Is your horse showing clinical signs of weakness?  Does your horse appear to have difficulty controlling movements of its tongue or show any other signs of dysphagia (difficulty eating)?  These may be the early warning signs that you horse is suffering from a toxin produced by a type of bacteria known as Clostridium botulinum. 
 

Are your horses on a poor pasture this fall?  Is there a beautiful red maple tree in the field?  You might want to think twice about this tree being a pasture-mate to your horses.  Green or wilted leaves of the red maple tree can be hazardous to your horse’s health.  

Consumption of the wilted leaves of the red maple will cause an acute and profound Heinz body anemia (destruction of red blood cells) and methemoglobin production.

The toxin involved in the poisoning has, to-date, not been identified.

Is your horse suffering from repeated bouts of coughing, especially after being exercised? Have you heard your horse wheezing? Your horse may be suffering from chronic allergen-induced respiratory disease, termed recurrent airway obstruction (RAO). Much like asthma in humans, heaves, or “broken wind” as it is more commonly called, causes inflammation in the smaller airways of the lungs and constriction of the bronchioles (breathing tubes) in response to environmental allergen exposure.

In the United States, Lyme Borreliosis is the most commonly-reported tick-transmitted disease in humans. Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi which is a spirochete (corkscrew-shaped bacteria) that is transmitted by various Ixodes ticks. Lyme disease is also seen in Europe, Asia, South America, Africa and Australia.

The castor bean plant (Ricinus communis) or palma christi is a common ornamental houseplant with large, palmated, lobed leaves that may be found in almost any location in the United States. The plant is also grown for the manufacturing of castor oil. This same plant has a more sinister side and may be used to produce a potent phytotoxin called ricin.

Oleander is an ornamental shrub that flowers in various colors including white, red, pink and violet. This plant is an evergreen perennial that flowers throughout the summer months. Originally a native plant of the Mediterranean, oleander is a very drought-tolerant ornamental. Oleander is now commonly found in warmer areas of the United States. It is often planted as an ornamental hedge along roads and gardens, although it is occasionally grown as a houseplant. The leaves are thick and leathery and vary from four to twelve inches in length.

The term colic, literally translated refers to abdominal pain in the horse. Colic in horses is responsible for more deaths than any other disease process other than old age. It is estimated that 14.6% of all equine deaths per year are secondary to colic. The cost of colic to the Equine industry in the U.S. is estimated to be $144 million annually with approximately 12,000 to 24,000 colic surgeries being conducted in any given year.

The most frequently occurring neoplasm in the horse is the sarcoid. In fact, sarcoids may account for up to 30% of all tumors in horses. These tumors may be locally aggressive and are non-metastatic, fibroblastic skin tumors of horses, mules, and donkeys.

Raising avocados may be detrimental to the health of your horse. Avocado leaves, fruit, bark, and seeds all contain persin and an unidentified cardiac toxin. In lactating mares, persin produces a non-infectious mastitis (inflammation of the mammary glands), epithelial necrosis (skin cell death over the mammary glands) and agalactia (decrease in milk production). Occasionally gastritis and colic may occur.