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The Equine Practice Rounds - Week 5, 2012
"A Sad Day On The New Farm"
Dried red maple leaves that have naturally fallen in autumn - these are OK
The young family had just bought their farm in the spring a month ago. 5 acres of woods surrounded by more forest. The house was brand new and moving boxes still littered their driveway and garage.
I drove up the drive forking to the right onto a dirt path leading around the house. I saw their two horses standing in a clearing in the woods. The couple and their daughter came out of the back door to great me.
“Thanks for coming out Doc,” the woman said as she led the way to the paddock. “Our sorrel gelding has stopped eating and is acting depressed.”
She was right. He didn’t look like he had colic but stood quietly with his head lowered below his top line looking at the ground. He wasn’t relaxed nor was he fretting and he showed no interest in food. Depressed seemed to be the best description. She slipped the halter and lead on him as I looked around at the surroundings.
Red Maple Leaves
The trees were mostly deciduous: maple, cherry, and oak. A few pine trees scattered themselves about. One electrified wire made up the fence and it was strung through the woods claiming about an acre. Tree stumps remained from the clearing process and limbs and branches were placed into several tall piles. The trunks were cut and stacked for winter fire wood. There was no grass or any evidence of hay nor was there a barn or even a run in shed.
I asked, “Tell me about this pasture,” as I started my exam of the horse.
“We just moved in a few weeks ago,” the man said proudly. “The first thing we did was string a wire through the woods to make a place to turn out the horses. Plenty of shade and storm protection.”
Red Maple Leaves
I moved my stethoscope around the abdomen, lungs, and heart. Nothing including the temperature was abnormal. My mind started to struggle with what could be causing this horse to be so off with no clear physical signs. The man continued to describe the making of the paddock.
“We let the horses settle in and last weekend I started to cut the trees down to make a clearing,” proudly showing his efficient thinking. “We plan to pull the stumps and then plant some grass seed.”
He had moved his family into a new house, his primary goal, and had proceeded to make the wife and daughter happy by moving the horses soon thereafter even though he really had no good area prepared for them.
Red Maple Leaves - they are usually green but as you see here, they can also be red.
I lifted the upper lip of the horse and blinked at the surprise I found. The normally pink mucous membranes were muddy brown. My heart sank as I started to prepare my approach in telling them that not only was the horse going to die, but it was their fault. The resulting effect on the family would last a long time and like every vet, I dreaded being the one delivering the news.
“Your horse’s kidneys are failing,” I started. “They are being plugged with debris much like a kitchen strainer gets clogged and the water can’t pass through.” There was silence.
“What can you do” they asked? At this time, red maple leaf toxicity had just been published by a vet at Cornell who I knew and there was no known treatment. I told them this.
A wilting Red Maple Leaf only occurs in a dying leaf, not when they die and fall off in autumn.
“Red maple leaves? What do you mean?” I continued to explain that when fresh, green maple leaves start to die after a branch is removed from a tree (as in a storm causing a branch to fall or after being cut down), the wilted leaf becomes toxic to the horse. It causes the red blood cells to burst. Their contents clog the kidneys which leads to acute renal failure. The muddy brown gums are the tell-tale sign and the rapid damage causes the horse to die quickly.
The father understood. By cutting the trees down and keeping the branches in the paddock, he had killed this horse. Making it worse was substituting the tree leaves for forage in the effort to save money in giving hay.
The sad day ended for me with euthanizing the horse followed by a long drive home. I never saw that family again and I suppose they sold the other horse ending their short life with horses.
I’m hoping this story will prevent the death of at least one horse from wilted red maple leaf toxicity. Please share this True And Incredible Story Of A Horse Vet.
Doc T
©2012 The Equine Practice, Inc | Palm City, FL
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