Veterinary Services

Horses

A Highland pony with weight loss showed 1,200 trichostrongylid eggs per gram(epg) in faeces and an uncountable number of cyathostome larvae (>1000 per gram). An 18-year-old Cob on another premises showing weight loss had a faecal worm egg count of 900epg with 18 per gram cyathostome larvae. In both cases resampling post-treatment was recommended to identify possible anthelmintic resistance.

Streptococcus equi subspecies equi was isolated from a three-week-old Irish Draught foal with an abscess on its neck. The second sudden death, in three months, of an adult horse on a riding establishment with 22 horses was investigated. The horse collapsed and died within 20-30 minutes of going down. Post-mortem examination revealed torsion of the splenic mesentery with subsequent circulatory failure.

Chinchillas

A three-year-old chinchilla died following streptococcal pneumonia. Conclusive identification of the streptococcus species was not possible, but it may have belonged to the Streptococcus milleri group, which includes the oral streptococci which can be found in humans.