Critical help needed...

[Minimor]

I'm so sorry for your losses.

What is your horses' water source? Well, city water, pond? Dugout? If it were summer time with hot weather & water source was a pond or dugout I'd say possibly blue green algae poisoning, but that's not likely this time of year.

Are there any poisonous trees or bushes growing anywhere near--yew, oleander, red maple--doesn't have to be on your property, leaves could blow in from a neighbor's yard--but I'm not sure if this time of year there'd be any leaves left to blow around the neighborhood.

No grainery or shed in the pasture, where there's something toxic stored--treated grain, especially treated canola seed? I've known more than one person to lose a horse to something like that--it's assumed that the grainery or shed is secure and safe, but either there's a small leak & some treated grain spills out where the horses can get to it, or the horse manages to get into the building & get to the treated seed.

Neighbors putting poison out? Not saying deliberately for the horses, but someplace where the horses can get to it?

Has the vet done the post mortem on these last two, or just the first two? No heart abnormalities, nothing unusual about liver or kidneys? No aneurysm? No twisted intestine--sometimes that seems to kill very quickly, with few or no signs of colic/thrashing.

I hope you can get it figured out & prevent any others from having problems. Or if it's just a horrible coincidence, then I pray this is the end of your trouble.

 

[lilfolks]

Sorry to read about the loss of your Dad and then so many of your horses. Since you haven't found any rhyme or reason to the horse deaths, I surely hope not but if it happens again, I definitely would do an autopsy to find out what is going on. Just reading it I had tears in my eyes for you.

Joyce

 

[Keri]

Sorry to hear about your troubles.

I was going to suggest looking through your pasture for any plants that may be poisonous to horses (there should be something online that would have a description and maybe pics). And I'm with Minomor. Take a sample of your water to the local water purification plant. There may be low levels of a toxin in there that after enough ingestion, will kill the horse (or poison if the water isn't purified enough). Start some investigation. But a toxicology done at the vets should help with what may be killing them and then go from there to try and find the source.

 

[Matt73]

Don't know about a pattern, but we lost one and it turned out to be a heart attack. They can also have aneurysms ( not sure about spelling ). Had a client horse just die overnight once and it turned out to be ulcers.
I'd have to go for the necropsy.

Sorry about your mare.

Four heart attacks and/or aneurysms in 2 months is extremely unlikely. There is something toxic going on (bacterial, poisining, viral, etc.).

Edited to add that my friend's Arabian mare got extremely sick three months ago while on a camping trip. The other three horses they had there were fine. She had violent diarrhea and almost died. She was on IV fluids and pulled through...only to suffer a really bad bout of laminitis. Kept her comfortable and had her x rayed. She had significant rotation. We padded her front feet and fed her grass hay and tried to make her comfortable (I'd never witnessed a horse foundering...It was awful and heartbreaking.). She seemed to get better. Then, all of a sudden, she got ten times worse. Her coffin bones started pushing through her soles. She was immediately euthanised. I only tell this because, they never could pin point what the illness was. They suspect it was a bacteria in SNAILS (and their goo). It's getting more common. Do you notice a lot of snails in your area?

 

[Witts Mini Horse Ranch]

Oh Tina, I feel so bad for you..this is one that will keep me awake nights until you get some answers. I have no words of wisdom...just my deepest sympathy. I do think I would get a second opinion from another vet...maybe he will think of something that hasn't been thought of.

 

[wildoak]

I'm sure sorry for all your losses, seems like everything just happens at once. No suggestions here beyond what has already been mentioned. We lost two mares here just months apart, one 12 and one 20, both just suddenly declined and had to be put down within 24 hours of onset. Necropsy on the second showed colitis from an unspecified bacteria. You may or may not ever find a common cause, sure comforting to at least know what you are dealing with and have a hope of combatting it.

Please keep us posted.

Jan

 

[MountainMeadows]

Oh Tina,

I can't imagine going thru what you are going thru - my heart breaks for your losses, you must be numb.

I feel as others do, that there is likely something poisioning the horses - red maple, boxwood, mushrooms, nightshade - something, you might find something in the liver if you do a necropsy, but usually that takes several weeks and is often not ever really diagnosed. You might have your vet walk your fields/pastures/paddocks and see if anything catches his eye. You can also send samples of ALL possible vegitation that your horses might have come in contact with to your State Dept of Agriculture and they will tell you if there is anything toxic. Could there have been blister beetles in the hay?

Please keep us all posted - we are here for you and hope that you find the answers quickly and do not experiance any other tragedies.

Stacy

 

[tagalong]

Four heart attacks and/or aneurysms in 2 months is extremely unlikely. There is something toxic going on (bacterial, poisining, viral, etc.).

Matt - there was one injury, one colic and only two unexplained deaths. Plant poisoning, nitrate levels etc. will always show up in a PM exam... I am hoping this is simply one of those tragic runs of circumstance/karma - and that from now on all will be will. Your vet is the best one to get to the bottom of this (with your help) and eliminate any potential hazards. It was a good idea to get the water tested...

(((HUGS)))

 

[dreammountainminis]

Punky ,

This has been a very hard last couple months for you just loosing your dad, and now loosing your fur kids too ..I have been to your property alot of times and I know how well you take care of your horses , are you sure the nieghbors with cold setting in didnt change the anti freeze in a vechile and maybe it ran down the hill and contaminated the water supply..just a suggestion .

