Unfortunately the only botulism vaccine is for Type B, which is soil borne. No vaccine for Type C which is from a carcass 
I just got an alert from the EDCC that 15 horses in LA are suspected of having botulism. One potential source is alfalfa cubes from CO hay.
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I know, but it’s still doing our due diligence when it’s not being communicated exactly what is responsible for the illness.
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Ughhh
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Yeh, I saw that one too…whut??
I’m really disappointed with how panic-inducing so many vet clinics have been on social media.
Yes, botulism is very, very scary— it’s almost always deadly, and any hope of treating it is expensive and ugly.
But outbreaks are always linked to the same source.
Instead of OMG STOP FEEDING HAY CUBES coming from your vet clinic, it would be far more helpful to approach it without the hysteria. Most people don’t understand what botulism is, so explain how it gets in feed and give as much information as you can about what products are at risk. I know vets don’t want their clients to be the next to die, but I’m also betting they don’t want a bunch of colics from abrupt feed changes and lack of forage, either.
Edited to add: in my most current survey of the chatter on the topic on social media, it was interesting to see how many vet clinics edited their initial posts to tone down the drama. Good!
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I hope I can word this properly…the outbreak is fairly wide spread geographically, and many horses have apparently been affected. I always think of one mouse…speculation….does this mean it was a larger number of mice?
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FDA Cautions Horse Owners Not to Feed Recalled Lots of Top of the Rockies Alfalfa Cubes due to Reports of Illness and Death
FDA, in cooperation with state departments of agriculture in CO, LA, NM, and TX, is investigating cases of illness and death in horses.
December 16, 2022
Fast Facts
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is cautioning horse owners not to feed Top of the Rockies alfalfa cubes with the date codes 111222, 111322, 111422, 111522, and 111622.
- These alfalfa cubes have been recalled by Manzanola Feeds of Manzanola, CO, which distributes products directly to feed stores and co-ops in 10 states. Further distribution is possible, so it’s important to check the date codes if you have these products.
- Top of the Rockies alfalfa cubes are sold in white and tan plastic 50-pound bags with green labeling. The date codes are on the front of the package.
- If you have Top of the Rockies alfalfa cubes with these date codes, or you can’t be sure of the date code of the products you have, throw them away in a secure container and follow the handling and cleaning instructions below.
- FDA is aware of at least 98 horses in Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Texas who showed neurologic symptoms… At least 45 of these horses have died or were euthanized due to declining health.
- The symptoms reported are consistent with botulism, and while further testing is underway to pinpoint the cause of the horse illnesses, horse owners and handlers should take precautions to protect human and animal health.
- Immediately consult a veterinarian if your horse ate this product and shows signs of neurologic illness, such as muscle tremors, difficulty eating or swallowing, difficulty standing, or collapse.
What is the problem?
The U.S. FDA is cautioning horse owners not to feed recalled Top of the Rockies alfalfa cubes with the date codes 111222, 111322, 111422, 111522, and 111622. Some of the alfalfa cubes have been reported to contain what appears to be fur and animal tissues, indicating that material from an animal or animals may have been incorporated into the cubes during alfalfa harvesting. Some people have reported a foul odor in some of the bags. Clostridium botulinum , the bacterium that causes botulism, is commonly present in decaying animal carcasses. Testing of the alfalfa cubes and other feed and tissue samples is in progress.
These alfalfa cubes were made by Manzanola Feeds of Manzanola, CO, and FDA has confirmed the firm distributes products to feed stores and co-ops in 10 states: AR, CO, IL, KS, LA, MO, NM, OK, TX, and WI. Further distribution may be possible, so it’s important to check the date code if you have this product.
FDA is aware of several horses in Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Texas who showed neurologic symptoms, and is working with state authorities to learn more. At least 45 of these horses have died or were euthanized due to declining health. Necropsies of some of the horses are underway or pending. At this time, it appears that Top of the Rockies alfalfa cubes was the only common food source among all of the cases.
This is an ongoing investigation and FDA will share additional information as it becomes available.
What do I need to do?
