Subject:    Can you assist?
   Date:     Sunday, December 05, 1999 7:13 PM

Opulance wrote:

Dear Steve: I'm hoping you can assist me in finding a possible solution to my problem.  In the spring of 1997 to the following summer of 1998 something happened to a group of horses. Veterinarians have been unable to assist for they do not know what to test for.

The symptoms the animals experienced are as follows: Wasting away, soft hoof growth, bizarre hair growth, loss of voice, blood in urine, target skin lesions that would begin clearing up in 3 or 4 days, colic like symptoms, gesture intestinal bloat, inability to urinate, edema on the belly, convulsions, seizures, loss of hind end coordination, stumbling and falling down, aggressive behavior, lethargy, sensitivity to light, sound and touch.

One horse died of what the vet called colic however the behavior displayed while the horse was in distress was not colic like.  The horse had three small lesions on the right side of his neck.  When the symptoms of colic were noticed the vet was called and assessed the horse as having mild colic.  Less than 20 hours later the horse was put down.  His symptoms are as follows. goose-stepping, neck stretching, beginning all four legs together and convulsing,  Off water and hay for the evening.  Behavior throughout the night was calm and restful.  The next morning the horse had a coffee can of warm water and promptly started goose stepping, neck stretching.... result a complete gastro-intestinal shut down.  The horse also experienced elevated temperature, respiration, pale mucous membranes, followed by instantaneous jaundice. It was an incredibly painful death that no animal should have to endure.

Another horse is still after a year experiencing  some rather troublesome symptoms.  This horse's body exploded in skin target lesions exactly one month after the death of the first horse.  This animal experienced everything imaginable in the way of G.I. disturbances, seizures, hair growth and loss, behavior changes, stool changes, wasting away, falling down, stumbling, nasal discharge, You name it this animal experienced it. Currently the horse is having re-occurring symptoms of skin postulates, behavior changes, gastro-intestinal bloat, stumbling, as well as hind end stiffness.  These symptoms occur when the weather seems to become colder. The horse was relocated in the summer of 98 to another state however the symptoms persist but not on such a dramatic way.

Could there be some sort of chemical in this animal's system? I should also mention that birds started to drop out of the sky and were found dead throughout the property. I found crows, robins and pigeons.  A cat had a skin disease that I thought was mites, may have been, but who knows?  Mice were found dead and didn't decay.  However one mouse was seen alive with what looked like skin lesions on it.  In the spring and fall of 1997 there used to be four eagles, at last sighting, fall of 98 I was only able to see one.

What chemical can cause this much damage? Can you assist in anyway?????? I hope so.

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Response:

The California horses were "treated" with organophosphates = lack of coordination, etc. BUT, I believe there is a terrible synergism going on here.

Were any tests done on the blood and/or adipose tissue?  Were any of the dead birds examined/frozen?  You did not mention where this took place - was it farm country or near a military reservation?  Do you suspect a cause?

Steve Tvedten

REPLY TO STEVE:

dear Steve
Yes blood tests were taken, however the only thing that showed up was that the horse (the one with explosive lesions) was anemic, at one point he also had blood in his urine.  It was after the fact that I remembered the dead birds, so unfortunately they were not frozen. The horse also had black mucuosy stools, so much so that when I picked up one ball in each hand a string would form.  The area was not near a military base.  It was a small eight acre area.  Biopsies of the lesions were also tested, for what I do not know but they came back negative.

The veterinarian said there was nothing that could be done as far as testing for we didn't know what to test for???? We managed the symptoms as they arose.  I went to everyone I could think of for assistance.  The SPCA passed the buck to the HUMAN SOCIETY, they passed the buck to the LIVESTOCK INSPECTOR, he passed the buck to the AGRICULTURE CENTER who told me to contact the UNIVERSITY'S animal health program.  ALL TO NO AVAIL. Throughout the above situation I contacted the POLICE who said there's not much we can do it's only a horse. I then hired a security firm to monitor the property and do undercover surveillance.  One particular person came under question.  Lie detector tests were administered and the suspect failed.  Once again all to no avail as the police said it was inadmissable in court.  It is believed that the problems with the horses were a malice poisoning.

Currently the property is home to a number of new horses. The new horses have no symptoms. The horse that is still living had lived on the above property for three years prior to the illness.  I would also like to mention that all liver, kidney and blood work as of today's date has all come back fine.  These tests are just the regular standard tests as we don't know what to test for. This has been a situation of you don't know what you don't know.  If you and your colleagues could point me in the right direction I would be FOREVER grateful.
 Sincerely,
OPULANCE

QUESTION TO STEVE:

Dear Steve In one of your responses you say, I believe there is a terrible synergism going on, What does that mean? I firmly belief that the horses were deliberately and maliciously poisoned for they also received mysterious one inch cuts along their back.  The animals were in private paddocks and it is pretty much impossible for animals to cut their backs!  Further more the criminal failed the polygraph!!! Is it possible to test for organophosphate toxicity? I was also told it may be a dioxin compound.  Are there any tests that can be done to confirm or deny the chemical.  Unfortunately money is an issue, however the perpetrator is still free and I don't for one minute believe he will stop at animals!! What are the long term effects of the above mentioned chemicals?Will the symptoms or side effects ever go away?Are there any resources available to assist in testing? OPULANCE

Response:
Synergism is when 1 plus 1 = a lot more than 2.  Multiple poisons create unbelievable, exponential harm when combined.  You have already told me what poison was in the food (on purpose) - now we need to find out what else was added to the terrible toxic mix.  Steve

You need to talk to Dr Simon about testing.  Steve

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Response:

Try herbicides. Horses who eat phenoxyacetic acid herbicides can exhibit this type of behavior.  It sounds like central nervous system and GI poisoning-  try 2,4D, 2,4,5-T, 2,4,5-T Silvex, Banvel, picloram, etc.  Maybe some biopsy tissue or fat can still be obtained.  If any horses were autopsied may some tissue was frozen.  If you want to proceed further contact me.

