(Wellington, Florida) Twenty-one polo ponies from Venezuela, arriving in Florida for the U.S. Open Polo Championship, have died from an unknown fatal illness. The horses collapsed as they were being unloaded from trailers. Authorities are awaiting test results.
A veterinarian who was at the scene said the tests will need to determine the trigger for what he believed was heart failure among the horses.The horse carcasses will undergo necropsies by the Florida Agriculture Department.
"Well clearly, it's an intoxication, clearly there's some sort of a poison," Dr. James Belden told NBC.
Belden said it remains to be seen "whether it's something in the environment or something that the horses were exposed to." He said the routine in the horses' stable ahead of the match was absolutely normal.
[Update 4/23/09]
A report today says that a veterinarian ordered a prepared medication for the horses which is believed to have poisoned them. The medication is similar to Biodyl, a "French-made supplement that includes vitamins and minerals and is not approved for use in the United States." Horses treated with the compound died within three hours of receiving it.
The FDA is investigating the possibility that laws were broken.
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