Vaccine blamed in horse death

Another horse owner has spoken up, following reports in the Mercury last week of a horse dying after being given equine influenza vaccine.Wilton's Christine McCarthy said her healthy horse, Bob, died of colic on November 22 - three weeks after vaccination."He had never had colic in his life, he was 22 and we had him for 12 years; he just came down with it straight away," she said.Ms McCarthy had felt "pestered" by the Department of Primary Industries, who she said called continuously to encourage her to vaccinate her three horses. "I felt under an obligation to do it because I have neighbours who have trotters and they were vaccinated."But she had a bad feeling.Ms McCarthy believes the vaccination caused Bob's death, "even though I can't prove it". Department spokesman Brett Fifield said because there was no autopsy they could not comment. "Horses died of colic a long time before equine influenza was in Australia," he said.Last week the department cancelled plans to vaccinate at the Wombarra property of Susanne and John Watson, who claimed it caused the death of 12-year-old pony Will.