What Happens If Horses Eat Dusty Hay?

Horses are particularly sensitive to dust from mold spores and can get a respiratory disease, like asthma in humans, called Recurrent Airway Obstruction (RAO), commonly referred to as heaves.

Can dusty hay make a horse cough?

Hay grown in drier conditions may also be dustier. “If the pasture contains tall grasses that are dust-covered, this may increase the horse’s exposure and might contribute to coughing,” Buechner-Maxwell says.

What are the symptoms of a horse eating moldy hay?

Why Is Moldy Hay Dangerous?

• Coughing.
• Nasal discharge.
• Increased respiratory rate.
• Labored breathing.
• The presence of a “heave line” caused by abdominal muscles enlarging to help with breathing.

Can horses colic from moldy hay?

What should you do? Moldy hay can cause digestive upset that can lead to abdominal pain (colic), sometimes serious. In rare cases, hay containing toxic molds can cause life-threatening illness.

How do I know if my hay is too dusty?

Make sure that the hay doesn’t smell like mold or mildew – if it does, refuse the hay. Shift the hay through your fingers and look to see how much dust is released. Hay which is very dusty is not good to feed to horses, especially if your horses have respiratory issues.

Will dusty hay hurt horses?

Mold and dust can inflame the respiratory tract and impair breathing. Many horses can develop permanent lung damage after consuming moldy or dusty hay. Heaves is a common respiratory problem that occurs when a horse consumes moldy or dusty hay. Mold can also cause digestive upsets in the horse.

How does dust affect horses?

Dust causes eye and nose irritations and contributes to respiratory damage in both horse and rider. It is estimated that an idle horse inhales 16 gallons of air per minute and during strenuous exercise can inhale up to 600 gallons per minute. Minimize the amount of dust in this area should be a primary goal…”

Can horses eat slightly moldy hay?

Don’t feed moldy hay to horses. Most moldy hay problems are from mold spores, which can produce respiratory disease in horses. Many of the common mold toxins develop in the field during a delayed harvest. If you suspect a mold toxin problem, review your horse’s nutrition and health.

Is Dusty hay moldy?

The hay is not moldy dusty, it is small grass particles that cause the dust.

Will horses eat around moldy hay?

I decided to find out if horses will eat moldy hay and whether it safe for them. Horses will eat moldy hay, especially if they have no alternative forage, but consuming moldy hay is dangerous and can cause digestive and respiratory diseases.

What happens if animals eat moldy hay?

“While only some molds produce mycotoxins, these are visually unable to be differentiated, and the presence of mycotoxins is difficult to assess.” Animals that consume contaminated feeds can experience liver and kidney damage, neurologic disorders and estrogenic effects.

How do horses get botulism from hay?

Botulism in foals, also known as shaker foal syndrome, happens when the foal starts to nibble at hay and grass, between 2 and 12 weeks of age, and ingests the bacteria directly from the soil. The bacteria will form spores in the intestinal tract of the foal and produce toxins.

What is the most common cause of colic in horses?

The most common types of colic are related to impaction, in which undigested feed or foreign bodies such as parasites block the movement of digesta through the intestines and cecum. More serious cases involving “twisted gut” can block blood flow to the area, causing tissue death.

Is Dusty hay good for horses?

It’s dusty.
If you find the hay dusty to handle then your horse will find it dusty to eat – and that dust will end up in their lungs. While some horses suffer the ill effects of dust more so than others, it isn’t good for any of them.

Does soaking hay get rid of dust?

For horses with allergies, soaking for only 10 minutes can significantly reduce the dust content in the hay, making it less irritating. Horses with metabolic concerns may require hay soaked for approximately 60 minutes to bring sugar content down to safer levels.

How long should you soak hay to get rid of dust?

Soaking hay for 10 minutes can significantly reduce the number of respirable particles in grass hay, and longer soaking times do not necessarily result in a greater reduction in respirable particles.

Is white dust in hay mold?

In hay, the white mold in the bale is the mycelium and dustiness is from the tiny spores. The potential for hay molding starts even with the standing hay crop where bacteria protects the plant from fungal and yeast infections.

What is highly toxic to horses?

Weeds: Onions/garlic, ground ivy, milkweed, bracken fern, cocklebur, horsetail, white snakeroot, St. Johns wort, star-of-Bethlehem, sorghum/sudangrass, yellow sweet clover, blue-green algae, bouncing bet, larkspur, mayapple, skunk cabbage. Trees: Black locust, oak (green acorns), horse chestnut, boxwood, holly.

How do you clean dust out of a horse?

Prioritise brushing the areas that will be covered by tack, using a rubber curry comb to left up dirt or mud patches and brushing out with a dandy or body brush depending on your horse’s coat condition. Wipe over with a stable rubber to remove the last bits of dust and dirt.

What are the signs of poisoning in a horse?

There is a long list of signs of poisoning in horses. These can include breathing difficulties, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, weight loss, restlessness, a high temperature, depression, unsteadiness, blindness, constipation, lethargy, muscle tremors and loss of appetite.

What are the signs of shock in a horse?

A horse in shock has a high heart rate, abnormal gum color, weak pulse, delayed capillary refill time and cool ears, muzzle and limbs. Shock indicates a veterinary crisis that must be addressed immediately by your vet. Lightly blanket your horse if it is shivering. Offer water.