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  Discussion on TOXIN INDUCED DEATHS, 21 polo horses
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Member:
vickiann

Posted on Monday, Apr 20, 2009 - 3:03 pm:

21 horses have now died that were due to be used in a polo match in Wellington, Florida yesterday.

Details can be read at the following site:

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/sfl-horses-dead-polo-welling ton-palm-beach-041909,0,7663810.story
Member:
scooter

Posted on Monday, Apr 20, 2009 - 6:00 pm:

Wow how sad, it doesn't sound as if they have a cause yet? Let us know when you find out. It sounds as if they suspect something they ate...I was thinking foul play when I was listening to it, but it sounds as if they don't think that's it.
Member:
canter

Posted on Monday, Apr 20, 2009 - 6:18 pm:

Diane, apparently you are not the only one that suspected foul play. A treating vet was interviewed on one of the morning news programs. One of the local papers he had read suggested foul play, but this vet said it appeared unlikely, but of course, until all the tests come back, couldn't rule it out 100%.

Very, very sad. The video I've seen on the news is heartbreaking.
Member:
jojo15

Posted on Monday, Apr 20, 2009 - 7:55 pm:

here is the latest.

https://www.cbs12.com/news/polo_4717070___article.html/horses_died.html

i suspect too. i also use the same feed store many of those big operations use. i surely hope its not feed related. and who feeds so close to a match? i don't think its feed related. 45 minutes before the match 4 were dead, the rest starting to go down. It was probably a cocktail they mixed up, on purpose or inadvertantly toxic.

https://www.cbs12.com/news/polo_4717070___article.html/horses_died.html
Member:
lindas

Posted on Monday, Apr 20, 2009 - 10:05 pm:

I saw the video on the Today show this morning. That veterinarian was obviously very upset and discouraged. It is horrible to do everything to save your patients and nothing you try works.
I hope they figure this one out quickly to avoid the possibility of more deaths.
Member:
jjrichar

Posted on Monday, Apr 20, 2009 - 11:44 pm:

This is so tragic... I couldn't imagine watching 21 horses of mine just fall over and die within 45 minutes. It's just absolutely heartbreaking. They say they were only fed vitamins before they left for the match. Another report had speculations of cattle feed being accidentally fed to the horses via mislabeled bags. It's hard to say what really happened though with the rumor mill churning in full force. It will be interesting to see what they find.

I pray it was not intentional. I really don't think it was because these were $100k horses and only 8 of them were insured. These horses are also kept under pretty tight security at private stables. Someone else slipping something to that many of them would be hard to pull off I think. I hope they hurry and release some of the test results.
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 21, 2009 - 8:14 am:

Heart failure was reported as the cause of death on the morning news.
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 21, 2009 - 8:52 am:

Veterinarian is quoted as saying an injection of some kind ("99% sure") makes more sense than something that was eaten by the horses:

https://www.tcpalm.com/news/2009/apr/20/21THORSES/
Member:
mrose

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 21, 2009 - 10:32 am:

What a tragedy!! I sure hope they find the offending parties. When they do, they should turn them over to the horses' owners!

Polo seems really big in FL and I know it is in a lot of the S. American countries. I imagine big money is bet on the games. I would suspect this has something to do with a S.American mafia type organization that either didn't want that team to win, or wanted to "get a message" across; perhaps something like the team mgr. refused to fix the game or something like that. I know is sounds like I've been watching too many episodes of "The Sopranos," but that kind of thing used to happen around race tracks and other sporting events that the Mafia had a hand in at one time.
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 21, 2009 - 11:56 am:

You are absolutely right about big money being bet on a match like this, Sara.

Though all possibilities are being investigated, it it not yet being stated this was a criminal act.

The horses might have been injected with some substance by a trainer or manager.

It is allowed to give them IV fluids.

Several times references have been made to a possible "combination" of ingredients, which makes one wonder what is being implied.

