I was going to write you personally, but your questions about your TB are
so important to everyone. I am very sorry to hear of your loss. I know
there are no words to heal that empty space, but many of us understand
how deeply it hurts.
To answer your question, I don't know exactly what kind of hay you have
in CA, but there are some possibilites to think about and investigate,
especially if you have other horses. There is a rare occurence of
synchronous diaphragmatic flutter (thumps) that can occur in pasture fed
and hay fed horses.
Dane Frazier educated me on its occurence I so did a little literature
research. First, there is a small beetle called the blisteru beetle that
likes hay, especially if it is a little past due to harvest and the
season has been wet. This beetle contains cantharadin, which is a very
caustic compound. When it is ingested it causes blisters in the mouth
and throat and severely damages the kidneys. From my understanding the
symptoms develop very suddenly and immediate intensive care is necessary
if the animal is to survive. The horse basically goes into renal
failure, develops thumps and most die. If they do survive there is
permanent kidney damage.
Another possibly is a toxic weed that contains a chemical called
phytates. Phytates bind calcium and the horse develops thumps. Both
situations develop very rapidly. If your horse was eating hay, and not
turned out in the pasture you might want to have it checked for beetles.
If in doubt I would get rid of the hay and buy fresh.
This is by no means the only thing that could have happened, but is
certainly worth checking out for the protection of your other horse.
My thoughts are with you,
Lynn
L. M. Crespo, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Chair
Department of Pharmacology
Nova-Southeastern University
lynn@alpha.acast.nova.edu