UNTIL recently, a 17-year-old horse named Skye was battling a condition that causes his heart to flutter – but thanks to a shock treatment that’s been used for the first time in South Africa, he has a steady heartbeat again.
The procedure is known as transvenous electrocardio-version (TVEC) and was recently performed by Dr Christina Eberhardt, a cardiology specialist for horses and lecturer at the University of Pretoria’s faculty of veterinary science.
“Skye was successfully treated and had no complications. He’s doing well after the procedure and can now return to full exercise,” she says.
WHY WAS IT NECESSARY?
Many horses, particularly racehorses, develop atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeats, see Word of the Week) because they lose a lot of potassium when sweating.
Although horses can live with the condition, both the horse and jockey can be injured if the animal collapses during a race due to
