PasoVoice.Com :: Poisoning in Horses: Common Toxic Substances

Marleen Robinson

This is such a tragedy. I am not ready to point fingers at anyone for what happened. I would like to wait and see what comes out of this mess. But, as a responsible 'animal'n not just horese owner, I am very 'picky' about what, and how much my critters consume.
I have never been a fan of round bales, or haylage, so i do not feed it at all. My square bales are locally grown, mostly Fescue mix. Every single bale I cut open, is checked for dust and mold, and before I feed any, I smell each flake before I will give it to any of my horses. It has become such a habit, some people think I'm totally nuts! I agree, you can not do that when you have 100's of horses. But could I detect if my hay was somehow 'poisoned'? Probably not. I have thrown out bales in the past, because I found a dead snake, and once a squirrel, I think. That however was just 2 bales. How do we know for sure about possible fertilizers, or some other chemicals that might have been sprayed? I somehow can't help but think, this may be chemically related, maybe, also among other things, but for so many poor horses to be ill and die so quickly, I just can not justify a few dead rodents could cause all this damage.
I sure hope the soil will be carefully checked, from where this hay was harvested. Who knows, chemicals may have been dumped there 20, 50, or more years ago. It happens here all the time! Factories back then would just dump their crap back then, but now we have contaminated soil and wells everywhere!
Sorry to go on so long, but, we need to get to the bottom of this, FAST.
I feel terrible for all involved, I can not imagine what those poor horses went through, but one way or nother, I hope this will get solved real soon, for everyones sake.

BigJ

Excellent post Marleen!

We have too many folks trying to transfer farming practices across the continents without realizing the process or science behind the process. Allot of comments are made without even knowing or seeing what haylage is. This is the first time most have even heard the word let alone ever seen haylage or silage. I'm sure none have ever seen it made or knew how it was stored before the advent of new plastics and technology.

Who ever is investigating the cause of the deaths will get to the bottom of it. I'm sure they are looking at every possible source of contamination besides the haylage. It has become an unfortunate focus because in this country, particularly in this part of the country, haylage is not harvested for horses or fed to horses because of the risks. Cows and ruminants like sheep and goats can eat compromised silage or haylage where a horse cannot because of his gut system. Most silage and haylage is harvested under so many climate variations and levels of grass maturation that it is too risky to feed to anything but ruminants.

In places where making hay or storing hay is difficult, I'm sure science has developed a method to harvest the grass and still be safe to feed the horse. I'm also confident the haylage is tested to confirm it is safe. However, in this country we have a different environment with different associated practices as a result. I doubt there is a hay grower in the Southeast that purposefully makes haylage for horses...it's for cows and we southerners know it and know why.

Marleen Robinson

Have any reports come back? Has anyone heard anything?
Candice, here in NC, the farmers advertise their hay as either 'cow or horse' quality hay. You are right, most people would not know what haylage is. The few times I have seen 'horse quality' round bales, they where stored in a barn, and never wrapped. I personally would have to be desperate to feed them to my horses, though. But a lot of folks around here feed it, with no problems.
Well, unfortunately, nothing will bring all those horses back, but when they find out what caused this, maybe no others will have to suffer.

caliber · Site Admin

100 Horses Dead at Embryo Transfer Farm; Botulism Suspected
by: Erin Ryder, TheHorse.com News Editor
October 10 2008, Article # 12839

Around 100 horses have died at EquiTransfer, a Marion County, Fla., embryo transfer farm. Veterinary officials say that botulism from haylage might be to blame.

EquiTransfer is owned by veterinarians Jose Dávila, DVM, and his wife, Francis Ramirez, DVM. Neither were available for comment.

Mike Short, DVM, equine programs manager for Florida's Division of Animal Industry, said state officials are investigating, although they do not believe the deaths were caused by an infectious or contagious agent. Short said all signs point to botulism, including the history, clinical signs, type of feed (haylage is hay that has been fermented and packaged in airtight plastic), and death rate.

"I'll be surprised if it's not confirmed botulism," Short said. "So far the only horses that have gotten sick are the ones that ate that particular batch of haylage. All the horses that did not eat that are fine. We really believe it's toxin, and we have samples at several different universities."

Clinical signs included neurologic signs, tremors, difficulty breathing, recumbency, and sudden death, all of which, Short said, "are pretty typical of botulism."

Dávila has treated around 250 animals, including animals with clinical signs, with botulism antitoxin. The animals' positive response to the treatment is another indicator of the working diagnosis.

The haylage in question came from a single source, Short said. While the investigation is ongoing, they believe this supplier produces haylage for EquiTransfer exclusively--it doesn't appear that any other farms have received haylage from this source.

According to Kim Sprayberry, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, in the article "Botulism: A Perfect Killer," botulism is an often-lethal disease caused by a bacterial toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum. It is particularly deadly in horses because they are more sensitive to the effects of the toxin than other animals.

"One problem occurs when rodents or other animals die in a field of forage and a carcass is incorporated into a bale during baling," Sprayberry wrote. "Because horses as a species are fastidious eaters, they will avoid consuming hay that is contaminated by animal remains when possible. However, when processed feeds such as cubes or pellets are fed, it is impossible for horses to eat around the contaminant, and consumption of the deadly spores can occur. Contaminated hay cubes have been responsible for at least one large outbreak of botulism in horses. Even if a carcass has undergone desiccation (it's dried out) or is unrecognizable in a flake of hay, enough spores can remain to kill a horse."

According to the EquiTransfer Web site, the company maintains more than 900 recipient mares on two properties. In 2006, the group performed more than 700 successful embryo transfers.

Adult horses and foals that recover from botulism appear to recover fully, with no residual nervous system deficits or muscle weakness. The botulism vaccine is an inactivated toxoid, which is extremely effective.

caliber · Site Admin

The recent deaths of approximately 100 horses in Florida in an apparent outbreak of equine botulism have highlighted the need for a better understanding of the causes of the dreaded disease, and how it can be prevented.

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