my horse died today was it toadstools

J

JoanneLangford

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My horse been with me three months, seemed off colour last two weeks and has lost weight.. Rode yesterday and he seemed ok but on the way home he was very lathargic and kept stopping. Put him back in the field. Went to the field this morning and he was lying down in the pouring rain, he got up and was staggering, then he peed brown, then went down again. Vet came and said he had symptoms similar to Azorturia, he did not recover. He lived out was not on hay yet, no hard feed, but I later found some toadstools, could this be the cause??? Any info would be appreciated.
 
Finally I get to delete it!
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How slow is this forum?
 
Nothing to add re: toadstools but just to say I am very sorry to hear you lost your boy - its awful losing our animals....
 
Poor horse. Sounds as if it's been in decline for a while from your description. It's why we have vets.
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Sorry for your loss.
 
Gosh, I am so sorry. I cannot offer anyhelp but I just wanted to say how awful this is and I am so sorry for your poor horse.

Would a blood test from the vets help?
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Has your vet arranged for an autopsy so that you can protect any future horse on that pasture, i personally have no info on toadstool poisoning and am sorry for your loss.
 
I'm so sorry for your loss, RIP Pony
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I echo what others have said, have a word with your vet, have bloods been taken? Best not to put any more horses on that land until toadstools have been ruled out.
 
Thank you so much, when I first had Taffy he was on one of our fields with and oak tree in August, he was gorging the acorns on the branches and we cut them back, not thinking too much about it.We then moved him to another paddock. On reflection it all adds up, with him not being himself. I just thought he was settling down and had become lazy, I feel so bad. However it seem this was the likely cause of his death, although previous horses have been on that field with no ill effect. You live and learn. Again thank you for your very helpful reply and will inform my vet tomorrow. Thanks for the hug also.
 
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Tried to post this earlier - I deleted my post off here instead of another thread and have been trying to get back on for ages.

Yes, I think acorns are more likely. Some horses develop a passion for them and others just don't bother. Ari obviously loves them but FB didn't seem to be eating them at all. If Taffy had been eating them before you bought him as well he may already have had a damaged liver. You have to be quick with it too if you see them as it causes the liver damage fast. Ari had to have anti toxin injection when he had colic in case it was caused by acorns. So sorry
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Sounds like acorns - as another person said - some love them and some don't touch them.
My husband is always going on about hating the grey squirrels around us - but I am quite happy as they remove the acorns pretty sharpish - and we have a lot of oak trees round our grazing!!!

Must be the only person in favour of grey squirrels!!!

SO sorry to hear about your loss. It is so distressing - but don't feel guilty - you did your best.

Could it possibly be ragwort from a previous home - it can take time to destroy the liver? Don't know how long you have had your horse for, but we had a pony that only showed signs of ragwort poisoning a long time after possibly being exposed to it.
 
Sorry to hear about the loss of your horse.
Don't rule out azotoria as a cause of death though, the symptoms that he was showing out on the ride are classic and the fact that he urine was brown is indicative of muscle pigment myoglobin being released from the damaged muscles. Unfortunately, it can block the kidneys and cause renal failure. His routine is not the sorth that you would associate with azotoria, but some horses can be prone to it regardless. I would definitely be asking the vet for some answers, just to get clear in your head what has caused his death.
Sorry
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