We just received the final results from all of the testing.

Becky’s necropsy was performed at the Bronson Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory with the Florida Department of Agriculture in Kissimmee, Florida.  (Thank you Lola, for insisting on & paying for the necropsy).

The mare was transported, post mortem, in a very timely fashion to the lab.

It was concluded that she did die of poisoning.

All seven of our horses, and Annie, died with the same symptoms.  The first five died within 48 hours starting Saturday morning, April 21st.

All of the tests that were performed at BADDL (or that BADDL sent out to various Universities) came back NEGATIVE.

These tests included testing for anticoagulant rodenticides (rat poison), nitrates (fertilizer), ionophores (cattle feed cross-contamination), & Botulism Types A,B,&C (tests for botulism were done on GI contents as well as alfalfa hay and tifton hay samples).

Our personal vet also sent out samples of the same two bales of alfalfa and tifton hay along with the same mare’s manure to the Botulism Diagnostic Laboratory with the University of Pennsylvania (this was the exact same laboratory that was used by BADDL for their botulism testing).

The mare’s manure test, as well as the alfalfa hay test, came back POSITIVE for Botulism Type B.

From what we have learned, botulism poisoning is highly unusual & rare in the state of Florida………..in all of the southeastern United States.

None of our other bales, nor any of the other bales at our feed store, nor any of this particular alfalfa company’s bales across the country had ANY botulism issues…

There was nothing unusual looking with this one specific alfalfa bale……………..no smells, no dead animals, no strange plants………………just alfalfa.

We have been feeding our horses the same way and in the same place for years.  There were no changes in routine.  All of the eight animals were in our front pasture which shares a border with the road.
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Our three remaining horses and all of our dairy goats in our back pasture are fine and ate the same hay.  This hay was part of our same monthly shipment, stored in the same place and in the same way.

We have since changed our pasture fence lines.  We are having an extensive surveillance system installed.

All of our remaining horses and any future horses will be vaccinated annually for Botulism Type B……..there is a vaccine and I have been told it has a good efficacy.

We will never have horses in that front pasture again.

I have been told it won’t make a difference, but I am treating that entire area with lime dust………………at least it’s something I can do…

We will probably never know exactly what happened or why it happened.  But I wanted to share with you what I have learned.

Sigh…………………………………………….