Florida: Mystery Death of 21 Polo Horses
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Florida: Mystery Death of 21 Polo Horses
| Mon, 04-20-2009 - 8:44am |
Death Of 21 Polo Horses Remains Mystery In South Florida
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7014848450
Info. below from......
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-deadhorses20-2009apr20,0,2289342.story
>"The animals collapse and die in front of a stunned U.S. Open crowd in Florida. Several others are sick.
Several other horses were said to have been stricken. Two sources connected to the competition said on condition of anonymity that the number of dead could reach 30.
Veterinarians tried feverishly to save the horses, inserting intravenous tubes and fighting to help the animals breathe, while a stunned crowd at the International Polo Club Palm Beach looked on. Electric fans sprayed the horses with water mist to try to cool them down.
Workers erected curtains to screen the ailing horses from the hushed crowd.
"They started getting dizzy," polo club spokesman Tim O'Connor said. "They dropped down right onto the grass."
Workers erected curtains to screen the ailing horses from the hushed crowd.
"They started getting dizzy," polo club spokesman Tim O'Connor said. "They dropped down right onto the grass."
Dr. Scott Swerdlin, a member of the Palm Beach Equine Clinic -- International Polo's consulting veterinarian group -- was at the scene.
"Some died right away," Swerdlin said. "Others lasted about 45 minutes."
Seven horses died at the Polo Club and the rest died after leaving the property, O'Connor said. Each of the horses, all between 10 and 11 years old, was valued at about $100,000, he said.
The horses were part of the Venezuelan-based Lechuza Caracas team and had been kept at the team's complex near the polo stadium. Each polo team typically brings about 24 horses to a match. For such a prestigious competition, teams often bring more -- six to eight for each of the four players."<
"Some died right away," Swerdlin said. "Others lasted about 45 minutes."
Seven horses died at the Polo Club and the rest died after leaving the property, O'Connor said. Each of the horses, all between 10 and 11 years old, was valued at about $100,000, he said.
The horses were part of the Venezuelan-based Lechuza Caracas team and had been kept at the team's complex near the polo stadium. Each polo team typically brings about 24 horses to a match. For such a prestigious competition, teams often bring more -- six to eight for each of the four players."<
>"One or two horses met a similar fate in Ocala, Fla., within the last two years, said Dean Turney, executive director of the Wellington Equestrian Alliance. In that case, Turney said, the horses' sickness was linked to contaminated feed."<


I just finished reading this news story and someone in it mentioned feed from China.
This is horrible for these animals and owners. I can't imagine the anguish of watching these creatures just drop dead one after another.
"....someone in it mentioned feed from China"
It wouldn't surprise me.
I agree such a terrible sight seeing those beautiful animals die.
I saw this on the news this a.m. & was just sickened.
Three theories among the veterinary/horse community.
All horses coming into the country have to be vaccinated for certain diseases. So these horses were all vaccinated at the same time with tainted vaccinations.
Their feed was tainted with something like rat poison/warfarin. Again, they would have all consumed it around the same time, therefore they would have started dying around the same time. The poisoning could have been accidental or intentional, quite likely accidental.
Deliberate poisoning.
Very sad loss, for the riders and the equine, polo community. It is always devestating when something like this happens. About 25 years ago a large group of performance horses started foundering at a high level show. It turned out to be connected to the shavings in their stalls. They were black walnut (or something like that) it contains a natural toxin that invaded the horses hooves and caused lameness and sometimes permanently damaged them to the point of requiring they be euthanized. It was a huge dilemma and mystery for the vets to solve.
I heard of this on Monday from
Well, it wasn't China who goofed this time.
AP Newsbreak: Pharmacy made mistake in horse drug
By BRIAN SKOLOFF, Associated Press Writer – 15 mins ago
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – An official at a Florida pharmacy said Thursday the business incorrectly prepared a supplement given to 21 polo horses that died over the weekend while preparing to play in a championship match.
Jennifer Beckett of Franck's Pharmacy in Ocala, Fla., told The Associated Press in a statement that the business conducted an internal investigation that found "the strength of an ingredient in the medication was incorrect." The statement did not say what the ingredient was.
Beckett, who's the pharmacy's chief operating officer, said the pharmacy is cooperating with an investigation by state authorities and the Food and Drug Administration.
The horses from the Venezuelan-owned Lechuza polo team began crumpling to the ground shortly before Sunday's U.S. Open match was supposed to begin, shocking a crowd of well-heeled spectators at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington.
"On an order from a veterinarian, Franck's Pharmacy prepared medication that was used to treat the 21 horses on the Lechuza Polo team," Beckett said. "As soon as we learned of the tragic incident, we conducted an internal investigation."
She said the report has been given to state authorities.
Lechuza also issued a statement to AP acknowledging that a Florida veterinarian wrote the prescription for the pharmacy to create a compound similar to Biodyl, a French-made supplement that includes vitamins and minerals and is not approved for use in the United States.
"Only horses treated with the compound became sick and died within 3 hours of treatment," Lechuza said in the statement. "Other horses that were not treated remain healthy and normal."
Lechuza also said it was cooperating with authorities that include the State Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090423/ap_on_re_us/us_dead_polo_horses
Thank you for the update.There were so many conflicting stories and you can't believe everything you read as the truth.
I'm relieved to know it wasn't intentional on the owners part as many people previously
More on the substance that killed these poor horses......
Polo captain: Tainted vitamin killed 21 ponies
Complete article & pictures at link.....
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/1012081.html
The 21 polo ponies that died in Wellington Sunday were all injected before the game with a vitamin supplement called Biodyl -- and team members believe a tainted dose caused their deaths, the team's captain said.
Juan Martin Nero, captain of the Lechuza Caracas polo team, told the La Nacion newspaper in Buenos Aires that all of the horses had received Biodyl injections before the game.
''We don't have any doubts about the origin of the problem,'' Nero said. ``There were five horses that weren't given the vitamin and they are the only ones that are fine.''
Biodyl is a French-made supplement that contains Vitamin B, selenium and chromium, La Nacion reported.
Nero said that Biodyl ``is what the horses are always given.''
''For us, the suspicions are that there was something bad in the laboratory,'' Nero said. ``They're common vitamins that aren't given to improve performance but rather to help them recover from exhaustion.''
Dr. Scott Swerdlin, a veterinarian at the Palm Beach Equine Club who helped treat the animals as they were dying, told the Post that Biodyl is not approved for use or sale in the United States.
But a licensed veterinarian could obtain Biodyl by submitting a prescription to a pharmacy containing the recipe for the supplement, he said.