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Dozens of horses dead at historic Elk City ranch
Dozens of horses dead at historic Elk City ranch
Sydnee Batzlaff/KFOR and Tanner DeLeon/ KFOR
2 days ago
ELK CITY, Okla (KFOR) — An investigation is underway after dozens of horses mysteriously died in Elk City. … The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (ODAFF) received word from a veterinarian last Friday, August 23, of a potential issue with horses relating to a single bulk feed order for Beutler and Son Rodeo Co.
“Started seeing some stuff that wasn’t right and then all of a sudden looked up and there’s horses just falling over dying,” said Rhett Beutler, co-owner of Beutler and Son Rodeo Co. … Beutler says between 40 to 70 horses died.
The reason for the sudden deaths is still under investigation, but it could be linked to feed that originated in Kansas. … The ODAFF inspector collected a feed sample which is being analyzed in two state-certified laboratories. … ODAFF has informed the Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) of the inspector’s site visit and continues to work in coordination with KDA.
An equine specialist says the mill also produces cattle feed and it could have been contaminated with Monensin, which is often given to cattle, but is deadly to horses. … “It affects their heart and so it causes necrosis of the heart tissue, essentially and so in essence, they kind of have heart attacks and so it tends to be pretty rapid onset,” said Kris Hiney, equine extension specialist for Oklahoma State University.
{snip}
Sydnee Batzlaff/KFOR and Tanner DeLeon/ KFOR
2 days ago
ELK CITY, Okla (KFOR) — An investigation is underway after dozens of horses mysteriously died in Elk City. … The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (ODAFF) received word from a veterinarian last Friday, August 23, of a potential issue with horses relating to a single bulk feed order for Beutler and Son Rodeo Co.
“Started seeing some stuff that wasn’t right and then all of a sudden looked up and there’s horses just falling over dying,” said Rhett Beutler, co-owner of Beutler and Son Rodeo Co. … Beutler says between 40 to 70 horses died.
The reason for the sudden deaths is still under investigation, but it could be linked to feed that originated in Kansas. … The ODAFF inspector collected a feed sample which is being analyzed in two state-certified laboratories. … ODAFF has informed the Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) of the inspector’s site visit and continues to work in coordination with KDA.
An equine specialist says the mill also produces cattle feed and it could have been contaminated with Monensin, which is often given to cattle, but is deadly to horses. … “It affects their heart and so it causes necrosis of the heart tissue, essentially and so in essence, they kind of have heart attacks and so it tends to be pretty rapid onset,” said Kris Hiney, equine extension specialist for Oklahoma State University.
{snip}
4 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
70 horses died? Horse feed mixed with cattle feed?
Agribusiness at its best. Ironically, we don’t care for the dozens of cows slaughtered after fattening them up specialized cow food.
It’s just business. 
Toxic Additive Found in Feed That Killed 70 Oklahoma Rodeo Horses
Preliminary tests show that the feed had been contaminated with Monensin, an additive known to be toxic to horses, Livestock Nutrition Center said.
Riders and horses in a rodeo event, part of a circuit that Beutler and Son Rodeo Company regularly contribute to, in Arlington, Texas, in March. Carolyn Simancik/Getty Images for Teton Ridge
By Christine Hauser
Sept. 3, 2024
The company that supplied the feed that fatally poisoned at least 70 horses at a legacy breeding ranch in Oklahoma last month has confirmed that the shipment had been contaminated with an additive known to be toxic to horses.
Livestock Nutrition Center, which provides custom-blended and premixed feeds to ranches across the United States, said in a statement over the weekend that its “preliminary tests” had shown that a load of feed delivered to Beutler and Son Rodeo Co., in Elk City, Okla., contained Monensin, which can be toxic to horses.
“This likely occurred due to a combination of a failed clean out procedure and a sensor malfunction,” Ronnie Castlebury, the company’s president, said in the statement. He said that it was an “isolated incident to this single load of feed from a single facility” and that no other supplies have been affected, and that the other supplies were safe for animal consumption. … Monensin is an additive that is common in cattle feed but is toxic for horses. The drug is an ionophore, or an antibiotic-like compound.
The company, which has locations in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Texas and Oklahoma, is working with the agriculture departments in Oklahoma and Kansas, the origin source of the feed, to get to the root of the problem, the statement said. Mr. Castlebury could not immediately be reached on Tuesday for comment.
{snip}
Preliminary tests show that the feed had been contaminated with Monensin, an additive known to be toxic to horses, Livestock Nutrition Center said.
Riders and horses in a rodeo event, part of a circuit that Beutler and Son Rodeo Company regularly contribute to, in Arlington, Texas, in March. Carolyn Simancik/Getty Images for Teton Ridge
By Christine Hauser
Sept. 3, 2024
The company that supplied the feed that fatally poisoned at least 70 horses at a legacy breeding ranch in Oklahoma last month has confirmed that the shipment had been contaminated with an additive known to be toxic to horses.
Livestock Nutrition Center, which provides custom-blended and premixed feeds to ranches across the United States, said in a statement over the weekend that its “preliminary tests” had shown that a load of feed delivered to Beutler and Son Rodeo Co., in Elk City, Okla., contained Monensin, which can be toxic to horses.
“This likely occurred due to a combination of a failed clean out procedure and a sensor malfunction,” Ronnie Castlebury, the company’s president, said in the statement. He said that it was an “isolated incident to this single load of feed from a single facility” and that no other supplies have been affected, and that the other supplies were safe for animal consumption. … Monensin is an additive that is common in cattle feed but is toxic for horses. The drug is an ionophore, or an antibiotic-like compound.
The company, which has locations in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Texas and Oklahoma, is working with the agriculture departments in Oklahoma and Kansas, the origin source of the feed, to get to the root of the problem, the statement said. Mr. Castlebury could not immediately be reached on Tuesday for comment.
{snip}