Sycamore trees do kill!

[ILuvCowparsely]

But he must have been better in between this time ? otherwise you wouldn't go riding ! that would make it unlikely to be sycomore poisoning from what I know.
Whatever the case, hope you find out what it is and that he makes full recovery!

When I rode him ( 30 mins only ) vet had advised for the colic it would be good to keep him moving.
The field now we have been drawn to the area is covered in seeds within the long grass. We sat down and picked them up as there were so many in one place.

Vet will come and see him asap in the meantime I am airing on the side of caution and doing what I can with the symptoms. I went through liver disease with his mum ( un related to this ) so clued up on the liver.

 

[old hand]

It might be oak poisoning, that recovers and then repeats if they eat either the leaves or acorns again, I think urine is dark, other symptoms as you describe. I lost one with poisoning about five years ago in the spring, he died in 36 hours ( or rather I had him PTS before he died) . my vet said total organ failure, he was a healthy 14 year old. I think now it was sycamore poisoning at the time we thought oak but he did not improve for being taken off the field. he was fine in the evening and very ill having lost an enormous amount of weight overnight, no colic but kidneys, heart and liver failed, brain ok.

 

[PollyP99]

The symptoms you describe (head low, lethargic, sweating, colic like) are all classic signs of sycamore poisoning. Mild cases have been reported, in the case in my family only one horse was drastically affected and close to death quickly, the others showed varying degrees of illness as you describe. Hopefully you've been lucky, either way you need the vet pronto, if he ran bloods then should know if it's AM and your horse needs treatment. Fingers crossed for you. The one close to death survived and is still showing weird blood results so in very light work, almost a year after suffering the first time. The others are back to normal.

 

[SO1]

If his muscle enzymes are normal it is unlikely to be sycamore, has he been exposed to ragwort as that does affect the liver.

Hope your horse makes a good recovery.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

If his muscle enzymes are normal it is unlikely to be sycamore, has he been exposed to ragwort as that does affect the liver.

Hope your horse makes a good recovery.

No chance of ragwort as we are eagle eyed and dee poo the fields daily and have a ragwort fork on the back of the trailer so de ragwort as we see them. We zig zag across the fields one on tractor two dee pooing and dee ragworting.

All the horses are now on the bottom end of the field untill the top is safe and a tree surgeon coming to morrow to examine tree(s) and confirm they are sycamore and will check the rest of the property and will fell the offending trees.

I don't like cutting trees down but when the need arises and my horses and livery are at risk then so be it. In their place we will plant an apple tree or two so although we strip nature of two trees, we will plant two or one back.

My boy got worst ONLY got ill when he was in this top end, and there are oak trees over hanging all the other fields where he and the others have been fine for many years.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

duplicate post

 

[SO1]

I think removing the seeds and trees is definitely the right thing to do as it reduces the risk of sycamore poisoning but I would not presume that this is what is wrong with your horse until you have a positive diagnosis from the vet.

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

What a worrying time. Hope vet finds cause. I discovered sycamore seeds far away from the two trees in a neighbouring field I was just about to open up for my two girls. Electric fence quickly put up and owner of said trees informed. She has offered to chop them down for us.

 

[Clodagh]

Careful replacing with apples though, they could gorge on windfalls. How about a nice native tree like a hawthorn?

 

[Adopter]

Careful replacing with apples though, they could gorge on windfalls. How about a nice native tree like a hawthorn?

There are quick growing varieties which are worth looking out for.

Hope you can find out cause and recovery is quick. I took the advice on here and put an ele tric fence across my paddock in front of field maples which have winged seeds and are sycamore family even though we have grazed round them for 30 years previously.