TEAM WIPED OUT.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20276, 10 April 1934, Page 10

TEAM WIPED OUT.

Five Working Horses Die Suddenly. Christchurch veterinary surgeons, are puzzled by the death of five working draught horses at Tinwald, on the farm of Mr G. W. Vessey. The general opinion among the experts is that seme poisonous substance was eaten or drunk by the horses when in or near the stables, as other stock grazing in the horse paddock were not affected. The first signs of anything wrong were given by one of the horses when working in the paddock. The animal showed signs of weakness, and died shortly afterwards. The remaining four were taken to the stable, and all died before midnight, suffering an agonising death. Some of the animals had shown signs of acute pain, considered to be a symptom of poisoning, and were let loose, to rush round the yard and leap fences. A veterinary surgeon from Ashburton injected antidotes to poison without effect. The next morning two cows developed the same symptoms, and one had to be shot. Several injections and drenches have been given to the other cow, and the assistance of a veterinary from Christchurch has been obtained, but the cause" of the trouble is baffling and there does not appear to be much hope of saving the animal. The intestines of one of the horses and the cow, as well as samples of chaff and water, have been sent to the analyst of the Stock Department, Wellington, for investigation. Meanwhile all the stock on the farm has been isolated. A puzzling feature of the trouble is that there has lately been no variation in the feeding conditions of the animals. They have been running in the same paddock for about two years, and the chaff fed to them is the same as that which has been used for some months. Another cow belonging to a neighbour grazing in the same paddock, as well as a mare and foal, also owned by a neighbour and grazing in an adjoining paddock on Mr Vessey’s farm, were not affected. None of the 500 sheep on the farm has suffered.