Horse insurance customers warned over wholewheat dangers
Owners of horses need to be extra careful with wholewheat grain after four animals gorged themselves to death in Worcestershire.
Horse insurance customers were told that the grain can be toxic to horses, sheep and cattle, according to HorseandHound.co.uk.
Anne Gibbs, a vet from the MacArthur Barstow and Gibbs practice, said: "Wholewheat grain brews up in the stomach and is very dangerous. It releases gas and causes inflammation of the gut leading to extreme colic."
Her words came after two animals were found dead in their field last month, horse insurance customers were told, while two others were also put down.
Ms Gibbs added that the horses had got at the grain in a nearby barn, stating that it had been made into a makeshift store.
The animals then pulled on a piece of plastic sticking out of a hole to release the grain for them to eat.
Recently, the RSPCA backed action against yobs that spiked apples in a horse yard, which could lead to the animals suffering internal injuries.
September 27th 2010