# THE FEED DOESN'T CONTAIN RUMENSIN!!!



## lupinfarm (Dec 9, 2009)

I was just wondering.. I'm feeding my goats something that my mill calls "Goat Ration" but it's basically like a 12% sweetfeed. Would something like this have rumensin in it? I've been feeding it to my horses the last couple of days and haven't had any ill effects. It has like no molasses in it, it's just like a sweetfeed without the sweet. 

The label fell off the bag, and the mill we bought it from just went out of business this past week (they're liquidating and shutting down sadly).


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## cmjust0 (Dec 9, 2009)

It's possible that it may have rumensin, monensin, or decoquinte in it..  If you can't look at the label to be sure, I'd probably avoid feeding it to the horses just to be on the safe side.


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## lupinfarm (Dec 9, 2009)

Yeah I guess I'll Stop feeding it. Ugh and we're pretty much snowed in so I can't get out to get to the feedstore for a few days so I'll have to feed the horses some oats and horse chow. I was giving them the sweetfeed/goat ration as a bit of a pick me up. We got dumped on, about a foot of snow and it's raining too. My little mare has a blanket on but remember that big 4 year old I bought? I can't get a darn blanket on her so she's naked, wet, and cold. 

I'll need to get sweetfeed for the horses, hopefully I can find some 12% for horses .. It's the only way I can touch Mylie is with sweetfeed in a tub.


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## ksalvagno (Dec 9, 2009)

Can you possibly find the info online somewhere?


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## lupinfarm (Dec 9, 2009)

I don't think so. It's a Land O Lakes Canada feed that comes in the mesh bags and is labelled for the mill. I don't know if they have a Canadian webpage... the feed is produced in Peterborough, Ont. 

The co-op had a website last time I checked but that information won't be on it.

ETA I went on the Land O Lakes website and they don't advertise that they make a goat line... It gives you options for Dairy Cow, Beef Cow, Swine, and Poultry.


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## cmjust0 (Dec 9, 2009)

Uh oh.  I dunno if this  is what you were feeding or not, but it's got Monensin in it.


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## lupinfarm (Dec 9, 2009)

I don't think so. Our land o lakes are forumlated in Canada. I stopped feeding the horses the grain, and they at least one of them has been on it for a couple days with no issues. I'll keep an eye on them, but like I said... no issues so far but I have stopped feeding it. Our feeds do not have any cocci preventative drugs in.

I'm going to call the mill tomorrow, but I'm starting to think it didn't have it in it. My horses seem to be fine but I have stopped feeding it. I wish I still had the bag but I think it was thrown out and there doesn't seem to be any information on Canadian feeds online.

Our feeds are all produced locally, bagged, and shipped in.

I'm kind of freaking out, I hope I haven't just signed a death warrant for my mares. I didn't think about it at first because its just a sweetfeed. I can't afford to call the vet in this week, she's coming next week for the goats. The mill I bought the feed from has a website but no product information on it. 

:/

Does anyone know how long it usually takes for Rumensin/Monensin to affect a horse? The one mare got probably 4 baking sized cups of it, and the other about a feed scoop sized amount. The one who got the feed scoop also had alfalfa pellets mixed in so I'm not sure if it was really a scoop size of the goat ration.

I'm usually really good about making sure each animal gets the right feed and no one gets someone elses but I didn't really think about it with the goat ration. I figured since it was a loose grain (no molasses, it's 12% goat ration) that without the molasses how would the rumensin stick to any of the feed?

I'm so worried now but I won't be able to call the mill until tomorrow/vet until tomorrow. I checked on the horses just now and both seem fine, Luna who has arthritis got spooked by my flashlight and bolted off, she didn't look to be in pain (I read up some, Monensin causes extreme muscle pain, restlessness, and if fed in huge amounts instant death). Mylie is my normally fairly spooky girl and she spooked as per usual and cantered off into the field, looked fine, they don't seem restless or in pain and no one is dead yet. Luna has digested the feed at least once already (she had some yesterday) and Mylie probably has as well as she got some small mouthfuls yesterday (she needs her teeth floating so most of it ended up on the ground).


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## lupinfarm (Dec 9, 2009)

I'm going to dig through the goat feed bin, sometimes my mum drops the label in there just in case. I spoke to a friend who works for the co-op I bought the grain from and he says he's not sure but he doesn't think it has rumensin but to call the owner tomorrow about it.