You Know I'm ONly a phone call away when you need to talk ..As you are well aware I have not had the best luck this yr with the fur kids eathier and I know how devestating it is ,Give yourself ,nicole and cory a hug from me ..And what do you Always tell me keep your head up , I know it is hard I've been there...All of us here pray you dont have any more heartbreak..talk to you in the morning Take care ,love mel

 

[krissy3]

Ditto on something toxic going on. Are your horses in at night? If not until you can figure out what happend , I would fence them in a smaller area that you have looked over carefully for toxic plants. and Keep them in at night or at least in this confined "safe "area, get your hay tested , call the dealer and ask who else had hay from your load , call them and ask if they have had problems. Check the dates on grain, check for rats ,(holes in bags) . Any trauma to the horses that passed ? how was their poop? any blood , anywhere , in their poop (poison). Sorry to be so matter of fact...but this could help you from expierencing another loss. And I am so sorry, I cant imagine what your going through right now. Also my horses always gather around a part of the fence in the back of the pasture...well I found out thats where some kids were feeding them, so look for signs like that , where maybe someone has been feeding. I almost lost my gelding from a "sweet " little girl feeding him a bunch of crap. Kids and show horses dont mix.

 

[mizbeth]

Hi

I am so very sorry to hear of this, first your dad and then your horses. I too believe it is of toxic nature. The horse that died of colic, what type of "colic" was it as colic is a general term for tummy ache and then of course the one with heart attack. Oleandar for instance causes a heart attack and I'm sure other toxins could too. There could be many types of toxic plants, liquids or such that could cause this. I am assuming there are no symptoms? How very sad for this to happen but there must be something that is "common" with these horses as this is too coincidental.

I do know that necropsies do not always show what is wrong, at least not the basic necropsies. Extensive and expensive ones may tell you something. I would certainly change out ALL feed, provide different water for them and keep them in tight secure area until you find out what has happened to them. Too coincidental in my opinion and too much heart ache.

Good luck..........has there been anything out of the ordinary in symptoms with these horses? Could it be botulism? (spelling), blister beetles, toxic plants, anti freeze (yes a thought), deliberate poision (good lord), Quest wormer, moldy feed or bad feed or cattle feed (forget the name of the ?? they put in cattle feed), poisons for rodents? Gosh the list could go on.........

I hope you get to the bottom of this, please let us know?

Beth

 

[punky]

Thanks for the thoughts and suggustions, I will go and talk to my people up the hill from me

that is my only neighbor around, Just to make sure about the anti-freeze. But if it was from

anti-freeze wouldn`t more of them be sick? The others in the same field are just fine. I

keep checking on them every little bit and they aren`t showing any sickness.

I have a fresh spring that i get their water from, its the same spring they have used since'

i`ve got into minis in `04. But i`m still having it checked out.

There is no kind of poison plants in my fields, as i read up on all the things that could hurt

my horses before i got these minis, but i`ve had horses bafore that also. So i don`t think

its from plants.

I only buy my feed in 50 lb bags, usually 2 bags at a time, i check it before i put it into the

feed bunk. So i know the feed isn`t molded. I had at one time found some bad feed. but

that was a few years back, so i keep a close eye out on my feed. I buy it from tractor

supply.

But that for all your views and suggustions, I am reading and keeping them in my mind

everytime i go into my field, checking over everything that is being told to me, but I see

nothing different going on in there with the other horses. I come in and they greet me at

the gate like normal and want loved on...but its so hard to go in there and not see my

lil ones that has past, and my kids just walk and cry over them.

Mel,

I know you know what i`m going through also, but its still really hard, amber was my first

shadyside baby born on my farm...and nicoles pride and joy, baby was corys...even when

she would come to me and not him, lol...and he told me i could have her!! And i just got

Bella from the sale last spring, but she was mine and she was my nibbie one, nickers at u

no matter where she was she would come runnin to you when u came in the field. And

champagne was my oldest girl, but she was my most trusted one with any of the kids, and

i could leave cory with her and she would babysit him...lol...she would let him ride her all

thru the fields, while i did the barn work, keep him out of trouble!! lol.. I will get through

this but right now its hard...

Thanks to everyone for your prayers and thoughts, I would never wish this kinda pain on

anyone...so give your fur babies all hugs and kisses tonight, you never know what might

happen...I sure didn`t expect this to happen to me with my lil babies...

Thanks,

Tina

 

[Annabellarose]

What kind of feed do you feed? What brand? When you feed, how much do you feed each horse? Do they get fed seperately or do they all eat out of one trough?

 

[punky]

I use a platform feed from tractor supply, they get fed twice a day, fresh water, a plenty of hay, I make sure there is plenty of hay for them to graze on. They get fed seperately. Thanks for the replies...

Tina

 

[sedeh]

I don't have any suggestions that haven't been said already. I just wanted to give you my condolences on the loss of your dad and now 4 furr kids. That is just heartbreaking.

{{{{{HUGS}}}}

 

[MInx]

I don't get on a lot anymore, and i really miss it. Just some things of my own to deal with.

However, may I offer my heartfelt support and condolences for your heavy loss. Bet it makes you wonder when it will end!

Bless you and hope it's all resolved so you can enjoy your Holidays1

Sincerely,'Maxine

 

[Carolyn R]

I am very sorry to hear about your minis. Sometimes we can do everything right and still have things go drastically wrong. Many of us have been there and we understand where you are coming from. I know it doesn't make it any easier, and it doesn't take away the feelings that everytime you let them out you wonder what will happen next. I am very sorry for your loss,

Carolyn

 

[Charlene]

are there any farm fields adjacent to or near where your horses are kept where you might be getting overspray from chemicals? i lost a gelding years ago to this very thing. farmer sprayed the field next to my pasture without letting me know, which i had requested so i could isolate my horse for a few days, and within a week, my gelding was dead. had toxicology tests done and sure enough, it was poisoning from the chemicals he used.

i'm so sorry for your heartbreak, i can't imagine dealing with all of this.