CONCERN over the state of the health of Dartmoor ponies living around the Pimple on Whitchurch Down have been expressed this week by local residents and holidaymakers alike.
Westmoor Veterinary Surgery staff said they had been taking calls from appalled walkers on the Downs at the deterioration of the animals, who are believed to be suffering from an equine disease called Strangles. The symptoms include a cold, runny nose and lumps at the base of the animal's jaw, which put them off eating. Once it sets in, the disease which is contagious amongst the Dartmoor ponies, leads to their refusal to eat and if untreated is fatal.
The surgery confirmed that people have been ringing the practice in a very distressed state. Staff said they had contacted the owner, whose land they believed the ponies are roaming on, more than a month ago but still nothing had happened to improve their condition.
Staff at the surgery said it was cruel that the ponies had been left in such a state and that if left untreated the ponies conditions would get worse and the disease spread.
A spokeswoman for the RSPCA said society staff have been called to deal with two such incidents in the last two weeks, the first of which sadly resulted in a sickly foal being found dead by a vet.
In the most recent incident, on August 31, an RSPCA animal collection officer (ACO) responded to a caller about another foal with strangles. Unable to identify the foal's owner, the ACO called in a vet and acting on their advice the foal was treated with antibiotics and returned to the moor.
'One of the problems which the RSPCA and pony owners are facing is that due to the wild nature of these animals and the vast open expanses which they graze, it is very difficult to quarantine infected animals,' she said. 'And the pony migration involved in rounding up these wild creatures could actually contribute to the spread of the disease. Furthermore, several local pony owners have made it clear to the RSPCA that they will not and do not wish infected animals belonging to them to receive treatment as they want them to recover naturally to build up an immunity to the disease.
'These owners have also stressed that if infected animals do not recover naturally and they reach a stage where they could potentially suffer they will destroy their ponies humanely rather than treat them.'
The RSPCA says it will continue to monitor the situation and offer assistance and where possible work with Dartmoor pony owners and other organisations to ensure no animals are allowed to suffer needlessly.