Deadly horse feed sold in Riverside voluntarily recalled by Western Milling

 

Deadly horse feed sold in Riverside voluntarily recalled by Western Milling after three horses die and numerous horses are sickened.

Western Milling announced today that it has voluntarily recalled 1,100 of it's 50 lb bags of Western Blend horse feed, bearing the LOT 5251.

Bags containing the deadly horse feed was manufactured on September 8, 2015.

Some bags containing the deadly feed could have been sold in Riverside. 

Written by Trevor Montgomery

For hemeteyenews.com

Riverside, CA; On September 25, 2015, Western Milling announced a specific batch of it's Western Blend horse feed, sold in 50 pound sacks across California and Arizona, was the likely cause in the deaths of three horses and for causing dozens of other horses to become sick. The bad feed is also believed to have caused injuries to horses at a riding school and stable near Fresno, according to reports. 

This same batch of deadly feed may have been sold in the Riverside area and as of today a recall has been voluntarily ordered by Western Milling, the company that sells the feed.  

The recall came after the company discovered that an ingredient in the feed in question contained monensin, an ionophore, which is used to help cattle gain weight. Ionophore is toxic to horses and can be deadly. There is currently no known antidote. Western Milling is now recalling its Western Blend feed, bearing lot number 5251.

The specific batch of feed that is the subject of this recall was believed to have been distributed recently through it's distributors throughout the California and Arizona area, including Riverside.

Western Milling officials stated in its recall notice that of the 1,100 bags that contained the hazardous additive, all but 67 bags have already been tracked down and taken back by the company. Any bags with this lot number are urged to be immediately returned to the store where they were purchased for a full refund. The voluntary recall came after Western Milling was contacted regarding several horses that had all died after reportedly ingesting the feed while all were at the same equine facility.

According to the FDA, clinical signs of ionophore poisoning in horses vary depending on the dosage ingested, but can include poor appetite and feed refusal of the grain product, diarrhea, weakness, rapid heart rate, labored breathing, decreased exercise tolerance, depression, wobbly gait, colic, sweating, recumbency, and sudden death.

The first clinical signs are often noted from 12 to 72 hours after ingesting a toxic dose and the clinical signs may linger up to about eight days. Permanent cardiac damage is possible in horses which showed adverse effects, but then recovered.

SOURCE Western Milling LLC

Contact the writer trevor.hemeteyenews@gmail.com