Winner Heart Patient

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30880, 13 October 1965, Page 4

Winner Heart Patient

“The Press’* Special Service INVERCARGILL. Castle Gregory, which scored a rather fortuitous win at tiie Winton Jockey Club’s meeting on Saturday suffered a severe heart condition halfway through last season and his future was in doubt. Chances of his racing again were almost nil and he was returned to his Winton owner, Mr J. J. Woods, to live out his remaining days. “His case was considered such a bad

one that he was sent home to die,” Mr Woods said on Saturday. When in work with H. A. Anderton at Wingatui last Christmas, Castle Gregory's track work deteriorated rapidly and he became severely distressed after even half pace work. When returned to his owner, Mr Woods had an electrocardiograph taken of him. This showed a trial fibrillation and a chaotic heart rhythm. He was sent to an Invercargill veterinary establishment

where he received intensive treatment.

After four days the heart was beating normally again and has remained normal since, in spite of several hard races. It is possibly the first time a horse has been treated for heart fibrillation in New Zealand, the treatment being based on an American experiment.

The Invercargill veterinarian, who treated Castle Gregory, said yesterday that in the thousands of electrographs he had recorded, only one in 160 showed atrial fibrillation. It is generally believed that this condition arises from permanent and often progressive damage to the heart. Common causes are reaction to bacterial infection, such as severe cold and inflammation caused by migration of red worm larvae. In this particular case, the veterinarian believed that hyperthyroidism was an important factor.