mydaddysjag
Well-Known Member
This past friday, we noticed that my boy Moe wasnt drinking much, looked a little bloated and also wasn't pooping. He didnt seem uncomfortable at all, was still eating his food, No pawing, rolling, biting his sides, lip in the air, nothing. I couldnt get the vet on the phone, but figured I better do the "routine". The first thing my vet had you do for even mild "colic" symptons is give a really soupy mash if you have ingredients (chopped hay, cubes, or pellets soaked in 1 gallon of water, with a little oil) and also milk of magnesia, and some infant gas drops. We also pull their feed for 12 - 24 hours, depending on how they are doing.
After the mash, M.O.M. and gas drops, he did poop. Infact, he pooped 6 times over night, which is how much he usually goes in 24 hours. I had walked him a little, because he didnt seem uncomfortable or tired, and figured if it was gass, the movement would help it pass through.
Saturday, he seemed a bit better, he was pooping, and the bloating wasnt completely gone, but went way down. I thought he was on the mend. He was overly cranky and didnt really want fussed with, but I figured he was still mad about the day before with getting the milk of magnesia (he doesnt like syringes in his mouth). Hes one of the friendliest horses Ive ever met, so its very out of character to see him pinning his ears. Saturday night we started him back on his pelleted feed, but I was soaking it in 1/2 gallon of water, and also soaking his hay.
Sunday he was about the same, still cranky, barely drinking, and pooping, but his poop seemed "sticky". It was more like "clusters" than apples if that makes sense, and although there were multiple piles through the day, they were smaller than I expected.
Sunday evening his attitude was the same, but the new change was that he walked away from his hay before he was done. This is my horse who could be nick named "hoover". He doesn't leave a single scrap in his stall, ever. I called and talked to my vet, and told her that I thought she needed to come out the next morning, as he still wasnt himself, and I thought it had been long enough to "wait and see" and she agreed.
This afternoon she came out to see Moe. His heart rate is up, and he has a LOT of gut sounds. She said she could hear them even when listening to his heart through his chest.
Although I keep my horses in a drylot, have no trees on my property, and my neighbors closest tree is 500 feet from my field, she believes that my horse ate wild cherry leaves, and has a sort of Cyanide poisoning from it. We had a wind storm over the weekend, and it is very possible that leaves could have blown over. I do use a leaf blower in the pasture daily, but "hoover" could have eaten a single leaf before I ever noticed it was in the pasture. There were leaves in other parts of our yard that fell from his tree. When the vet got there we didnt have any leaves in the pasture, but while she was there, sure enough, one blew into the pasture. I just worry about how many times this could have happened and we didn't know. The tree isn't on our property, or really close for us to notice it there among his other (non toxic) trees.
The vet said she was going to give him IV shots of a sort of antihistamine that would help neutralize the cyanide in his body causing and get his heart rate back down, and that I needed to give milk of magnesia 1oz twice daily for 5 days. She also said he MAY develop ulcers from this. When I got home I read the name of the drug she gave him, and she has "doctors" writing, but it looks to me like it says Nystan. When I tried to look this up, all I found was an antifungal drug used to treat fungal infections of the skin, mouth, vagina, and intestinal tract. I can only find information on pills and ointments.
When I got home I started reading up a bit on this, and If it was cherry leafs, Im surprised he wasn't sicker. He wasn't showing any signs of pain, and the only tale tale signs that something was wrong was not drinking as much as usual, not pooping as much, and late lastnight only eating half his hay, then coming back for the rest later. Everything I read about cherry poisoning said it comes fast and normally kills a horse before anything can be done, and it has very obvious symptoms. From what I understand, it normally kills a horse within hours. My horse was "off" for 2 and a half days. The vet said that the IV meds should have him acting 100% by tomorrow, but to continue the MOM for 5 days to help make sure everything is moved out of his system, and said it would help prevent ulcers by moving anything out of his system (never heard anything like that).
Has anyone ever had a horse thats eaten a cherry leaf? Any input?
Also, wanted to add, we talked to the neighbor, and he is allowing us to cut down the tree tomorrow.
After the mash, M.O.M. and gas drops, he did poop. Infact, he pooped 6 times over night, which is how much he usually goes in 24 hours. I had walked him a little, because he didnt seem uncomfortable or tired, and figured if it was gass, the movement would help it pass through.
Saturday, he seemed a bit better, he was pooping, and the bloating wasnt completely gone, but went way down. I thought he was on the mend. He was overly cranky and didnt really want fussed with, but I figured he was still mad about the day before with getting the milk of magnesia (he doesnt like syringes in his mouth). Hes one of the friendliest horses Ive ever met, so its very out of character to see him pinning his ears. Saturday night we started him back on his pelleted feed, but I was soaking it in 1/2 gallon of water, and also soaking his hay.
Sunday he was about the same, still cranky, barely drinking, and pooping, but his poop seemed "sticky". It was more like "clusters" than apples if that makes sense, and although there were multiple piles through the day, they were smaller than I expected.
Sunday evening his attitude was the same, but the new change was that he walked away from his hay before he was done. This is my horse who could be nick named "hoover". He doesn't leave a single scrap in his stall, ever. I called and talked to my vet, and told her that I thought she needed to come out the next morning, as he still wasnt himself, and I thought it had been long enough to "wait and see" and she agreed.
This afternoon she came out to see Moe. His heart rate is up, and he has a LOT of gut sounds. She said she could hear them even when listening to his heart through his chest.
Although I keep my horses in a drylot, have no trees on my property, and my neighbors closest tree is 500 feet from my field, she believes that my horse ate wild cherry leaves, and has a sort of Cyanide poisoning from it. We had a wind storm over the weekend, and it is very possible that leaves could have blown over. I do use a leaf blower in the pasture daily, but "hoover" could have eaten a single leaf before I ever noticed it was in the pasture. There were leaves in other parts of our yard that fell from his tree. When the vet got there we didnt have any leaves in the pasture, but while she was there, sure enough, one blew into the pasture. I just worry about how many times this could have happened and we didn't know. The tree isn't on our property, or really close for us to notice it there among his other (non toxic) trees.
The vet said she was going to give him IV shots of a sort of antihistamine that would help neutralize the cyanide in his body causing and get his heart rate back down, and that I needed to give milk of magnesia 1oz twice daily for 5 days. She also said he MAY develop ulcers from this. When I got home I read the name of the drug she gave him, and she has "doctors" writing, but it looks to me like it says Nystan. When I tried to look this up, all I found was an antifungal drug used to treat fungal infections of the skin, mouth, vagina, and intestinal tract. I can only find information on pills and ointments.
When I got home I started reading up a bit on this, and If it was cherry leafs, Im surprised he wasn't sicker. He wasn't showing any signs of pain, and the only tale tale signs that something was wrong was not drinking as much as usual, not pooping as much, and late lastnight only eating half his hay, then coming back for the rest later. Everything I read about cherry poisoning said it comes fast and normally kills a horse before anything can be done, and it has very obvious symptoms. From what I understand, it normally kills a horse within hours. My horse was "off" for 2 and a half days. The vet said that the IV meds should have him acting 100% by tomorrow, but to continue the MOM for 5 days to help make sure everything is moved out of his system, and said it would help prevent ulcers by moving anything out of his system (never heard anything like that).
Has anyone ever had a horse thats eaten a cherry leaf? Any input?
Also, wanted to add, we talked to the neighbor, and he is allowing us to cut down the tree tomorrow.
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