Monensin… again

[Sticky_Situation]

I’m sure many of you have seen the viral social media post going around about another case of monensin feed contamination leading to the loss of dozens of horses.

There has to be a better way to prevent this than just having feed companies say “oops, we will try to be more careful next time.”

I get it that there is a limited number of feed mills, and demanding large scale production changes for safety would likely have a huge ripple effect on availability and therefore cost of animal feed. But this isn’t a couple cases with an unhinged pet owner on Facebook sharing a nebulous history that may or may not be connected with the feed. It is a known and identifiable toxin and now we’ve had multiple episodes over the years of “accidental” contamination leading to dozens, maybe now hundreds, of people having lost their beloved horses and/or livelihood.

It’s also great to say you just won’t buy feed from any plant that also makes feeds for ruminants … but in some areas that is easier said than done.

It’s very frustrating to see that this is still a problem after the last big monensin poisoning incident a few years ago.

[DMK]

Here’s a list of where all/most feed companies are on either not sharing facilities or having procedures to safely share facilities. I was pleasantly surprised that most don’t share. I knew my feed company didn’t, but I think the “don’t share” list has grown considerably since the last big outbreak. Obviously that would be the preferred option since it takes human error out of the equation. But I genuinely wonder if this was a custom blend at a local mill or they were using one of the dual use brands (one of those brands is listed as a sponsor, but that doesn’t mean it was used for all stock, so I wouldn’t assume anything just yet).

So, good news is the majority of commercial equine food is unequivocally safe. The bad news is I can think of a few farms that switched to their own blends when prices went up and I’m sure that has become more common. Maybe some of them also insisted on a monensin free facility, but my gut feeling is that simply can’t happen in a local mill. Also a smaller operation is where I would worry more about insufficient training/human error

AERC: American Endurance Ride Conference | In case you were not aware there is...

[Djones]

It was rumensin, I thought?

[Sticky_Situation]

They’re the same thing. Monensin in the generic name, Rumensin is the brand name … the same way acetaminophen is also called Tylenol.

[Djones]

Ahh, thank you. Didn’t know that.

Here’s a direct link to the living document

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17IVu88GVlLU04C3uitCTPHQ5Q2cB-khka_-eMJaMSCY/htmlview#gid=0

[endlessclimb]

Again folks, please be careful assuming all is well when they say they don’t share.

That could mean anything from they literally aren’t in the same facility at all to they’re 2 feet from the other line. I’d ask for specifics, if they’re willing to share.

The only thing that would bring me comfort is if they didn’t use the med in the facility at all, for any line.

[Simkie]

This one doesn’t seem to be “accidental.” It was horse feed with enough monesin in it to kill cattle. It wasn’t medicated cattle feed that was misdelivered.

Yes, absolutely, it’s so important to know where your feed comes from and how the mill that creates it handles these ingredients. But this particular case with the rodeo horses is a whole different ballgame.

[DMK]

There are two classifications, free and safe. Safe means there are procedures followed that should be fine (assuming procedures are followed) but clearly the stuff is in the building, so to speak. But “free” is being billed as “it isn’t in the mill, foodstuffs produced in the mill do not contain substance harmful to equines” and I’ve seen that description repeatedly from what I would consider trusted sources. If you have something reliable that contradicts that representation I know people would be interested in seeing it…

[DMK]

But why couldn’t that be accidental? Miscalculations happen, a lot of polo ponies died due to a math error in compounding E/Sel about 10ish years ago. It wasn’t nefarious or deliberate, it was just a tragic, stupid error. I have no idea what happened to these poor horses, but that’s just it… As far as I know, nobody knows except maybe those directly affected by it. It could be deliberate but it’s probably just stupid human error. For that matter I haven’t seen anything official stating it was that large a dose. I’m assuming that the reporter who reported that has a reliable source, but again… We don’t really know, do we?

[endlessclimb]

The FDA rolls loose and free with what’s considered what. See the definition of “cage free”, “organic”, and how they approve medical devices.

It’s rudimentary at best, misleading at the least, and dangerous at its worst.

