The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has cautioned horse owners not to feed alfalfa cubes that are part of a manufacturer recall. On Dec. 16, Manzanola Feeds of Manzanola, Colorado, announced a recall of certain lots of Top of the Rockies alfalfa cubes. The FDA is cautioning horse owners not to feed Top of the Rockies alfalfa cubes with the following date codes: 111222, 111322, 111422, 111522, 111622. This list of recalled products is also available on the FDA website.
Some of the alfalfa cubes have been reported to contain what appears to be fur and animal tissues, indicating that material from an animal or animals may have been incorporated into the cubes during alfalfa harvesting. Some people have reported a foul odor in some of the bags. Clostridium botulinum, the bacterium that causes botulism, is commonly present in decaying animal carcasses.
Several horses in Lincoln County have recently died or were euthanized due to declining health.
Horse owners should immediately contact their veterinarian if their horses ate this product and show signs of neurologic illness, including: muscle tremors, difficulty eating, swallowing or standing, weakness, decreased tongue tone, agitation or collapsing.
After contacting their veterinarian, horse owners can report the illness to FDA through the Safety Reporting Portal or by calling the FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator in the New Mexico district at 303-236-3044.