Mara Mobile Veterinary Unit

Category: Dogs | Date: Aug 18 2007 | By: admin

It has been more than a month since the last distemper outbreak wiped out dog population in Kimintet (area 10km from wildlife reserve boundary). Today, I received a disturbing phone call from Maasai from the other side of the hill. Dogs are dying with symptoms similar to distemper and the disease is spreading fast amongst the neighboring village. Severe coughing, mucopurrulent ocular and nasal discharge, diarrhea and death. The guy who called me lost five out of his seven dogs in one week and others are dying in nearby village as well. Right now my operational cost only covers the escarpment facing Mara Triangle and I do not have manpower or vehicle to extend towards the area bordering Koiyaki Wildlife area where the new outbreak is reported. We successfully vaccinated dogs from area along the escarpment and now we are only 10km away from Tanzanian border. Our vaccination coverage in the Maasai land is between 95-100% since we have been doing house-to-house visits and insisted the owner that ALL dogs must be vaccinated. This coverage leaves little chance for virus to enter the area bordering Mara Triangle and so far no reports came from the area we covered. It is annoying that the outbreak erupted in the area near where we began the vaccination (just a river across), it is as though the virus knew area where we left untouched.

Dog carcass from last outbreak.