What the barn trainers possibly gave to these horses is a question not yet answered.
Member:
pattyb

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 21, 2009 - 11:57 am:

From someone who grew up in a racetrack town, surrounded by thorobreds and standardbreds, take it from me, you haven't been watching too much TV at all.

Because it was so sudden, I'm leaning towards injections as the source but then that begs an answer to the obvious question.......was it a bad bottle....or a sabotaged bottle? Was it a good bottle stored improperly? Was it a lethal cocktail? Is there any of it in the US?

This is certainly a story worth following.
Member:
zarr

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 21, 2009 - 12:06 pm:

and how can someone give 21 horses a shot so rapidly that they all DrOp at the same time? On the internet guesses have ranged from PETA to terrorist. Just watching these horses DrOp dead would be a nightmare!
Member:
pattyb

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 21, 2009 - 12:36 pm:

Hi Cindy,

IF (big if) that were the source, how quickly it would hit would depend on what it was and what was wrong with it....and when it was given. Was it as they were being loaded? As they were being unloaded? We can only hope that it was a horrible accident, the other being unimaginable.
Member:
zarr

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 21, 2009 - 1:14 pm:

The last report from this A.M. thought it was cleaning solution. But who ever gave the shots must have been a normal sight so it would seem the supply might have been tainted?
Member:
jjrichar

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 21, 2009 - 1:58 pm:

The owner of the team, said they were all given 'vitamins' before they left his stable for the short ride to the match. Now whether those were injectable or not I haven't heard, but it sure seems to be leaning towards injectable. The big question becomes what was actually in those 'vitamins'? Was this someone grabbing the wrong bottle and/or mixing two lethal drugs together or was the bottle tainted? Was it intentional or accidental? These are all questions I am waiting on pins and needles to hear the answers to.

Whatever those horses were exposed to it had to be highly, highly toxic to kill them so quickly and so close together. One vet said even cocaine or caffeine injections wouldn't kill the horses in the manner it did. I personally think (and pray) whatever caused it, it was accidental or if nothing else, something the owner/trainers did not know about. The owner was said to be running around the field from horse to horse sobbing and begging for help.

Yes there is big money involved and polo is very popular in FL and the South American countries, but these matches do not yield big winnings. Theses ppl are already multi millionaires and the only thing they really win is bragging rights. We all know there is always a potential for corruption. I just think it is too soon to speculate until we have some answers as to the actual toxin involved. I have to admit, it definitely reeks of wrong doing though.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 21, 2009 - 6:15 pm:

This is quite a tragic mystery and we are going to have to wait for more information. Improper use of E/Se injectable might cause pulmonary edema in some individuals and they have mentioned vitamin administration but this is just a stab with no basis other than conjecture we need more information.
DrO
Member:
astbury

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 21, 2009 - 6:49 pm:

This tragedy was in the morning's newspapers in the United Kingdom this morning. How awful!

Will keep looking at your site to see what the outcome is.
Member:
mitch316

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 21, 2009 - 7:02 pm:

It makes me wonder if they gave something intravenously that wasn't supposed too. Seems like I remember that niacin, or one of the other B vitamins could cause heart failure if given directly in the veins. Or more contaminated pet supplies from China? It definitely is not coincidence, and I would be curious if vitamins would even show up on a tox screen?
Member:
zarr

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 21, 2009 - 7:15 pm:

Dr.O the one picture I've seen shows one of the horse down but still alive this one had a large white blaze that was now dark red ? The tech was putting a cooling agent on?? Does that speak of extreme temp hike??
Member:
kpaint

Posted on Wednesday, Apr 22, 2009 - 3:45 pm:

My farrier told me that all of the horses had been given the "same" injections within an hour and that they just collapsed after a short period of time. He had spoken to a fellow farrier who was at the event and supposedly was there...? The tox screens weren't back yet when he talked to the man on Monday. I haven't read any newspaper accounts about this; just heresay from my farrier. I sure hope no foul play is involved although bad meds will be a terrible story too...
Member:
kshayden

Posted on Wednesday, Apr 22, 2009 - 5:35 pm:

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – A member of a Venezuelan-owned polo team says a supplement likely killed 21 horses before a match last weekend in Florida.

