mold in horse feed

Question
I just purchased a horse feed for foals last week it was not the feed purchased in the past, they told me they didn't carry it anymore.  The place where we board our horse called us up to tell us that the feed is moldy. The horse has been given this feed for at least 4 days.  What should I do?  How long after can a horse still develop symptoms, get sick, colic etc from eating moldy feed.  I am taking the feed back to where i bought it tomorrow.

Answer
Hi Hannah,  

Thank you for your question.  Moldy feed can be a real problem this time of year especially in the east where it tends to be very humid.  Even if the feed is fresh, the molasses, oil and appetite stimulants used simply don't keep well in the humidity...especially when stored in rooms with cement or dirt walls/floors.

If a horse is going to develop colic from the mold it has consumed...it will do so almost immediately.  You are pretty much out of the woods within 2 days.  If the horses have only been exposed to the molds for a few days there is very little chance of any long term effects on their digestive tract or metabolism.  If you have any yeast on hand I would suggest feeding that...there is a component to yeast cell wall that binds mycotoxins (metabolites of mold) in the digestive tract and render them inert.  Feed a minimum of 30g (live yeast) or 60g (yeast culture)as suggested on the label.  Don't worry, you can't overfeed yeast.  To be on the safe side, keep all grain out of the diet for the next day or so.

The company will most certainly reimburse in some way if it was a recent purchase.  

Thanks, Corlena