Abstract
In November 2018, a horse owner from the Czech Republic experienced the loss of two of his stallions in consequence of probable poisoning. The affected animals were kept in the stable only. The mares, which were grazing on pasture during the day, were not affected. All the animals were fed the same type of feed. The day before the animals became sick, between 15:00 to 19:00 h the stable was not secured against the entry of strangers. When the mares were brought back to the stable and all animals were closed and locked for the night, no signs of health issues were observed. In the following morning, the two stallions were found in lateral recumbency with seizure attacks. Despite symptomatic treatment (infusion with saline, flunixine meglumine, activated charcoal) and applications of myorelaxants, the symptoms persisted until the afternoon, and the owner agreed with euthanasia. Based on the clinical signs and pathological examination, poisoning by pesticides was suspected. The results of toxicological analyses revealed that carbofuran, metaldehyde, and strychnine were not responsible for the poisoning as they were not detected in the samples. The only positive finding was a high aluminium concentration in the stomach content, liver and kidney samples. Based on the observed symptoms and the high aluminium concentration, it was presumed that aluminium phosphide could be the source of poisoning. As there was no evidence of the possession of such product by the horse breeder and the stable stayed unsupervised for a few hours, intentional poisoning cannot be excluded.
Highlights
In November 2018, a horse owner from the Czech Republic experienced the loss of two of his stallions in consequence of probable poisoning
Metal phosphides are commonly used pesticides. They are mainly used as rodenticides, with aluminium phosphide used as insecticide during grain storage
Less information is available for aluminium phosphide than for zinc phosphide; but in general, it is assumed to have similar properties and effects as zinc phosphide
Summary
Two stallions (horse No 1, weight 350; and horse No 2, weight 500 kg) bred by a private owner were found ill one autumn morning. The affected animals were kept in the stable only. The mares of the same owner, which were grazing on pasture during the day, were not affected. The day before the animals became sick, between 15:00 to 19:00 h the stable was not secured against the entry of strangers with the owner being present in the nearby garden and family house. When the mares were brought back to the stable at around 19:00 h and all animals were closed and locked for the night, no signs of health issues were observed. The illness was discovered the morning at around 8:00 h
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