Mystery Compound That Killed Horses In Florida To Be Revealed
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Early this week, the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine may release the name of the drug that killed 21 polo horses as they were getting ready to compete in a Florida match.
The state is awaiting the result of toxicology reports on the animals that were buried last Thursday.
It has been confirmed that the 21 horses who died received an injection only described as a compound consisting of vitamin B12, along with a form of selenium and vitamins and minerals. A similar drug is Biodyl, a French-made compound not approved in the U.S. is given to race horses to fight fatigue.
The 21 horses were preparing for a championship match Sunday April 18th and belonged to a Venezuelan owner. They began falling to the ground shortly after given the injections before the horrified spectators at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington. The horses who were not injected did not die.
We now know that Franck’s Pharmacy in Ocala, Florida prepared the compound. It is a retail compounding pharmacy used by veterinarians and physicians, and considered one of the biggest and best in the country to create customized formulas.
This fatal error in mixing customized medicines should remind us that medication errors are more common than you might think for humans as well.
Remember the twins of actor Dennis Quaid? He came into the hospital room and saw the newborns bleeding out from too much blood-thinner, heparin. The children almost died, and in fact others had when health care workers mistakenly used the higher dosage bottles instead of the low dose. The labels are both blue and very similar. The Quaids sued Baxter Healthcare.
Every year in the United States, 30 million medication errors occur, according to the National Patient Safety Foundation. Some errors are minor, but others can be serious or fatal. The patient must be their own advocate and not just blindly trust a pharmacist.
The National Patient Safety Foundation suggests:
- Don’t get a prescription filled at the beginning of the month. The group’s research showed that there are more medication prescription errors then, probably because social security checks that arrive mean that more people are getting prescriptions filled.
- Open the prescription at the pharmacy and show it to the druggist to make sure the correct medication has been dispensed.
- Ask your doctor to write clearly, the quantity of drugs, prescription dose and patient instructions, just so there are no errors