Here are a couple of labs that do feed analysis, although someone should
call first to make sure they can do the kind of analysis you need. We
had a feed scare here in L.A. a few years ago, quite a few horses in our
barn got very sick, several of them died, it turns out due to botulism
in alfalfa cubes. I think the symptoms were similar to what you
describe but I have no idea how similar poisoning symptoms may be. Good
luck, hope this helps.
A & L Western Ag Laboratories
1311 Woodland Avenue
Modesto, CA 95357
(209) 538-8111
DANR Analytical
Robert O. Miller
University of California
Davis, CA 95616
(916) 752-0147
JL Analytical Services
Michael Wolf
PO Box 576185
Modesto, CA 95351
(209) 529-4080
Livestock Nutritional Laboratory Services
PO Box 1655
Columbia, Missouri 65205
(314) 445-4476
FAX (314) 445-2529
By the way, these labs also do all the normal nutritional content
analysis that was discussed on the list a week or so ago re energy
content, protein, etc. Most of the tests run around $4-15 dollars, with
a general analysis costing $30 (in 1989, anyway)
Good luck,
Susan Evans
Raina Hodgson wrote:
>
> I talked with a friend on the phone the other night and she
> described to me an odd illness that went through her mothers barn a few
> weeks ago. Has anyone experienced anything like this?
> This info is second hand so I may be a little off in the details...
> This happened in a closed barn, none of the horses had been anywhere and no
> one new had come in. 6 of 14 horses went from fine, to not eating, to high
> temperatures (105) with some colic like symptoms, within a few hours. One
> of the horses had to be put down, he apparently developed CHF. The current
> word from the vets is that it was a viral infection that turned into a
> bacterial infection? All sick horses were treated with Naxal (sp) and
> gradually (over several days) began to eat, drink, and get better -- except
> the one. My friend thinks the only common denominator is that all 6 of the
> sick horses were on the same grain, the other 8 in the barn are on a
> different feeding program. The horses that did not get sick did have some
> nose-to-nose contact with the others just prior to the onset. Has anyone
> heard of something like this being transmitted through grain? If she were
> to get grain tested (in West. Wash.) where should she send it?
> Any info would be appreciated, thanks in advance.
> Raina