The Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) has announced a new grant for greyhound trainers and owners who have incurred veterinary costs due to an infectious disease outbreak at their licensed residential kennels.

The grant has been established to support the work of GBGB’s Disease Surveillance and Monitoring Programme (DSMP), an ongoing national survey which monitors and collects information about sudden death and diseases in the racing greyhound population.

The new DSMP grant is available to support trainers or owners with specific veterinary costs related to a contagious disease outbreak. This includes medical investigations as well as medications or treatments prescribed by the attending veterinary surgeon.

The new funding is in addition to GBGB’s Hardship Grant, which is available to support trainers impacted by kennel closure due to a disease outbreak. It is also separate from GBGB’s Injury Recovery Scheme, which assists in financing veterinary treatment related to any career-ending injury that occurs at the track.

The following are current examples of disease outbreaks which would be eligible for support via a DSMP grant:

  • Canine Haemorrhagic Pneumonia (CHP)
  • Clostridium Perfringens A (also known as Haemorrhagic Gastroenteritis, HGE)
  • New Variant Kennel Cough (KC) Complex (KC cases which progress to pneumonia)

The following examples are of disease outbreaks which would not be eligible for support under this grant scheme, unless fatalities occur:

  • Kennel sickness
  • Typical kennel cough

Further information about the grant and eligibility criteria will be sent to trainers and an application form will be uploaded to the GBGB Owner and Trainer Portals.

Tiffany Blackett, GBGB Veterinary Executive, said:

“Dealing with an outbreak of contagious disease is a stressful situation for any kennel to find themselves in. This grant will support trainers during these difficult times by ensuring that no trainer is put under undue financial strain when arranging for all affected greyhounds to be treated quickly and appropriately.  

“It is vitally important that any suspected infectious disease is reported swiftly to GBGB after seeking veterinary advice, at which point we can discuss eligibility for DSMP grant support.  

“Importantly, as part of qualifying criteria, trainers must demonstrate that they followed good biosecurity and antimicrobial stewardship good practice guidance and had up-to-date preventive healthcare plans in place for all greyhounds at the kennels prior to the outbreak.” 

Dr Simon Gower, GBGB Veterinary Director, added:

“GBGB’s Disease Surveillance Program is invaluable in protecting the health of the greyhound population and improving our understanding of the emerging diseases that affect them from time to time. This grant will support trainers and ensure that there is adequate financial assistance in the face of a significant outbreak at a kennel.”