Juan Martin Nero, of Lechuza Polo, tells the Argentine newspaper La Nacion the horses were given a commonly used supplement known as Biodyl that contains a combination of vitamins and minerals.

Nero says the drug is often given to horses, but was likely tainted at a lab.

The horses began collapsing Sunday as they were unloaded from trailers before one of the sport's top championships at the International Polo Club Palm Beach.

Nero says five horses that did not get the supplement were OK.

Florida authorities have started a criminal investigation to see if the deaths were intentional or an accident.
Member:
jjrichar

Posted on Wednesday, Apr 22, 2009 - 10:26 pm:

Here is a link to an indepth article from the Sun Sentinel with the latest. https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-horses-dead-polo-wellington -palm-beach-041909,0,713717.story


Here is an excerpt related to Biodyl:

Dr. John Harvey, executive associate dean at the University of Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine, said the compound by itself shouldn't have been fatal and preliminary tests for Biodyl's ingredients so far turned up nothing unusual.

"If it's done properly, I don't think it's going to kill a horse," Harvey said. "On the other hand, if someone added stuff or made it improperly... those would be the concerns I would have."

Nero, the polo team captain, hinted at that possibility, saying he thought the horses were given a typical dose Sunday, but whoever mixed or provided the drug may have made a mistake.

"For us, the suspicions are that there was something bad at the laboratory," Nero said.

Local veterinarians said it is common for pharmacists and vets to mix their own compounds and it would be easy to replicate Biodyl's formula.
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 - 12:50 pm:

I heard on the noon news that they believe a compounding error was made by a pharmacy located in Ocala.

The pharmacy is cooperating with investigators.
Member:
jjrichar

Posted on Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 - 1:52 pm:

The link above also takes you to the new information about the pharmacy error. Wow! I grew up in Ocala and the pharmacy involved is very well respected. It is one of the few compounding pharmacies around. I am curious which vet wrote the script too. They haven't released it yet from what I can tell. My mom (who is a registered nurse and specialized in cardiac care) said the substance that was erroneously dosed was probably the potassium as it will cause cardiac arrest very quickly. How very very awful... a simple mistake killing all of these wonderful equine athletes.
Member:
stevens

Posted on Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 - 4:04 pm:

AP Newsbreak: Pharmacy made mistake in horse drug
By BRIAN SKOLOFF (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
April 23, 2009 11:35 AM EDT
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.
Member:
shanson

Posted on Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 - 4:40 pm:

Heartbreaking for all concerned...
Member:
mrose

Posted on Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 - 8:00 pm:

Heartbreaking is right! I guess it's better than a criminal act, but still so very awful.

Isn't there supposed to be some kind of control check on compounded medications?

Can anyone say "lawsuit?"
Member:
jojo15

Posted on Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 - 8:45 pm:

Probably not!

no lawsuit as this cocktail was written by the vet. can you sue the vet? as i'm sure its not the pharmacy's fault. Do vet's even have malpractice?
but this is probably a good arguement as to getting things past the FDA in the future. If they could have purchased Biodyl none of this would have happened.

Sadly, an honest mistake turns into the biggest nightmare in polo history. Notice how they made sure we know its a licensed vet that made the scrip not the venezuelan one. Otherwise, people would be all over that.

7 horses insured. The rest weren't.

Sad. no matter how you look at it.

I've been told i don't know how many times give BO-SE for the kids. Give it for the does. Give it when this is wrong or that is wrong.... Needless, i haven't on advice of my vet. Who has since purchased it because i've asked her to. but... People play with "cocktails" and this is what can happen. Selenium is just one part of the deadly mixture, but still...
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 - 9:12 pm:

From what I heard the pharmacy has taken responsibility for making the mistake. They either mixed it up stronger than the way it was written up or made the dosage instruction too large.

