I don’t know what to say or where to start but wanted to bring this story to everyone’s attention. There is a stable south of Nashville, TN that caters to teaching children and offers trail rides. Some of the nicest people you could ever meet. My aunt works there. They have just suffered multiple major losses, in part due to the flooding around Nashville a couple of weeks  ago. More victims of that perfect storm… Three evenings ago they noticed odd behavior in several horses in one of the pastures. After checking them they immediately called the vets and loaded the horses up to be checked out. One horse passed away on the way to the vets; by the next morning 2 more had passed and another yesterday.

 

The silent killer was determined to be Botulism, apparently contracted from new hay put out in the pasture. They store their hay on poles up off the ground with covers. They thought the hay had made it through but now believe that the flood waters must have gotten higher than thought and contaminated the hay. There were many contaminants in the water and then the week after the temperatures rose into the 80’s, causing the bacteria to spread through out the hay. They had no idea that the horses were contracting Botulism until it was too late. They removed the hay immediately, keeping a close eye on the other horses. As of yesterday several more started to show signs of having it. A total of 10 horses. These horses were gentle, well loved lesson horses. The kind hard to come by. They brought smiles and joy to all that have had the pleasure to include them in their lives. Most often, horses that contract Botulism do not make it. We are praying for the ones with new symptoms. 

 

If you are not aware of what Botulism is, it is a form of food poisoning caused by the bacterium Clostridium Botulinum. The toxins are some of the harshest poisons known; they act on the peripheral nervous system eventually causing paralysis. The symptoms are progressive in nature, to include difficulty in biting, chewing and swallowing. Muscle tremors, heavy eyelids and a hanging tongue are sometimes also apparent. Signs usually appear between 2-7 days, but most often the onset is quick. It can be contracted thru feed, water or open sores. Most often it comes from a decaying animal contaminating feed. Death usually results from paralysis of the respiratory muscles. If you have any questions about Botulism, please contact your local vet. I have spoken to vets and read numerous articles but am by no means an expert. 

 

I hope that anyone that could contribute to help this stable out will. They are going to have a huge vet bill. The serum is very expensive, around $600 a bag per horse. It is often not kept in large doses at vets because it expires. Often is has to be ordered and flown in for large treatments and kept cold. The stables will also have loss of lesson income and the cost to replace the lesson horses. Horses that are treated may have to stay at the vets for observation and treatment for weeks. Please, please send this email or article along to all your friends or anyone that you know of that would be willing to help out. Make sure to notate the account number on the check so that your donation goes directly to this stable’s bill. 

 

Donat ions can be sent to: Tennessee Equine Hospital

 

I think Botulism is a silent killer, most people are not aware of it or do not consider covering it in their routine vaccinations. Please be cautious when feeding from a new source, look at your hay and grain to make sure it is clean. Do not feed wet, moldy or foul smelling feed of any kind. Always feed your hay in the light so you can look it over good. Keep your water buckets and stock tanks clean and try to limit rodents around your barn that could get into your feed and water sources. According to my sources the vaccine is effective, its cost is a bit more expensive and most often has to be requested. My goal in sending this out is the make everyone aware of Botulism and to help this stable re-build after this crises. I deeply appreciate your time and consideration to this matter.