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BY SHARON KILEY MACK, OF THE NEWS STAFF - AUGUSTA — The Maine Department of Agriculture, Animal Welfare Division, is keeping a close eye on horses being imported by the dozens to fill the needs of summer riding camps after it received numerous complaints that some of the animals were sick. Last weekend, AWD Director Norma Worley dispatched humane agent Bentley Rathbun to a horse auction in Topsham. After spending three hours at the auction, Worley said Rathbun determined there were some small health concerns but nothing that would cause him to stop the sale. But the concerns, which Worley would not detail, were serious enough for her to promise "We will be really looking closely at these auctions." She said the horses in question came from several different vendors. She said the division had received complaints from several people in the horse industry. "We are paying attention. We are following up," said Worley. "We have not confirmed any actual disease or deaths at this point. We are simply following up on complaints." Rumors in the horse industry that some of the imported horses were sick with West Nile Virus are untrue, said state veterinarian Don Hoenig. "We have not had a single case yet." But Hoenig was quick to recommend that all horses get vaccinated and that owners speak to their individual veterinarians if they are concerned. |
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