They must be horrified. It is a reputable pharmacy that does a lot of drugs for horses, which is probably why they got the prescription.
Member:
jojo15

Posted on Thursday, Apr 23, 2009 - 11:22 pm:

oh how terrible.. sure they weren't following instructions? i mean its so easy to mistake
mg's to mcg's and in something like selenium can kill.

just awful.
Member:
jowidner

Posted on Friday, Apr 24, 2009 - 12:30 am:

This is all just too sad for words.

I ordered Pergolide from this compounding pharmacy for years upon the recommendation of my vet. They do (did?) have an excellent reputation and my experience with them was very positive. Every order was handled professionally and the representatives were always polite.

From the news report it sounds as if the pharmacy has stepped up to the plate and taken responsibility for the error. Sadly, even among the most dedicated professionals, mistakes do happen. However careful we are, and no matter how good the quality control and safety protocols, we imperfect humans make mistakes. Many errors fortunately cause no serious or lasting harm. Tragically, that was not the case this time.

My heart goes out to all involved - the horses, their owners, riders and grooms, the vets and pharmacists and techs. So very sad.
Member:
paul303

Posted on Friday, Apr 24, 2009 - 1:21 am:

I really want to know what was in that "supplement" that could kill within a 3hr time span. I want to know WHAT "vitamin" or "mineral" overdose could kill my horse in that timespan. If it isn't made public, I'd sure like to know the reason why.
Member:
jojo15

Posted on Friday, Apr 24, 2009 - 1:36 am:

this article -- paragraph, leads me to believe the pharmacy just aren't pointing fingers, yet or they just don't know where the mistake happened. From the vet or internal.

"A Florida pharmacy that mixed the medication said Thursday an internal review found "the strength of an ingredient in the medication was incorrect." Jennifer Beckett, chief operating officer for Franck's Pharmacy in Ocala, Florida, would not say whether the incorrect amount was specified in the order that came from a Florida veterinarian."

https://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,517619,00.html2933,517619,00.html,https://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,517619,00.html
Member:
jojo15

Posted on Friday, Apr 24, 2009 - 1:46 am:

Lee, Selenium... chances are it was that.
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Friday, Apr 24, 2009 - 8:58 am:

Dr. O, Any opinion on the likely offending ingredient at too high a dosage?

While true Selenium poisoning is very dangerous and fatal to horses it could also have been too much potassium, I would think, causing the cardiac problem.

What would act that quickly?
Member:
jjrichar

Posted on Friday, Apr 24, 2009 - 9:20 am:

Lee, the compound the mixed is a combination of B12, Selenium, Potassium, and Magnesium. It is used as a recuperative vitamin to help the horses bounce back quicker after strenuous exercise. Potassium if overdosed can cause immediate cardiac arrest in people. Dr. O also mentioned E/Selenium combination that can cause Pulmonary Edema.

Francks pharmacy is a very reputable pharmacy and is not only used by vets, it is mostly used by doctors in the treatment of people. It is right by the hospitals in Ocala. The doctors office I worked for used them pretty regularly for medications for our patients. I am still amazed (but glad) that they willingly came forward and declared the mistake.

Article from the Sun Sentinel:

WELLINGTON - Five days after 21 polo horses mysteriously died in Wellington, university scientists Thursday singled out a chemical they think killed the ponies.

They just weren't ready to reveal it quite yet.

Still, clues have come together as an Ocala-based pharmacy acknowledged it incorrectly mixed a vitamin compound given to the horses just hours before they died -- a compound the Lechuza Caracas polo team says an unidentified Florida veterinarian requested.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says the compound is of questionable legality and attorneys say there could be costly consequences for its use.

Scientists have waited days for results from necropsy, tissue and blood tests of the horse carcasses to determine a cause of death. Early results trickled in, but none explained why the horses started dying Sunday afternoon at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington. Some answers came Thursday.

