This blog has covered hay testing and analysis in past posts, but this week I wanted to talk specifically about nitrate toxicity. In my county, and surrounding counties, nitrates have been an issue for the past month. We've had hay samples come back high that normally are not, these growers are used to having safe hay and now must figure out what to do with this hay. Cattle and horses are susceptible to nitrate poisoning and if too high, like in some cases this year, animals will actually die. Ruminants are more susceptible to this problem, due to the way their stomachs work, but if severe enough, horses can suffer as well.
Testing nitrates is a free test from the NCDA & CS lab in Raleigh, so if nothing else, you definitely should test your hay for nitrates. Even if it is not a field where animal waste is applied, fertilizer is applied a some point, the plant goes through drought or stress, so it's important to know what your hay contains. Some nitrate levels are safe for all animals, some should not be fed to pregnant animals, and some levels are too high for any stage of animals to consume. Horses can consume higher levels than those listed and not be affected, make sure you speak to your extension agent or veterinarian on feeding hay that may be considered "high" in nitrates!
Those levels can be seen here:
In terms of symptoms, nitrate toxicity can present itself by diarrhea, colic, weakness, muscle tremors, abnormal gait, blue or brown discoloration of the gums, and in extreme cases, death. Blood in affected animals may be a more chocolate brown than deep red color, due to the activity of nitrates/nitrites on hemoglobin.
Be cautious of what you feed your horses, and when in doubt--test it!
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