We recently underwent a terrible tragedy at our farm. We had a beautiful young gelding who was excelling in his barrel training, begin to act ill. He went off of his food, started to refuse water, legs stocked up all around. Had the vet out to look at him and was found to have a toxic line on his gums.

We immediately shipped the horse to an equine specialty hospital, but it was too late for him to recover, as by then he was in kidney failure, and he had to be put down.

Another finished barrel horse in the barn started to exhibit similar symptoms the next day, and was very quickly evaluated by two different vets. Intensive fluids to flush his system and multiple medications later the horse seems to be on his way to recovery now.

All the cultures and testing so far have come back negative, but with research online and vet suggestion, the most suspicious cause now is the grain. Testing on sample are pending, as they take weeks, but be aware if horses are showing any symptoms. There were various feed recalls in May due to aflatoxins, which were shown to cause similar symptoms.

The horses affected in our stable were given more feed than the others as they were younger and in training.

Hopefully any further tragedy in our barn has been avoided, but please watch out for symptoms.

Just for further information if you are viewing this message:

Aflatoxins are a form of fungus/mold that can contaminate grain or corn. They can be found in all types of feed, and unfortunately it is usually only after an outbreak or a recall that they are noticed. Beware if you notice any of the symptoms mentioned below. The first symptom is usually feed refusal. I have attached some information that I have found in my research, including the information from Horse.com about the Purina feed recall in May, 2008 due to this problem.

May, 2008: Horse feed dealers are the key to identifying if there's a potential problem with recently purchased Purina feed, according to Land O'Lakes spokesperson Lydia Botham. Land O'Lakes Purina Feed LLC recently announced a recall of certain horse feed products manufactured at three East Coast facilities. The products might contain an ingredient with an unacceptably high level of aflatoxin. Aflatoxins are a form of mycotoxin, and are secondary metabolites produced by Aspergillus spp. fungi. According to Gary Osweiler, DVM, PhD, professor of veterinary toxicology at Iowa State University, effects of aflatoxins can be progressive as well as cumulative. At levels greater than 50 ppb (parts per billion), aflatoxins can cause signs such as feed refusal, fever, weight loss, sluggishness, liver damage, jaundice, bloody diarrhea, kidney damage, birth defects, tumors, and suppressed immune function. (Horse.com)

Aflatoxins often occur in crops in the field prior to harvest . Post-harvest contamination can occur if crop drying is delayed and during storage of the crop if water is allowed to exceed critical values for the mold growth . Insect or rodent infestations facilitate mold invasion of some stored commodities. The commodities with the highest risk of aflatoxin contamination are corn, peanuts, and cottonseed.

Feeding grain contaminated with any level of aflatoxin carries a considerable amount of risk. Testing for aflatoxin concentrations should be the first step in proper feeding management. Sampling technique is the most important factor in determining aflatoxin levels. Sampling grain as it is moving or being blended, such as harvesting and loading, will yield a representative sample. Obtaining a quality sample from stored grain is difficult since pockets of highly contaminated grain can exist within that environment. Ten to fifteen probes yielding 1 pound of grain each should be obtained from different sites in the bin or truck and placed in a bucket. Mix the sample thoroughly and place a 10 pound sample in a paper bag or sack that can breathe. Then send the sample to a laboratory that conducts aflatoxin assays. Each truckload and bin should be sampled separately to achieve reliable results.