moving and mixing greyhounds whenever possible. It would be wise to put a hold on any new entrants to the kennels or any onward sales for a few days until the position is clearer. If that is unavoidable, use the isolation

kennel for at least 3 days to observe the new arrival and make sure it seems to be well before it joins the main kennel strength.

Do not jump to conclusions - we do not yet know if this is equine flu or indeed a transmissible infection, but will keep the sport up to date while advising sensible precautions in the meantime.

Recommendations for Cleaning and Disinfection

This is the single most important thing to do to avoid any infections, and should be a daily routine in all kennels, racing or residential, cages, and vehicles:

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Scrub all surfaces with hot water and detergent (washing up liquid is cheap and effective). Remove all particles of faeces, food, bedding, grease etc from all areas paying special attention to the corners. Bedding must be replaced.

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Rinse away all the dirty water; remove as much free water as possible using a brush or rubber scraper which has also been cleaned.

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Using a hand-held sprayer such as a house plant sprayer (easy to direct, cheap, and economical with the contents) spray all surfaces with a solution of virus-killing disinfectant such as Parvocide or Virkon S made up to the correct strength. This is then allowed to dry on the surface.

This will kill almost all viruses and bacteria. Without removing the organic material first, the detergent and disinfectant will not make contact with infective organisms and so can't kill them. Physical cleaning is the first, very important step.

This is an economical way of thorough cleaning, and will be more effective than steam cleaning, pressure washing or disinfectants applied without prior physical cleaning.

Parvocide and Virkon S is much less likely to cause skin irritation than some other disinfectants which are in any case less effective.

This routine will reduce substantially the risk of any infection spreading within or between kennels.

Further information will follow as soon as it becomes available.

ENDS

Note to Editors

For further information please contact Terry Housden on: 020 7267 9256