"We believe the likely chemical responsible has been tentatively identified, but pending review by the state veterinarian and state law enforcement, we cannot comment any further at this time," said Sarah Carey, spokeswoman for the University of Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine in Gainesville.

Earlier in the day, Franck's Pharmacy in Ocala revealed that a lawyer it hired to investigate the case concluded one ingredient was off during the mixing process.

"The strength of an ingredient in the medication was incorrect," said Jennifer Beckett, of Franck's Pharmacy. "We will cooperate fully with the authorities as they continue their investigation." She declined to answer questions but offered condolences to the team: "We share their grief and sadness."

The long-established pharmacy, which also makes medications for humans, has no disciplinary action against its license, Florida Department of Health records show. The department has joined federal, state and local agencies in investigating the deaths.

In the Ocala community, which prides itself on being a center of horse breeding and training, horse owners and businesses catering to the industry for the most part said they would reserve judgment until the investigations are completed.

"I think a horrible mistake was made somewhere," said Marti Haught, of the Tack Shack in Ocala. She said many customers are buzzing about what may have gone wrong. "But how can you judge, if you don't know all the facts."

Debra Odom, 44, who works at Sanders Farms of Ocala, had little sympathy.

"I am a horse lover and mistakes like that should not happen," Odom said.

Local veterinarians say Franck's is one of the top distributors of medical compounds and has an excellent reputation worldwide with 25 years in the business.

"This isn't some backyard kind of place," said Wellington veterinarian Dr. Ben Schachter, who has used Franck's for more than two decades. "Paul [Franck] has a very nice, clean facility. He's one of the biggest in the country."

The medication the pharmacy mixed was a substitute for Biodyl, a vitamin-mineral mixture the FDA says isn't approved in the United States. The Lechuza Caracas polo team said a Florida veterinarian ordered the substitute, but did not name the vet.

"Only the horses treated with the compound became sick and died within four hours of treatment," the team said in a statement released Thursday. "The horses that were not treated remain healthy and normal."

According to Merial Limited, the manufacturer of Biodyl, the compound is made of vitamin B12, selenium, potassium and magnesium. When it's marketed as Biodyl, it's illegal in the U.S., according to the FDA.

But what if someone takes the ingredients and mixes up a similar compound? The FDA says that may be illegal.

"It is my impression that that would be manufacturing a new animal drug," said FDA spokeswoman Siobhan DeLancey.

Dr. Loyd V. Allen Jr., a pharmacist and editor-in-chief of the Oklahoma-based International Journal of Pharmaceutical Compounding, said he believes it is legal to make the Biodyl substitute. "All of the ingredients in it... are components of drugs here in the United States that are legal or have been in use," Allen said.

But a West Palm Beach attorney who handles many equine law cases said he wouldn't be surprised if legal action stems from the pharmacy's admission. The polo horses are worth more than $2 million and could take 10 years to replace.

"I think you have a case against them for negligence, but it's all speculation about whether the team would sue," said attorney Robin Trupp. "You don't know if the pharmacy might have a contract with the owner saying they're not liable for anything. If there's no contractual limitation and the pharmacy mixed it improperly, it appears there's liability there."

Veterinarians like Dr. Rob Boswell, of Wellington, said they will continue to use Franck's Pharmacy.

"Mistakes can happen. Anything can happen, whether you're a pharmacy, a feed mixing company or when you get E. coli if you're a butcher," he said. "I just think it's terrible but at the end of the day it was a mistake."

Orlando Sentinel Staff Writers Stephen Hudak and Anthony Colarossi contributed to this report.
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Friday, Apr 24, 2009 - 4:13 pm:

I just heard that someone on the Venezuelan team is now quoted as saying that what was used on the horses contained ten times the selenium that it should have.

The description of how the horses were moving as they got off the trailer did sound like the "blind staggers."
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Apr 29, 2009 - 8:49 am:

Here is the most complete explanation that I have seen so far, Ocala Pony Polo Poisoning. We still are waiting for the final toxicological report but selenium overdose seems very likely.
DrO
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