Forage Poisoning
Categories:
Diseases of Animals
Last fall one of our horses was taken ill and had a swollen jaw. He died
soon and we supposed that he had been kicked and died of lockjaw. This
spring another was taken ill. He began dragging around, making an effort
to eat and drink, but not being able to swallow much. Something seemed
wrong with his throat and his hind legs. In two or three days he got
down, seeming to have no strength in his back. He kept struggling for
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two days, not being able to swallow much; so we put him out of his
misery. Since then two others have gone off the same way.
The trouble is due to forage poisoning, caused by the eating food
infested with poisonous moulds. The symptoms are inability to swallow
(paralysis of the muscles of deglutition) and paresis of the hind and
forequarters. When the symptoms become advanced, treatment is of little
avail. However, further troubles can be prevented by ascertaining the
food which is infested with this mould. Ofttimes, however, such food may
be apparently clean to the eye. Make a complete change of food and a
thorough cleaning of your stable and corrals of all old fodder which
might be in the mangers, or in any accessible place. Very frequently old
food which is left in the bottom of mangers becomes mouldy, and horses
picking for grain which might be left in it, eat considerable quantities
of this spoiled fodder, get poisoned.