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 Saint Stacey
   
| Did anyone make a list of ionophore free facilities and companies they could share? |
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Blessed 
Location: Here | This has several feeds listed on it
http://forums.barrelhorseworld.com/forum/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=459551&posts=61&highlight=ionophore&highlightmode=1#M7129217 |
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Blessed
Location: Here | Here is a good article
We are what we eat! This hits home when we examine the broad range of diseases and disorders linked to nutrition. Some conditions are caused by nutritional imbalances; others have their root cause elsewhere but can be addressed with specialized nutrition. Here, we'll take a look at ionophore poisoning.
A class of antibiotic drugs called ionophores (which horses are extraordinarily sensitive to) are commonly added to some cattle and and other livestock feeds. Ionophores aid feed conversion and weight gain and help control coccidiosis (a protozoan infection); the best known is a drug called monensin sodium (known by various trade names such as Rumensin, Lasalocid, and Naracin).
Ordinarily, these drugs would never be found in horse feeds, but if a batch of feed intended for equids was contaminated, a dose of monensin of only 1.0 to 3.0 milligrams per kilogram of body weight would be enough to kill more than 50% of the horses to which they were administered. Death comes after hours of progressive weakness (especially in the hindquarters), incoordination, disorientation, colic, labored breathing, and profuse sweating. In horses that recover from rumensin poisoning, there can be long-standing cardiac degeneration, unthriftiness, and poor performance, with the possibility of delayed cardiac or circulatory failure.
Because ionophores are such a danger to horses, look for feeds produced in a mill that doesn’t manufacture these medicated products. It’s also best not to recycle feed bags that might have been used to package feeds containing ionophores. Additionally, store horse feeds separately from cattle rations, preferably in a completely different area of the warehouse or barn.
Finally, never feed cattle feeds to horses, even if a price differential makes it tempting. They might look similar, but even without the risk of antibiotic contamination, cattle feeds are not designed to meet horses' special nutritional needs.
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/35513/nutrition-related-problems-ionophore-poisoning?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=nutrition&utm_campaign=03-23-2015
Edited by SG. 2015-03-24 11:30 AM
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Regular
Posts: 60
| I talked with Purina and they confirmed that the FT Worth plant is not Ionophore free but that they do use extra caution when making the horse feeds. I gave her #s off my bags and she identified they were made in FT. Worth 1st shift. Feed was bought in Elgin and Bastrop. |
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Blessed
Location: Here | TLynn - 2015-03-24 11:30 AM I talked with Purina and they confirmed that the FT Worth plant is not Ionophore free but that they do use extra caution when making the horse feeds. I gave her #s off my bags and she identified they were made in FT. Worth 1st shift. Feed was bought in Elgin and Bastrop.
WOW... Extra caution...  |
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Regular
Posts: 60
| Kinda what I thought. I am thinking about changing over to the Renew Gold soon.
Just wondering if my horses will be hungry if only getting a pound or so per day? Talked with the Renew Gold makers and convinced it might be worth a try.
Edited by TLynn 2015-03-24 11:39 AM
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 A Barrel Of Monkeys
Posts: 12972
Location: Texas | TLynn - 2015-03-24 11:30 AM I talked with Purina and they confirmed that the FT Worth plant is not Ionophore free but that they do use extra caution when making the horse feeds. I gave her #s off my bags and she identified they were made in FT. Worth 1st shift. Feed was bought in Elgin and Bastrop.
The mill in Fort Worth uses segregated facilities. Yes, they make cattle feed, but in a totally segregated mill - they don't even use the same lines. So I am satisfied that the feed I am getting that is made in Fort Worth is safe. |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | So, I was confused by the info on the Nutrena mill in Byhalia. They make medicated feed, but it's on a different line? Because my choices for senior feed were safechoice made in Byhalia or ADM. I quit feeding ADM for obvious reasons, but they are not eating the safechoice very well and consequently aren't looking as good as I would like. I can't really blame them for not wanting to eat it--it stinks from whatever flavoring they're using. I hate that smell. Neither of them will eat the chaffhay either, so I'm switching them to soaked Standlee alfalfa pellets and rice bran. Which is a pain, but I'm already feeding that to my riding horses without the soaking and they both look awesome. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 372
| I'm curious and must point out that I am in no way minimizing the serious ness of the problem.
But is this really as big of an issue as it's being made out to be? Are Ionophores something new or have they been around for ever.
I guess what I'm asking is this has been in the news lately so everyone is sensitive to it but if it's been being made the same way for ever why is it just now a problem?
