Botulism Poisoning Claims Tennessee Horses

Seven horses belonging to a Spring Hill, Tenn., riding academy are recovering after ingesting hay contaminated with botulism. Four other animals were euthanized at the scene as a result of botulism poisoning. The surviving horses were transported to the Tennessee Equine Hospital in Thompson’s Station for treatment.

Botulism is an anaerobic bacteria that produces a toxin that w

Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

Seven horses belonging to a Spring Hill, Tenn., riding academy are recovering after ingesting hay contaminated with botulism. Four other animals were euthanized at the scene as a result of botulism poisoning. The surviving horses were transported to the Tennessee Equine Hospital in Thompson's Station for treatment.

Botulism is an anaerobic bacteria that produces a toxin that when ingested can cause illness or death in animals and humans. The bacteria can infiltrate hay bales when organic matter decays due to excessive moisture, or when an animal caught up in the hay during harvest decomposes. Botulism poisoning symptoms can include excessive sweating, unsteadiness while standing, and difficulty swallowing.

Safe Haven Riding Academy owner Jay Schwartz said a round bale of hay in the horses' pasture probably became contaminated during recent rainstorms in Tennessee.

"Either the hay wicked up some of the moisture from recent rains, or the storms washed up a dead animal that came in contact with the hay," he said

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Pat Raia is a veteran journalist who enjoys covering equine welfare, industry, and news. In her spare time, she enjoys riding her Tennessee Walking Horse, Sonny.

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

Where do you primarily feed your horse?
301 votes · 301 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!