I can certify food products as gluten free with wheat being processed in the same building, for example. I know this for a fact. It’s a different line, sure. But cross contamination is one human error away.

[Simkie]

@DMK

But why couldn’t that be accidental? Miscalculations happen, a lot of polo ponies died due to a math error in compounding E/Sel about 10ish years ago.

Because the people close to this & in the know seem to be considering it intentional, and getting this much monesin into a batch of horse feed blows through a lot more check points and guard rails than a lab assistant misplacing a decimal.

[DMK]

Just out of curiosity, did you read the company statements on the source documents? The “safe” statements align with your thoughts. The “free” companies are pretty unequivocal and some to an extent that it represents significant liability for them, should there ever be a contamination. I think that part is important, because I have faith in large corporations ability to play fast and loose with terms to suit their own ends at our expense. However, I have a higher degree of faith in corporate lawyers word smithing and approving such statements, and as I said some of these are pretty unequivocal.

So I do appreciate that a lot of times the public understanding around certain terms used by government agencies/corporate actors can be misleading, vague and nebulous. That said, personally I would need something more concrete than an equally vague and nebulous statement from someone on the internets. I’m not saying you’re wrong, but it’s tough to verify your statement.

[DMK]

Fair enough, I don’t know any people in the know!

ETA, as I suspected, neither did anyone else!

[endlessclimb]

Fair enough. But I know that the word “free” doesn’t mean that it’s not in the same building for food grade items. It’s just a matter of checking their boxes, which can be as simple as a plastic chain denoting the different areas, or a procedure that says “don’t hook this to that” and the prayer that the employee will actually obey that.

I don’t think that animal food, not nearly as regulated as food grade, would be much more stringent…

I’d want it point blank that it’s not in the facility, the building, on the property, at all.

[DMK]

I think if you scroll right on that document, you might get that reassurance (or not). The following is Seminole’s statement, it’s rather emphatic. I get the feeling they are standing by their word. Cargill, unsurprisingly, as a safe facility was a lot more corporatespeak that gave them a lot of outs.

“Our feeds are milled in the all-natural, non-medicated Seminole Feed® mill in downtown Ocala, right in the middle of the Horse Capital of the World. With almost 90 years’ experience, Seminole’s reputation is on the line to continually provide the “Ingredients of a Winner” and we are proud to have a manufacturing facility that is free of all medications and ionophores, so there is never a chance of contamination with an ingredient that will cause a horse harm. The only feed ingredients we house in our plant are those safe for equine consumption.”

Do I have faith in corporations? I do not. But I don’t think it’s unreasonable to use this information as a best practice when trying to select a feed safe for horses.

[endlessclimb]

That last line is the only thing that may give comfort, but I’d still want clarity on what “facility” and “plant” mean in literal terms. Those are interpreted liberally in manufacturing.

[FjordBCRF]

From a chemical perspective there are no definitions. They both essentially mean places where stuff is made/manufactured. A plant is probably a little more specific to manufacturing whereas a facility is a broader term, but they are pretty much used interchangeably.

[endlessclimb]

Oh I agree. I’ve experienced it. That’s why I’d want the company to point blank say that [insert offensive/dangerous material here] is not even housed at the address in its entirety.

[Obsidian_Fire]

@Simkie

Because the people close to this & in the know seem to be considering it intentional, and getting this much monesin into a batch of horse feed blows through a lot more check points and guard rails than a lab assistant misplacing a decimal.

Agreed. I also was thinking that for a customer as large as this one, the mill must run a batch specifically for that customer - which to me means this was done deliberately.
However it happened, it’s heartbreaking.

[endlessclimb]

Depending on how they dose the monensin, it could have been a mechanical failure that caused this, even with the high amount.

For example - 55 gallon drum of the stuff is hooked to the line with a hose, on a metering pump. They leave it hooked up but the pump off for equine feeds. The pump pistons wore through, allowing the material to bypass the pump and go in. Since it wasn’t supposed to be in the product at all, no one checked for it.