USA : Wednesday, 15 December 2010 (Local Time)
An estimated 1,200 dogs at a Kansas kennel were euthanized after an outbreak in Wyoming of the highly contagious disease distemper was linked to the large-scale breeding operation.
Kansas Livestock Commissioner, Bill Brown said the state started investigating the Beaver Creek Kennels near Oberlin in September after being contacted by Wyoming’s state veterinarian about distemper cases at a pet store in Cheyenne
Brown said Wednesday that the Kansas Animal Health Department quarntined the kennel twice after investigators confirmed several cases of distemper in puppies that were being sold out of state. When breeder Jeff Fortin couldn’t sell dogs because of the quarantines, he ran out money to pay staff members and take care of the animals.
The dogs were buried on farmland in Decatur County after the Kansas Department of Health and Environment allowed Fortin to dispose of the bodies without a permit.
Distemper, which is usually lethal, can be spread through contact with wildlife, as well as through other infected dogs.
Brown said no shelters would take the dogs because of the outbreak, so the decision was made to euthanize them.
Donal O’Toole, a professor and pathologist with the University of Wyoming, State Veterinary Laboratory, said 24 confirmed cases of distemper were identified in his state primarily at pet stores in Cheyenne and Casper that bought puppies from Fortin’s kennel
Under a consent agreement between the Kansas Animal Health Department and Fortin, he can get back to business in 6 months if he meets stringent requirements.
Nearly three years of USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) inspection reports for Fortin’s kennels show violations for things like failure to keep adequate records, failure to adequately treat animals with health problems and allowing trash, junk and discarded kennel material near large dog enclosures.
Story from : www.washingtonpost.com (AP)
Foto from : www.ksn.com
