Industry updates / Update: Infectious Canine Coronavirus in QLD

The Greyhound Welfare & Integrity Commission is encouraging breeders and trainers in NSW to continue to monitor the health of their greyhounds as more cases of Canine Coronavirus are confirmed in Queensland. It is important to remember that Canine Coronavirus is in no way related to the current outbreak of Novel Coronavirus causing respiratory illness in humans.

Participants should look for symptoms such as:

• loss of appetite
• diarrhoea
• fever
• vomiting
• lethargy

If a greyhound showing these symptoms, participants should seek immediate veterinarian advice. Veterinary clinics are also encouraged to conduct laboratory testing to confirm the cause of the illness when presented with a greyhound showing signs of the virus. The Commission can assist with costs for laboratory testing.

Seek veterinary treatment for young puppies and affected older greyhounds; those having a high fever and vomiting; and those which only have symptoms of diarrhoea for more than two days.

Strict biosecurity and hygiene practices should be followed. These include:

• Isolate affected greyhounds immediately
• Avoid moving affected greyhounds from the property unless necessary
• Quarantine greyhounds that may have been in contact with affected greyhounds for 10 days
• Limit and quarantine new arrivals for 10 days
• Do not race or trial greyhounds that are affected
• Monitor the health of all greyhounds in your care and seek veterinarian advice for any concerns you have.
• Frequent cleaning of kennels, transport, equipment and feed/water bowls with a bleach-based product or specialist veterinary disinfectant.
• Maintain high levels of hygiene in kennels and remove faeces from the environment as often as possible.
• Use personal protective equipment such as gloves, overalls and boots to reduce the risk of you spreading the virus where possible.
• Do not share bedding and utensils between greyhounds.

Do not move greyhounds that are sick, other than to transport to a veterinary clinic for treatment and observe strict biosecurity practices to prevent transmission. The Commission vets are happy to assist with advice and strategies to limit spread.

The Commission urges all greyhound owners and trainers to make sure that your greyhound's vaccinations are current especially puppies in areas such as the Northern Rivers.

For further information on Canine Coronavirus and on good biosecurity practices, please see the Canine Coronavirus fact sheet.

If an owner or trainer suspects their greyhounds are suffering from any infection they should quarantine that greyhound immediately and notify the Commission on 13 49 42 or via vets@gwic.nsw.gov.au .