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## currycomb (Dec 9, 2009)

when a local mill accidentally sent horse feed to a farm thar contained moneisin(sp), some horses had instant signs, others had kidney damage and it took awhile longer for the problems to develop. i know the vet took blood daily for a week and then weekly for awhile. it was very expensive for the mill, devestating for the farm


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## lupinfarm (Dec 9, 2009)

I found some cases in western Canada of this happening. Their horses developed restlessness and extreme muscle pain and had some cardiac concerns. From what I read it was fairly soon after they ingested it, maybe a day before they started to notice the restlessness. The horses have digested and pooped and no ill effects so far. I'm calling the feedstore in the morning unless I find the label.

CM, on the website you provided this is their warning for horse owners...

WARNING: If you have horses, DO NOT FEED any feed with monensin.* Over a period of time the monensin will kill a horse!*

I only fed for 2 days, I'm going to contact the mill tomorrow to make sure. I'm still freaking out. I dug through the goat bin and there was no label so I guess I threw out the bags.


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## lupinfarm (Dec 9, 2009)

I think I found proof that it's not approved for us in Goats in Canada and thus wouldn't be in our feed.

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/anima/feebet/mib/mib57e.shtml

This website is an official government website here stating that it is

*Approved for use
In meal or pellet feed for broiler chickens, cattle and turkeys.
In thixotrope liquid supplements for cattle (RUMENSIN PREMIX and COBAN PREMIX only and must not be fed directly).*

I'm hoping I'm correct!


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## lupinfarm (Dec 9, 2009)

GOOD NEWS, THE FEED DOES NOT CONTAIN RUMENSIN/MONENSIN. 

I said I added the feedmill guy to facebook. He confirmed it doesn't contain Rumension but to stop feeding and switch to horse sweetfeed because the nosel on the feed equipment is not cleaned before making goat feed. He also said that since it's been 3 days not to worry. Toxicity would have shown up earlier. 

I'm buying a bag of sweetfeed tomorrow for the mares, I will continue to watch them for the week, and we should be fine!

Yippee!


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## cmjust0 (Dec 10, 2009)

Whew!  

Really glad to hear that.


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## FarmerChick (Dec 10, 2009)

Glad to hear all is good for you.

Just feed horse ration to horses
and goat ration to goats..LOL and you will be fine for sure.


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## lupinfarm (Dec 10, 2009)

I know but I was in a pinch and didn't really think about it. I knew somewhere in the back of my mind that our goat rations don't contain rumensin because it's not approved for use in goats here yet. I checked on the horses this morning and aside from looking rather windswept, they're both fine and perky.


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## FarmerChick (Dec 10, 2009)

I know in a pinch --it happens to all of us at some point....LOL


worse for me was the horse eating the medicated cocci feed for my goats.
I didn't know he was getting into it and WOW the poison factor was awful....all was fine in the end but YIKES

so for me, when in doubt, don't do it....good old hay will hold any horse for a long time.  It is us thinking they must have that grain at any cost is what gets us in trouble.

but I know...been there done that and yea, in a pinch we do what we have to do.

How many horses on the farm now?
Do you buy by the ton or just buy bags?  Buying by the ton saves so much money and can get ya thru a long winter without worry of buying new feed etc.   

of course being a farmer I buy by the ton all the time and I love the convenience of not ever having to pick up feed all the time.


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## lupinfarm (Dec 10, 2009)

We have 2 mares, a pony who has to be on grain all year (2 cups a day in the summer of horse chow, and in the winter 2 cups of horse chow and 2 cups of 12% sweetfeed). The big mare is a youngen, 4 years, and never gets grain except for this winter because she's not wearing a blanket and with no shelter right now the grain is giving her a bit more energy and an active horse is a warm horse. 

We don't have anywhere to store a ton of feed sadly, and not enough horses to make it worth buying a ton. Luna might go through a bag of feed in a month, or 1.5 months. Both of them are on roundbales.

Mylie isn't wearing a blanket because I still can't get close enough to her to do anything. I've been able to pet her and touch her back, but we're still working on it. I'm going to buy her a blanket just incase by some freak chance she decides I'm awesome and wants to wear a blanket. Luna wears a Midweight 220g polyfill, 600denier winter turnout blanket. I checked under her blanket today to make sure she wasn't sweating and boy she's nice and toasty. Like a radiator! I just about jumped her for that blanket. Soo chilly outside.

Silly horses though, I cracked open their water and put some hot water in it and they'd much rather eat snow -_-


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