Deadly horse disease outbreak confirmed in Galloway

Vets in south-west Scotland have warned horse owners to be vigilant for a deadly disease after multiple cases and deaths have been recorded across the Wigtownshire area.

Machars Veterinary Services, based in Newton Stewart, confirmed that it had responded to a spate of Equine Grass Sickness (EGS) cases which had resulted in fatalities.

The disease causes paralysis of the digestive system and, with no vaccine and only a few treatments available, about 80% of horses affected will die.

Cases in south-west Scotland are generally rare but, although the disease is not contagious, it is not uncommon to see an outbreak in one particular area.

Allyson Ross is an equine veterinary surgeon with Ark Vets in Lockerbie and said the outbreak had come as a shock.

''In my career, I've only seen a handful of suspected cases," she said.

"I think there's only actually maybe been one or two that we have sent to Edinburgh and been properly diagnosed.

"So, it's pretty rare, especially the acute form.''

The disease can affect horses and ponies from four months old to those over 20 years old, however the greatest number of cases are reported in animals aged between two and seven.

Acute cases are considered extremely difficult to treat, however there are some options for animals presenting with chronic symptoms.

''It needs really, really intense nursing care at a proper equine hospital," said Ross.

"But there's not exactly a proper cure for it at the moment at all.

"It's just some might pull through, but unfortunately, it's more so that most of them end up being euthanised on humane grounds because it's not fair to continue putting them through any more."

Scotland's first case of grass sickness was recorded in 1907 in Dundee, before radiating to further locations in central and eastern areas.

Despite almost 100 years of research and investigations, the cause is relatively unknown, but recent studies have found a direct link with weather patterns.

The Equine Grass Sickness Fund is the only dedicated UK charity specifically researching the causes of the disease.

Dr Beth Wells, an animal science consultant with the Moredun Research Institute, is part of a team looking at identifying periods of high-risk weather.

''It's very interesting because in unusual weather conditions like we've been having, we do see it much further west, not just in Scotland but in England and Wales," she said.

''A prolonged period of dry weather with a fluctuation in temperatures, followed by a break of drought with reasonably heavy rain, is what we would consider high-risk weather.''

The fund has now created a weather alert system, where horse owners can sign up to the service and be notified of potentially dangerous upcoming weather patterns.

There are three forms of EGS: acute, sub-acute and chronic, with symptoms that can overlap.

They include excessive salivating, bloated stomach, increased heart rate and difficulty swallowing or refusing to eat.

With the exception of chronic cases, horses will have to be euthanised once a diagnosis is confirmed.

Prevention can prove difficult, but during clusters of cases owners are advised to consider reduced grazing and moving animals from paddocks where there have been EGS cases.