This message is from: Robin Churchill <rbc...@yahoo.com> There is an article from one of the vet schools where they successfully treated a persimmon bezoar in a pony using nasogastrically instilled diet coke. The people couldn't afford surgery so they just tried something. I think it took 2 or 3 cans to get the thing dissolved over a couple of days. I saw the original article about it with the pictures but they actually published a paper on it in one of the veterinary journals. Not that I am suggesting that you should let your horses eat persimmons, apparently they are very dangerous because they do cause bezoars which is like a mass that blocks the stomach. We have to be vigilant every year here because I have mangoes and java plums both of which the horses love. The mangoes are easier because they are in a little orchard that I can close off but the java plums are all over and for about 2 months a year we have to rake them up or the horses gorge on them and I am convinced that is what made Ooruk colic the first year here because I didn't know they were here then. We have had no more problems since we started raking them up although they do eat some of them because the trees are loaded and they are constantly falling. They will eat the mangoes and interestingly, they peel off the skin and spit out the pit, we keep the orchard closed and only let them in there after we pick up the fruit on the ground. I am limited because of my property's size and the orchard has good shade in the hot months, so we just have to keep it picked up. Unfortunately, I don't like mangoes and we have 4 mango trees. Last year was a bad year for them and I was happy.
Robin ----- Original Message ---- From: "pedfjo...@aol.com" <pedfjo...@aol.com> To: fjordhorse@angus.mystery.com Sent: Monday, January 26, 2009 12:18:43 AM Subject: Persimmon's and horses This message is from: pedfjo...@aol.com long but good info. We have none here, but I guess that those down South might store this info. Lisa * posted on the CD-List today. Forwarded: A Warning on Persimmons and Horses: Our family has just lost two horses this week and 3 others are sick. We did not know that Persimmon fruit was lethal to horses. Here are a few Email excerpts from my wife on the details of what happened. While searching the Web, i found a simular string on Persimmons at this site and decided to continue getting the the word out. Please advise everyone to check their pastures for persimmon trees. This year is a bumper crop in Alpharetta Georgia. All of the animals in my pasture have been very sick and two horses have spent the 10 days at UGA. We now know that Persimmons can be very toxic to horses. They can cause a blockage in the intestines and the seeds are toxic. When they remain in the system too long they cause all kinds of problems you don't want to deal with. Look up, chances are the horses eat the fruit as soon as it hits the ground. It has been about three weeks since my horse has ingested any fruit and he is still sick, I am very concerned that other horses in the area are ingesting this fruit as well. First signs of persimmon poisoning I noticed was that my horse seemed lethargic and later he was not interested in food then he went into a colic. It is my understanding that small quantities of this fruit is not harmful but this year the trees are full of fruit. If you suspect your horse has eaten to many persimmons call a vet and have him oiled immediately. The longer the seed remains in his system the sicker he will get. UPDATE: This is what we have learned about persimmons. There is not much information out there. Two of the best vets in the Atlanta area knew nothing about persimmons other than horses shouldn't eat'em, not to mention the UGA staff knew nothing at the onset of our treatment. The number of persimmons our horses ingested is uncertain. An article I read said that 33 to 35 persimmons can cause a horse to develop a blockage. We have an 8 acre pasture with really great grass. There were 4 average sized (6 inch in diameter at the trunk) persimmon trees in the back of the pasture. The trees have been in this pasture forever. I do not know if this year the fruit was any different than in years past. We did find some information on line added to the autopsy results of Duster we now know what happened. The persimmon fruit forms a ball of skin seeds and mucous which hardens into a concrete textured mass in the stomach or it could be anywhere in their system. This ball has the texture of concrete with the sharp persimmon seeds embedded in it. After the mass has formed it can not be broken down with oil or any kind medication. Oiling is recommended if the horse has just ingested the seeds in order to move them on out of the body. In our case we found out a few weeks to late. The autopsy could not even show where the ball was because it ripped everything up inside Dusters body. Horses that are developing this may loose weight and show slight sign of colic, stretching and lethargy in the beginning. Duster would feel better and try to eat but digestion would make the seed mass move and cause further damage his stomach. This seed mass can become very large, after the mass forms only surgery can save the horse. Smaller masses can pass into the intestines and cause damage and blockage. Our horse Bruce is undergoing surgery at this very moment. By scoping him we have learned that his mass is at least the size of a grapefruit. UGA gave him a 50% chance. We should know the result this afternoon. We also have a mini pony (Cocoa) and two mini Donkeys (Nester and Brownie) who have been showing signs of pain over the last three weeks. They will be scoped at UGA this week to see how big the seed mass is. If it is small we will treat it with oil and laxatives. If the mass is large, our little ones will have to be put down on Friday. UPDATE: Bruce was operated on yesterday and they found a basketball size mass of seeds and hard as concrete. The incision was so large to remove the mass that his doctor recommended that we put him down. I have been told that this is a very rare situation. But I believe it is one of those conditions that have been misdiagnosed for many years. The persimmon trees have been in the south forever. When horses ingest persimmons they do not die immediately, they form this seed mass which acts like a time bomb. Unless the horse has an autopsy the cause of death will always be a mystery. Please tell everyone you know about the risk of leaving persimmon trees in your pasture. Thank you so much for helping me get this information out. There has never been a horse with more heart than my Duster. He will be missed by all. UPDATE: We took our last animals (a pony & two min donkeys) to have t= hem scoped today. They all have masses in their stomachs. They have been showing similar signs or symptoms, however they don't seem to be in pain at this time. ************** A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps! (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100000075x1215855013x1201028747/aol?redir=http://www.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx?sc=668072%26hmpgID=62%26bcd=De cemailfooterNO62) Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
