A “Mystery Illness” Was Rapidly Killing Amish Horses. Veterinarians Have Now Solved the Puzzle

Over the past two months, horse owners in Kent County, Delaware – in particular the Amish – have seen their horses dying suddenly from an unknown illness.

“Sudden” as in fine one day, gone the next. But thankfully, the good work of veterinarians has likely put an end to that. From Delaware Online:

A mysterious illness has been killing horses in Kent County in the past month, but now the cause has been discovered.

Many of the cases affecting a horse’s brain and nervous system have been associated with a corn-based feed, according to an announcement from the office of state veterinarian Karen M. Lopez on May 30.

Anyone using animal feed purchased in April is encouraged to contact their supplier to see if the supplier is aware of any related concerns, according to the announcement.

One of the first to report the horse deaths was veterinarian Amy L. Franklin at Country Roads Veterinary Services west of Clayton.

“We know of 16 deaths total, mostly in the Smyrna, Clayton and Camden areas,” Franklin said.

Amish Horses Hit Hard

This has mainly been afflicting horses in the Amish community. And that has complicated tracking to some extent:

One challenge is that the deaths are “largely contained in the Amish population and so a lot of horses aren’t being seen by a veterinarian,” Franklin said. “Some passed away without us hearing about it, and when they get sick, they die very quickly.”

The effects of the illness are severe, and come on rapidly:

The symptoms horses showed were blindness, head-butting or pressing and a lack of coordination.

While some horses have survived, most of the horses with the symptoms have died, usually quickly, Franklin said.

In one case, a client reported that the horse was acting normal one day, but the next morning was showing symptoms and later that morning was dead.

So Franklin took old-fashioned measures to reach the Amish:

Along with notifying the Department of Agriculture, Franklin posted flyers about horse deaths at feed stores in the northwestern Kent County area to reach horse owners including the Amish. She said the Amish usually buy their horse feed at the same places as other horse owners.

Finding the cause

To figure out the cause, Franklin collaborated with vets from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.

After an autopsy of one deceased horse, and testing feed samples, it was determined that feed eaten by the horses contained levels of a fungal toxin called fumonisin, which “significantly exceeded five parts per million, the maximum level recommended by the Food and Drug Administration.”

Fumonisin comes from a mold which grows on corn. Various factors can increase the toxin, including weather and improper storage. Feed samples tested had levels up to 101 parts per million.

Options for treatment of the toxin are limited, and death is usually the result.

The source

Oddly, there is no word in the report of a source being pinpointed. You’d assume that this wouldn’t be that hard to do, since these horse owners know where they buy their feed, and it’s usually from the same places.

The article indicates that the toxin is associated with “a corn-based feed”, and suggests that it was a commercially-purchased feed.

I’d guess that they do know the source, and that they’ve gotten word out, but are refraining from identifying it here publicly at least.

In any case, bravo to the good work of Veterinarian Amy Franklin and fellow veterinarians at the University of Pennsylvania.

Get the Amish in your inbox

Join 15,000 email subscribers. No spam. 100% free

 

 

 

Subscribe