Conditions in corn fields across the region High Plains were right this year to produce a deadly toxin already responsible for the death of two horses in the Panhandle, USA said a Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory official in Amarillo.

Tall fescue is one of the most important cool-season grasses in the US and has become a valuable grassland resource due to its extended grazing season, pest resistance and tolerance to grazing pressure. But the grassland source also has its shortcomings. Toxins produced by the endophytic fungus grow symbiotically on tall fescue and have a wide range of health implications for horses and pregnant mares.

Providing nutrients to critically ill foals that are weak or unable to nurse is often a challenge for veterinarians. Adding lipids (fats) as a source of energy intravenously could be an option as a recent study found that this didn't increase the risk of complications or decrease survival rates of the foals.

Due to a bad hay crop, University of Missouri-Columbia veterinarians are reporting an increased number of horses with chronic selenosis and vitamin E deficiency, problems that can be fatal.

A horse and three ponies have died and several other equids have been temporarily paralyzed following the ingestion of contaminated feed in French Guiana (a department of France located on the northern edge of South America), according to the Departmental Director of Veterinary Services in Cayenne.