R. K. Simon, Ph.D. (800) 296-7053

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Response:

Off the top of my head (and I am not a vet or a physician) some of the symptoms (goose stepping, for example) sound like bovine spongiform encephalitis or mad cow disease.  It jumps species, and may have as a cause medicines and/or insecticides used on the animals which contain organophosphate chemicals.  Have the horses been treated for worms, flies, etc.?  With what?

Also, Opulance didn't say where these animals are.  The kind of symptoms -- neurological as well as the others -- can be produced from pfiesteria, a one-celled sea animal that, under certain conditions, becomes so toxic that the water they are in, touching people or fish, will cause skin problems, and the water that evaporates in the air causes terrible illnesses in those who breathe it -- both neurological and skin conditiions, etc.  Pfeisteria would be found in the Chesapeake Bay area, especially in the rivers that contribute to it.

"Red tide" is a bit similar.  I don't know where there is red tide right now.

Are the animals near any place that is radioactive?  Near military bases or nuclear experimental facilities?

Also, birds falling from the sky typically happens -- to the best of my knowledge -- when the air is very polluted.

Keep me posted.
 Claire W. Gilbert, Ph.D."
http://www.blazingtattles.com  wrote:

REPLY TO CLAIRE:

Thank You, Thank you, Thank you. In response to Claire's questions.  The horses were on a regular deworming schedule the product used was EQVANLAN.  The location of the property is in the interior.  No military bases are around.  No old testing sites etc...

I have never used pesticides or insecticides on my animals.  I have always maintained that there is a reason for living things from bugs to beetles, ants and elephants.  If fly season was particularly bad I made a batch of fly repellant useing skin so soft. Property spraying was not allowed and didn't happen. Regular pasture maintance was with a shovel and wheelbarrow.

I should also mention that since the spring of 1997 one dog aged 9 years was put down Dec.98, enlarged scent glands,decaying teeth,and liver problems??? The dog lost all hindend coordination and was unable to relieve herself....no autopsy.

As well, one horse with an oral lesion the size of a man's fist.  The lesion (sore) was on the roof of the horse's mouth.Once again no autopsy!!! the horse was not in my care at the time or I would have had an autopsy.

No animals who have come in contact with the horse that is living has contacted any of the symptoms, therefore it tells us that this is not a contagious disease. I hope anyway.

In one blood test with the horse that experienced explosive lesions the blood showed a slight ectrolyte imbalance, but the Vet said that it was nothing significant.

Thank you again for your interest.
OPULANCE

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Response:

Many horses are on Strongid C, pyrantel tartrate, for prevention of parasitic worms.  And I also understant that a lot of horse pelletized feed is laced with tetra-chlor-vin-phos for prevention of flies and fly larvae in the manure pile.  I have no idea what other chemicals the vets are pumping into the horse, whether they are getting contamination in their water, and what other chemicals might be used in the barn or municipal or Ag spraying... Lyndon (California) tollerates so many poisons out there, those horse likely had chemical soup/stew, a combination of many poisons... and some parts of the combination massively compounded the problems.  Where did their drinking water come from.  IF it is well water... the contamination could be 150 miles away... oh those wonderful landfills / land mines we've created with Short Term Thinking.

We are our own worst enemy... and too few people have any idea of how serious the problem is NOW.

John Crockett
Working Together To Create a Sustainable Environment,
John Crockett, alias Dr. Mike Robe
Mother Nature's Farms, Inc.
24 Sol Drive
Carmel, New York 10512-5039

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Response:

Perhaps their was crop spraying or a polluted water source.  Somehow these animals were exposed to something that was on the ground or in a nearby stream or lake or water source.

I'm $200 per hour on environmental analysis.  It can get expensive when people send me out to figure exactly what happened.

Of course I am more than happy to share my knowledge with you and help via e-mail.  I only begin charging when I am retained because significant amounts of time needs to be spent.

The person may wish to send an environmental team out to perform a phase II so that soil samples can be analyzed.

I hope this helps.

Darren Enenstein
Enenstein, Russell & Saltz, L.L.P.

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Response:

It sure sounds like some sort of poison to me.  You might be sure to ask him about upstream sources of pollution or area manufacturing that could have contaminated his ground water.  Having lost a beloved horse myself I can sympathize with the helplessness, guilt and sense of betrayal one feels when something like this happens.  You know that you were doing the best you could to care for your horse and when something like this happens...I felt responsible for not being able to protect my old friend.

I know that I took care of my horse as I had him for over 20 years in good health.  Up until he was poisoned he was in excellent health.  If you think people have problems finding justice in toxic tort cases...when I complained of my loss in animals (a horse and two dogs with sarcoma cancer) attorneys would just laugh at me.  Still it remains a trauma
that easily brings tears of remorse and anger to my eyes when I think of it.

I would be interested in knowing how these people do with their problem.  Let me know if I can be of any help.

Thanks for sharing,
Elizabeth

Protect All Children's Environment
E.M.T. O'Nan
Director
2261 Buck Creek Road
Marion, NC 28752
Phone: (828) 724 4221
Fax: (828) 724 4177
Email: pace@mcdowell.main.nc.us
Web site: http://www.main.nc.us/pace
 

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