Local Horses Poisoned By Exposure to Black Walnut Bedding???

[Kim L.]

Does anybody know anything about this??? My husband (a non horse person) works with a girl that told him she almost lost her show horse (and several others were compromised... one died  ) at Savannah Pines somewhere in the Port Saint Lucie area? The owner of the horse that died is apparently filing suit for $40,000 against the shaving company... Supposedly news channel 12 covered it but I can't find anything on it. As I understand it from my husband the legs of all the horses ballooned up. What I have read online is that exposure to walnut causes laminitis 

[grandprix84]

I heard numerous horses were involved at Cindy Reddish's barn. I'm so sorry for their losses, though not all died, alot of them foundered.  The shavings company should KNOW BETTER than to sell black walnut shavings....

[deb be]

so are we talking bagged shavings or truck loads from a mill?

[Clinics]

Thank you for the warning and we hope to hear more about the matter. That said, it is not just the fault of the shavings company as it is the responsibility of the boarding facility that uses the shavings to ensure black walnut is NO where near a horse or in the stalls. It is my understanding there are many other woods also toxic to horses. You should always ask your shavings dealer where they get their shavings..and tell them in WRITING the shavings are for horses...you do not want shavings that come from a furniture store because the likelihood of problems can arise with different woods and laminates. In this economy and the high costs involved with horses, many people are trying to explore ways to save money, and understandably so. For this reason, I only deal with insured and reputable businesses and will not buy hay or products off the street corner.

It is so very sad for those affected, horses and owners! Prayers to you.

[Lexus]

Here's the link from Ch12.
http://www.wflx.com/global/story.asp?s=12500074

[Ingrid Taskin]

Holy smokes.. that is an incredible story... I wonder what the definition of "significant" is?  Black Walnut you can see because the actual color of the wood is dark....

[Kim L.]

Thanks for posting the link Lexus... It's so very very sad!!!

[KW]

Thank you for the warning and we hope to hear more about the matter. That said, it is not just the fault of the shavings company as it is the responsibility of the boarding facility that uses the shavings to ensure black walnut is NO where near a horse or in the stalls. It is my understanding there are many other woods also toxic to horses. You should always ask your shavings dealer where they get their shavings..and tell them in WRITING the shavings are for horses...you do not want shavings that come from a furniture store because the likelihood of problems can arise with different woods and laminates. In this economy and the high costs involved with horses, many people are trying to explore ways to save money, and understandably so. For this reason, I only deal with insured and reputable businesses and will not buy hay or products off the street corner.

The news article said it was from S FL shavings..wow, that's a pretty reputable company and basically in our backyard!  I know shavings that I've gotten from them in the past were almost a sawdust (which was the reason I purchased them there specifically) so I would think it would be very difficult in that fine of a shaving to see the black walnut mixed in. 
Also, if a shavings dealer sells and delivers the shavings to a horse facility I would assume they are aware of the intended use in the horse stalls?  I would definitely think the shavings company is at blame if they specialize in shavings, bag the shavings (or deliver in truckload) and know it is going to a horse farm. 
Hopefully this is resolved and won't happen again...that's so sad that a horse had to lose it's life over a mistake that could have been prevented.   

[Admin 1]

Equine Pine is only made from Pine and is a great option for horse bedding.  Take a look at their web site .. http://www.equinepine.com/

[Clinics]

Well it sounds like there is more to the story since S. Fla. Shavings entire website bodes they only use pine, it's safe, etc. They do their own milling. It makes me wonder of they sub'd out the work to someone closer to Palm City given the distance and that entity messed up.

[JrJumperCHAMP]

This is our shavings company..should i be concerned? Im kinda freaking out

[bjtipp]

I would be!

[Clinics]

This happened back in January 2010 thus I would think some 5 months later they are very aware of watching for this.

[sillybird]

I had two horses over a year ago have a reaction to shavings also.  On both horses their legs ballooned up twice their size.  The supplier changed out the bags of shavings for me.  Thank GOD I stripped the stalls and have not have a problem since then.  It was an 'off brand' that I had never used before. 

[Coral Reef Riding]

To answer Ingrid's question on what "significant" is.  Please read the following excerpt from Horse Show Promotions":

Founder (laminitis) can be induced by black walnut shavings. Researchers have long suspected the poison from black walnut leaches up through the horse’s hooves and the sensitive laminae into the bloodstream and becomes systemic. Stalled horses may ingest some of it from the floor from nibbling their hay.

As little as 5% black walnut shavings mixed with 95% pine shavings in a 12 x 12 stall can be fatal to a horse within 12 hours.

Clinical signs (as soon as 8 hours after exposure) are increased heart rate, increased respiratory rate, depression, high body temperature, acute laminitis (rotation of the coffin bone) and sometimes colic.

BOTTOM LINE: Know the integrity of your sawmill and its operator.
 
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[karen]

interesting.... if he mill's his own shavings how did he get black walnut in the bags? we do not have black walnut trees in south florida?? I know there are a few in North fla... 

[Jeny]

As I understand, the farm had also gotten shavings from a furniture company and not just south florida shavings company.
After all this has happened, I am sure south florida shavings would be the safest place to purchase horse bedding. I will continue to do so.

[Ingrid Taskin]

I am glad you put that out there Jeny.. a small detail that I have not seen mentioned anywhere.. even the newscast states South Florida Shavings and nothing else...no mention of anybody.  How do you have this piece of information when it escapes everybody else?  It's just incredible...

Hilly sends shavings all over the world.. I cannot comprehend a quality control error in this magnitude from a company that does business worldwide...

Thank you for digging into this and finding out this very important minor detail!!! 

More importantly... what furniture company delivered shavings that week to that barn then?

Ingrid

[kali]

According to every newscast I've heard, it was South Florida Shavings and no other company (or, at least, SFS was the only company delivering to the only barn that complained. Who knows how many other horses foundered during that time period?). I don't know how a barn owner could tell the difference between types of shavings (other than pine vs dark), so anyone who purchases in bulk is completely dependent on their shavings company to weed out the dangerous types of wood. I hope the barn and the horse owners get some sort of compensation for this negligence.

[Jeny]

You can definately tell the difference between pine and dark walnut.

We recieved delivery of the same shavings on the same day as the barn in question. No problems.

I feel confident that SFS knows their product, and what NOT to use.

[Jeny]

If it goes to court. Facts will have to be proven.

[kk1008]

I agree with jenny i have been doing business with south florida for 5 years never had a problem and will continue to do business with them.

[BeenThereDoneThat]

The bags should say kiln dried 100% pure pine screened, this will assure safety for your horses..Georgia pine shavings are the best and contacting the mill directly to ensure they do not mill anything else will safeguard your horses. If the bags don't say this then don't buy them. (and if a company has been known to have sold dangerous shavings to a farm that resulted in death, don't buy their products!)