If you have Top of the Rockies alfalfa cubes with the date codes 111222, 111322, 111422, 111522, or 111622, or you can’t be sure of the date code of the products you have, do not feed them to your horses or any other animals. Throw them away in a secure container and place them in a covered trash can or dumpster so that no other animals can access them. Avoid handling the cubes directly and wear disposable gloves and a face mask while throwing the cubes away and cleaning any bins or containers where they were kept.
- Wearing gloves and a face mask (preferable an N95 respirator), clean out all the empty bins or containers where the alfalfa cubes were kept.
- Make a bleach solution by combining ¼ cup household bleach to every 2 cups of water.
- Completely cover the spill with the bleach solution, place a layer of paper towels on top of the bleach, and let sit for at least 15 minutes.
- Wipe up any remaining liquid with new paper towels and let the containers air dry.
- Clean the area with liquid soap and water to remove the bleach and discard any items that may have come into contact with the contaminated food or containers.
- Dispose of the face mask and gloves in a secure trash receptacle and wash your hands with soap and running water for at least 2 minutes.
What symptoms have been reported?
Attending veterinarians and state officials have reported that horses have shown symptoms of neurologic illness, including muscle tremors that rapidly progressed to the whole body, weakness, decreased tongue tone, agitation, and inability to stand. If you see these symptoms in your horse, seek immediate veterinary care.
These symptoms are consistent with botulism and many horses have been treated for suspected botulism. No human illnesses have been reported to date.
How can I report a horse illness?
If you think your horse has become ill after eating contaminated food, call your veterinarian first. You can also report the illness to FDA through the Safety Reporting Portal or by calling your state’s FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinators. If possible, share the brand name and lot numbers of what your horse ate.
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98 horses… holy moly.
It’s rare for that many horses to contract botulism from a single product.
I’d be curious to witness the entire hay cubing process from start to finish after reading that.
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That is a lot of horses. How heartbreaking
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I had similar thoughts. This sure doesn’t seem like one errant mouse was the culprit.
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My guess would be something large, like a rabbit, cat, even a fawn that got baled. It festered in a big bale, then probably got chopped up thoroughly and mixed throughout lots of hay and water prior to cubing. But I really don’t know.
Boiling for several minutes will kill botulism. I read a statement from one hay cube company assuring their customers that their product was thoroughly heated above boiling temps prior to cubing for safety. I don’t know if that is standard; if it is, that gives me questions about protein in cubes v. hay.
All of this is very interesting to me.
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This has so far killed 45 horses, with 89 being affected, it’s obviously no something which involves an animal being baled into a bale. As far as I know it’s been linked to hay cubes coming from a particular company in CO, and perhaps another company thus far.
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I have been feeding Top of the Rockies alfalfa cubes for nearly a year now and fortunately, the bags I currently have on hand pre-date the suspicious batch by a month. I would imagine once those cubes are gone I’ll have to go back to Standlee or Dumor until this is sorted out. I can’t see this brand being available again for a while. I feel bad for the company, you know they didn’t mean to make their customers sick!
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Except that hay for cubes is not necessarily baled. It can be chopped into wagons instead of being baled, then delivered to the cube manufacturer where it is stored in massive heaps then dumped into the processing equipment. It would not be impossible for a dead animal in one wagon load to contaminate that entire load, and possibly more loads depending on how it was stored, how it was mixed prior to manufacturing, etc.
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It depends mostly on the environmental conditions, mostly oxygen levels, followed by moisture, temp, and pH.
It would be hard to have the right conditions for growth in a wagon of loose hay. But if they store it in those plastic wrappings they use for silage or cow bales, that could cause ripe conditions.
I would really like to learn more about the cube manufacturing process. I know from the amount of twine bits I find in cubes that many manufacturers must use baled hay.
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Dumor uses hay from Colorado. I don’t know who manufactures their product…
[While I have never seen Top of the Rockies branded cubes, I know for a fact I bought Manzanola branded cubes from TSC in the past. It would have been about 6 years ago in TN.]
*I think I’m wrong on this; I think I’m mixing up brands. Will delete.
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