Scott Van Voorhis, Boston Herald, reports:

The mystery killer that has dropped greyhounds at a Revere racetrack is part of the deadly canine flu ripping through racetracks across the country, test results reveal.

State regulators initially downplayed as “kennel cough'’ the malady that eventually killed 18 greyhounds at Revere’s Wonderland track.

But test results just back from a University of Florida lab prove what activists argued from the start: that the mystery plague is canine influenza - the same killer canine flu that has infected an estimated 10,000 dogs across the country.

Those disturbing results, in turn, are now prompting the state’s racing commission to take additional steps to leash the disease.

Before dogs from out-of-state racetracks are allowed to compete in Massachusetts, they will be quarantined for a period of days to ensure they are not sick, said Dr. Alex Lightbown, the veterinarian for the state’s racing commission.
The program, at this point, is expected to be a voluntary effort by the Wonderland and Raynham/Taunton racetracks, Lightbown said.

The current flu outbreak appears to have run its course, but no vaccine has been developed to treat it, Lightbown said.

Meanwhile, some activists contend that confirmation that the canine flu has infected Massachusetts racing greyhounds raises new dangers for domestic dogs and even possibly for humans. Federal researchers this summer are also expected to test racetrack workers in Florida for signs of the canine flu. Given the stakes, some activists contend the state should be taking stronger measures.

“The state needs to step in and take a stronger role in solving this problem to protect other greyhounds and to protect every pet in the commonwealth,'’ argued Carey Theil, head of the Grey2K USA, which wants to ban dog racing.