Of interest…..my
friend Larry Wheat forwarded this to
me. Horses usually won’t eat Persimmons when they are green.
Fencing them away from the trees after the fruit matures is usually
sufficient. Persimmon trees also attract lots of Opossums…which is
also not a good thing.
Jim, Sun of Dimanche+, and Mahada Magic
-----Original Message----- From: Kitty Davis [mailto:davis.kitty@xxxxxxxxxxx] Sent: Wednesday, September 29,
2004 10:50 AM To: Diane Ayres Subject: Persimmons trees
Hi Diane
This is what we have learned
about persimmons. There is not much information out there. Two of the best vets
in the Atlanta
area knew nothing about persimmons other than horses shouldn't eat'em, not to
mention the UGA staff knew nothing at the onset of our treatment.
The number of persimmons our horses
ingested is uncertain. An article I read said that 33 to 35 persimmons can
cause a horse to develope a blockage. We have an 8 acre pasture with really
great grass. There were 4 average sized ( 6 inch in diameter at the trunk)
persimmon trees in the back of the pasture. The trees have been in this pasture
forever. I do not know if this year the fruit was any different than in years
past.
We did find some information on line
added to the autopsy results of Duster we now know what happened. The persimmon
fruit forms a ball of skin seeds and musous which hardens into a concrete
textured mass in the stomach or it could be anywhere in their system. This ball
has the texture of concrete with the sharp persimmon seeds embedded in it.
After the mass has formed it can not be broken down with oil or any kind
medication. Oiling is recommended if the horse has just ingested the seeds in
order to move them on out of the body. In our case we found out a few weeks to
late. The autopsy could not even show where the ball was because it ripped
everything up inside Dusters body. Horses that are developing this may
loose weight and show slight sign of colic, stretching and lethargy in the
beginning. Duster would feel better and try to eat but digestion would make the
seed mass move and cause futher damage his stomach. This seed mass can become
very large, after the mass forms only surgery can save the horse. Smaller
masses can pass into the intestines and cause damage and blockage.
Our horse Bruce is undergoing
surgery at this very moment. By scoping him we have learned that his mass
is at least the size of a gratefruit. UGA gave him a 50% chance. We should
know the result this afternoon. We also have a mini pony (Cocoa) and two mini Donkeys (Nester and
Brownie) who have been showing signs of pain over the last three
weeks. They will be scoped at UGA this week to see how big the seed mass is. If
it is small we will treat it with oil and laxitives. If the mass is large, our
little ones will have to be put down on Friday.
I have been told that this is a very
rare situation. But I believe it is one of those conditions that has been
misdiagnosed for many years. The persimmon trees have been in the south
forever. When horses ingest persimmons they do not die immediately, they
form this seed mass which acts like a time bomb. Unless the horse has an
autopsy the cause of dealth will always be a mystery. Please tell everyone you
know about the risk of leaving persimmon trees in your pasture.
Thank you so much for helping me get
this information out. There has never been a horse with more heart than my
Duster. He will be missed by all.
