THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 25, 1995 TAG: 9502280438
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Short : 28 lines
A horse from Suffolk has died, and is suspected to be the 19th known victim of ``moldy corn poisoning'' in Virginia.
The horse's owners, who were not identified, could not recall where they purchased the corn, said Elaine Lidholm, spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. So far, state officials have found only one Virginia grain dealer with tainted corn.
Earlier this week, officials began inspecting the feed from manufacturers across southeastern Virginia after discovering that a local grain dealer had sold corn to a James City County resident whose horse had died of the disease.
The dealer destroyed the corn.
State officials say they have no evidence to suggest that the outbreak can be blamed on local feed. But they've urged owners not to feed corn to their horses until they can determine that the threat of moldy corn poisoning has passed. by CNB