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  Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | arion - 2015-03-24 12:49 PM I'm curious and must point out that I am in no way minimizing the serious ness of the problem. But is this really as big of an issue as it's being made out to be? Are Ionophores something new or have they been around for ever. I guess what I'm asking is this has been in the news lately so everyone is sensitive to it but if it's been being made the same way for ever why is it just now a problem?
Its always been around and our horses have had issues that we thought were colic or heart attacks or other things.. Now we know more and are educated .. the fact that a good friend of mines event barn went thru a huge ordeal and still lingering.. and ADM denied any wrong doing makes it that much more suspicoius.. its time to do something yet they make millions of Equine products yet cant provide a safe way to make it.. so yes its been around but no we arent making to big of a deal of it now. someone and somebody has to step up now and make a change. |
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | arion - 2015-03-24 11:49 AM I'm curious and must point out that I am in no way minimizing the serious ness of the problem. But is this really as big of an issue as it's being made out to be? Are Ionophores something new or have they been around for ever. I guess what I'm asking is this has been in the news lately so everyone is sensitive to it but if it's been being made the same way for ever why is it just now a problem?
The problem has been there all along. Awareness has increased, which has caused people to have their feed tested more often rather than writing off the freak illnesses or unthriftiness of their horses. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 372
| Three 4 Luck - 2015-03-24 11:54 AM
arion - 2015-03-24 11:49 AM I'm curious and must point out that I am in no way minimizing the serious ness of the problem. But is this really as big of an issue as it's being made out to be? Are Ionophores something new or have they been around for ever. I guess what I'm asking is this has been in the news lately so everyone is sensitive to it but if it's been being made the same way for ever why is it just now a problem?
The problem has been there all along. Awareness has increased, which has caused people to have their feed tested more often rather than writing off the freak illnesses or unthriftiness of their horses.
That makes sense.
So the consensus is that there have been issues all along that people just not realize were caused by contaminated feed.
so is it safe to say that if this hadn't reared it's ugly head in a big barn where there were several afflicted animals that we would still not know?
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 I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | TLynn - 2015-03-24 11:30 AM I talked with Purina and they confirmed that the FT Worth plant is not Ionophore free but that they do use extra caution when making the horse feeds. I gave her #s off my bags and she identified they were made in FT. Worth 1st shift. Feed was bought in Elgin and Bastrop.
This is what really ticks me off as they have been saying they have separate operations for cattle and equine. Just another reason for me being a Purina hater. I had one of my feed dealers laugh when I told them that is what Purina has been claiming since this whole feed disaster has come to light. |
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I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | Fun2Run - 2015-03-24 11:41 AM TLynn - 2015-03-24 11:30 AM I talked with Purina and they confirmed that the FT Worth plant is not Ionophore free but that they do use extra caution when making the horse feeds. I gave her #s off my bags and she identified they were made in FT. Worth 1st shift. Feed was bought in Elgin and Bastrop. The mill in Fort Worth uses segregated facilities. Yes, they make cattle feed, but in a totally segregated mill - they don't even use the same lines. So I am satisfied that the feed I am getting that is made in Fort Worth is safe.
I can't and won't trust them. Back in 1997 all meat and bone meal was banned to be used in ruminant feed. It was used at the Gonzales, TX mill in 2003. Why would they have the meat and bone meal anywhere around the cattle feed if it has been banned since 1997? They called it human error and I call it being irresponsible. Wonder what else they have laying around that can be put into our horse feed by mistake?
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 Mature beyond Years
Posts: 10780
Location: North of the 49th Parallel | I'm switching over to Buckeye. |
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 Midget Lover
Location: Kentucky | I switched from Triple Crown to Tribute. |
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 Witty Enough
Posts: 2954
Location: CTX | I am switching from nutrena to renew gold. But my old mare is not doing so good on it, so I am adding purina senior for her. And now I see purina is not 100% ionophore free.... darn it, not a whole lot of choice around here.....  |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 492
| I switched from Triple Crown to Progressive |
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 Expert
Posts: 5290
| I switched from Triple Crown to Renew Gold but I need to add something to my 4 year olds mix. I think I might add a little Ultium. |
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Blessed
Location: Here | Fun2Run - 2015-03-24 11:41 AM TLynn - 2015-03-24 11:30 AM I talked with Purina and they confirmed that the FT Worth plant is not Ionophore free but that they do use extra caution when making the horse feeds. I gave her #s off my bags and she identified they were made in FT. Worth 1st shift. Feed was bought in Elgin and Bastrop. The mill in Fort Worth uses segregated facilities. Yes, they make cattle feed, but in a totally segregated mill - they don't even use the same lines. So I am satisfied that the feed I am getting that is made in Fort Worth is safe.
Thank you for clarifying this |
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