Palm Beach: Blood in the lungs of the 21 dead horse, but still no cause

The post-mortem of 21 polo ponies that died in Florida has shown the presence of blood and fluid in the horses’ lungs.The authorities are ever more convinced that the cause of death may be a toxin or poisoning. The investigators are awaiting the results of toxicological tests. The autopsy of 15 horses was conducted by the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine at Gainsville, while the remaining six animals were examined at Florida’s Animal Diagnostic Lab at Kissimmee.Florida’s Department of Agriculture has stated that all the animals examined had blood present in the lungs causing an pulmonary edema, whereby fluid stagnates in the lungs, causing respiratory problems.In the detectives’ report it was written that the horses were fed a vitamin integrator and according to leaks from the Argentine Equestrian Worldpaper ‘La Nacion’, the five horses which were not injected with the vitamin integrator are well. However, the authorities are convinced that should a medicine or integrator be to blame for the mass death the toxicological screening on samples of blood, hay, feed and water gathered at Wellington, where the horses were kept, should provide the proof. The Lechuza Caracas Polo team owned by Venezuelan multi-millionaire Victor Vargas has assured detectives of his total collaboration in the investigation.FD