Just a reminder to know where your feed is milled and what medications are used in that mill!
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though it is suspected the contamination came from cattle feed with rumensin that was mistakenly delivered.
has happened before also
What little feed we use all comes from a mill nearly within eyesight that only processes equine feeds as they do not want to have an accidental crossover contamination
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This is so tragic.
What I read on Facebook this morning is that the number of deaths is more than double that number at this point and that the amount of the Rumensin was so high that it would have killed cattle too, if they had eaten this feed.
Also, it was not cattle feed, it was horse feed, just with the Rumensin added.
If this was not just a HORRIBLE and HUGE mistake on the part of someone, one might think that there is a very evil person out there.
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Absolutely horrible. I just can’t imagine.
No cattle feed was mistakenly used. The amount of monensin in the horse feed was so high it would have also killed any cattle.
Some are speculating that the family/horses were targeted on purpose by AR terrorists.
However, one yet to see any official confirmation regarding this.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/SBp4tJgD6p5BHtSC/?mibextid=QwDbR1
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I didn’t see any mention of what brand…does anyone know? And beyond tragic.
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It might have been a local mill, and not a national brand.
My first thought goes to it being done intentionally since the feed contained such an extraordinary amount of Rumensin.
Cattle would have tolerated approximately 10X the recommended dosage of Rumensin, so the amount of the drug in there must have been huge. Horses, on the other hand, can be killed by Rumensin in very small amounts.
Rumensin is also a drug that mills are required to report usage. Amounts, batch numbers, etc.
It will be very interesting to see how this all shakes out, but in the meantime this poor family has lost 70+ animals and generations of breeding.
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This article says the feed originated in Kansas.
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I guess I am a conspiracy theorist but this does truly sound like an intentional act…
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I doubt it was intentional. All it takes is one sloppy employee that doesn’t clean the line very well between cattle and horse feed runs. Or a rusted piece of equipment that should have been replaced eons ago. Or a low margin company/ facility that plays fast and loose with safety because proper precautions are time consuming or costly. Of course, a pissed off employee might be sabotaging the company but I probably think it was from carelessness.
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That would explain typical cattle levels landing in horse feed.
That would not explain levels that are too high for even cattle.
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I see a lot of back and forth on FB posts with people saying “don’t use any horse feed brand that manufactures in a mill that also makes cattle feed” and others saying “there’s no such thing as a horse only feed mill.”
I went to the website of the brand I use, and they have a cattle (and goat, and chicken, etc) product line in addition to horses. How would I, as a consumer, know if they make these other feeds in the same mill as horses? Does it matter if it’s a different line in the same mill?
If a takeaway from this horrible event is that we need to be more informed consumers…how do we do that?
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I read somewhere (I believe Facebook) today that someone is working on a list of what brands/types are manufactured in mills that only do horse feed.
A company might make other products and still use separate facilities for things that include that drug. They might make cattle feed at the same mill, but only cattle feed that does not include that drug.
You can personally contact the manufacturer you buy from and ask them about your feed in your part of the country.
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Saw the same posted in an endurance FB group with this doc linked:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17IVu88GVlLU04C3uitCTPHQ5Q2cB-khka_-eMJaMSCY/edit?fbclid=IwY2xjawE9jZlleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHSTa4fvVwcDOcdXRK0Q6M3EjoV0ldeFahWEQQtiGqmOuUSjBHUKJAeKZcA_aem_wjHhfNJWnZPLDGPaRO43nQ&gid=0#gid=0
*Disclaimer, I do not know anything about the authors, Dr. Rachel Mottet & Connie Flores, of Legacy Equine Nutrition. I’m simply passing it along after seeing it discussed on FB.
I did reach out to them to ask. On the linked list, they were noted as refusing to answer questions about manufacturing in a rumensin-free facility, so I am interested to see if I’ll get a response. I’m sure all manufacturers are getting hit with inquiries today and I would bet some will be releasing statements.
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Careful with wording here.
Manufacturing facility/system does not necessarily mean not in the same building.
Former employer had a kosher line in the same building as the stuff made with pork fat. Hook up a hose and you’ve got contamination.
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@MorganMaresVT, pm me your brand and I might be able to tell you. No manufacturer should deny a customer that information.
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This is why I quit feeding soybean hulls. The mill I got them from also made feed for cattle. It made me nervous…
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Hi @cutter99, looks like your profile is set to private so I can’t PM. I don’t mind sharing that I primarily feed Poulin ETech Ration Balancer, and have been a customer for years. I’m hopeful I’ll hear back from them and will share if I do.
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@MorganMaresVT, I thought for years Poulin had medication free mills, but that may have changed. If they are medication free, you would think it would be something they promote and tell customers.
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You probably have to email the manufacturer and check. I have severe food allergies. If I want to know about any issues I have to email the company and ask if certain things are safe. Some companies will get back with you pretty quickly. Others, maybe in a week.
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