I've been meaning to do a post about Mycotoxins for a while, however, we're getting to the end of their season, and it felt superfluous to be posting about it so late. That was, until the weather has continued to create a perfect environment for them to proliferate and I'm still seeing mycotoxin affected horses during treatment.
So, let's get into it.
What are mycotoxins?
According to the world health organization "Mycotoxins are naturally occurring toxins produced by certain moulds (fungi) and can be found in food."
These moulds or fungi can also be found on certain pastures, in hay and in grain products. Some of the fungi have a symbiotic relationship with particular pastures. Unfortunately, the same thing that helps protect and proliferate the grass can be toxic to your horse.
Where are mycotoxins found?
Black or sticky head seed is a warning that the fungi is present. This includes species of grass such as: paspalum, rye, and fescue. However, the fungi may be present without any indicators we can observe.
As previously mentioned, they can also be present in hay and grain.
The fungi grows in warm humid environments. Just like the summer we've had. As the weather dries out or the temperatures drop the fungi will die off. Making this a seasonal problem (discounting that which is found in feed).
Symptoms of Mycotoxin poisoning include:
Itchy skin / skin irritation
Photosensitivity (sun burn / stubborn greasy heel etc)
Heightened reactive behaviour (increased spooking etc)
Poor coat / skin condition
Weight loss and general poor health
Head tossing
Neurological symptoms (loss of co-ordination, proprioception, staggers etc)
Muscle and / or facial twitching
Infertility / poor fertility, poor milk production
Your horse may suffer from all or only a couple of these symptoms.
So how do you treat it?
The answer is quite simple thankfully. You treat it with a toxin binder. There are many toxin binders on the market but Mycosorb A+ has been formulated specifically for mycotoxins. As an added bonus it won't bind to the nutrients of the horse's food.
If your horse is suffering from mycotoxins, you should see an improvement in their symptoms within a couple of weeks. Sometimes much sooner than that.