The manufacturer of a load of feed that caused the death of up to 70 rodeo horses has admitted that the batch was contaminated with a toxic additive.
Livestock Nutrition Center said that the feed contained monensin, which is used to control parasites, but can be deadly to horses, and said it was “truly sorry” for the incident and the loss of the “valued” livestock.
The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (ODAFF) launched an investigation on August 23, following reports of multiple dead animals relating to a feed order for Beutler and Son Rodeo Co.
Rhett Beutler, co-owner of the company, said that shortly after feeding the animals he had seen “some stuff that wasn’t right” and that horses had been “falling over horses.” Between 40 to 70 horses had died, Beutler told Oklahoma News 4.
In a statement released on Friday, Livestock Nutrition Center president Ronnie Castlebury said that the company was “dedicated to assist and support” the Beutler family with the loss of “so many valued animals.”
“Our preliminary tests show a load of feed delivered to Beutler and Son Rodeo Company in Elk City contained monensin, which can be toxic to horses. This likely occurred due to a combination of a failed cleanout procedure and a sensor malfunction,” Castlebury said.
According to the University of Tennessee Veterinary Medical Center, monensin is an animal feed additive that is used “to control parasites and improve feed efficiency.”
Horses are extremely sensitive to monensin and it is toxic to them, causing the death of heart muscle. Animals can die from the toxicity, recover completely, or develop heart failure and have to be humanely euthanized.
In the statement, Castlebury said that the poisoned feed was an isolated load from a single facility and that no other batches had been contaminated or impacted.
“We take this seriously and are working with the State Departments of Agriculture in Oklahoma and Kansas and the FDA to get to the root cause of the problem and will take any and all corrective actions needed,” he said.
“Words are cheap but we are dedicated to assist and support the Beutler family and make this right because our customers and employees expect and deserve it.
“Our deepest sympathies go out to Mrs Bennie and Rhett Beutler and family and everyone affected by the recent tragic event at their ranch. The loss of so many valued animals is devastating.”
The Beutler family has bred and raised generations of champion horses and supplied them to rodeos across the United States since 1929.