Possible horse connection over death of second CHP case

Peter Harnden and staff have been plunged further into shock following the death of a second greyhound, Salacreslucious, who died on Tuesday, also from Canine Haemorrhagic Pneumonia (CHP).

Assistant Mark Pierrepont said: “When Punch was first taken ill, we had no idea that it was CHP. It hadn’t crossed anyone’s mind. Our local vet thought the dog’s blood test suggested signs of poisoning. Personally, I thought he had possible ruptured something internally, but nobody was thinking ‘illness’.

“Peter and I were still with Punch at the vets when the dogs were sent to trials as normal on Tuesday and there was nothing amiss. Lucious seemed okay when she came back from trials and the first sign that there was any kind of concern was when she didn’t eat up. Although she was quite quiet, she was always a decent eater.

“By this stage the alarm bells were ringing and she was taken to the local vet as a precaution. That was 2pm, probably not more than three hours after she had trialled. By late afternoon she was gone.

“Lucious wasn’t as high profile as Punch but she was a lovely little bitch and it came as a terrible shock. The great irony was that we had planned to have a litter with her and Punch as the sire.

“Since then Peter has been doing some research on CHP and there is apparently a connection with horses who can carry it. It made us think, because on Monday, the day of Punch’s race, we had a loose horse in the lane. It was all saddled up and Peter, realising that the rider had probably been thrown off, managed to catch it and return it to the livery yard.

“He has spoken to vet Denis Beary about it, and although there isn’t enough evidence to show that is how the virus was contracted, Denis thinks there is a realistic chance that Peter’s contact with the horse might have led to the contamination.

“The kennels have all now be bio cleaned and there have been no further signs of any problems. But no matter how long you have been in the game – and I have been with Peter for 20 years – this sort of thing completely detroys you.

“If there is one silver lining, the fact that Punch was so high profile may at least make other kennels more watchful if something similar happens to them.”