Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Severe hypoglycemia attributable to surreptitious injection of insulin in a mare.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 1988
- Authors:
- Given, B D et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Medicine
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A mare showed signs of very low blood sugar, which can make an animal feel weak and unwell. Before she was put to sleep, tests showed that she had high levels of insulin, a hormone that lowers blood sugar, in her blood. Further testing revealed that this insulin came from a commercial source, suggesting that someone may have secretly injected her with it. This kind of hidden insulin injection has been linked to several mysterious deaths in insured horses. The study suggests that using advanced testing methods could help prevent these incidents in the future.
Abstract
A mare with signs of hypoglycemia had high serum insulin concentrations before it was euthanatized. High pressure liquid chromatography revealed that the insulin in the mare's blood was of commercial origin. Surreptitious insulin injection has been suspected as the cause of several suspicious deaths of insured horses. The use of high-pressure liquid chromatography should help put an end to this practice.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3042728/