Plea for vigilance following equine grass sickness deaths

Vets and horse owners have been urged to remain alert for signs of a disease that has already led to deaths in Scotland.A senior scientist has warned any part of the UK could be susceptible to equine grass sickness (EGS), though she stressed the current risk is likely to be low in most areas.

But animal science consultant Beth Wells also appealed for clinicians to provide material from any cases they encounter to the EGS Biobank to support ongoing research to identify the cause of the disease.

She said: “We are urgently still requiring samples, particularly postmortem samples.”

Alarm over the latest cases was initially raised in a social media post from Machars Veterinary Services in Newton Stewart.

‘Multiple losses’

The practice said there had been “multiple losses” due to the disease and advised owners to consider whether a reduction in grazing times may be appropriate for their animals.

It added that, while the disease is not contagious, it was “not uncommon to see multiple horses affected on the same premises and/or pockets of disease within an area”.

Although the cause of EGS remains unknown more than a century after its first Scottish case was reported, it is thought to be connected to weather fluctuations such as heavy rain after a prolonged drought and frosty nights preceding warm and sunny days.

The practice said cases in its region were “usually very rare”, though they believed the unusual weather conditions were likely to be a factor.

High risk areas

While current weather patterns mean the risk is likely to be low in most areas, Dr Wells acknowledged any area with such fluctuations could become a high risk area and urged vets to keep EGS in mind when faced by a horse with gut symptoms.

She said: “The whole idea behind this is so that vets and owners are aware of potential high risk in their area and they can take some mitigating actions to reduce risk.”

Further advice about the disease and managing its risks can be found via the Equine Grass Sickness Fund (EGSF) website.

The group also runs a WhatsApp weather alert system which offers owners localised risk updates for their areas.

Vets can order sample kits for any cases they encounter by emailing [email protected] or phoning the EGSF on 0131 4456257 on weekdays only.