curious about moldy hay

[Minelson]

I'm just wondering...I know moldy hay is bad I know that from having horses and see that it is bad for goats as well. It's mostly bad for horses respiratory system and I wondering if that is true for goats too...bad for the lungs or is it bad for the stomach? And why can cows have it?

[fcnubian]

Moldy hay, from what I read, can cause horses to colic also.

And I was told, Dont know if it's true but moldy hay can cause listerosis in goats. Someone will come along and be able to give more insight on the listerosis and moldy hay.

[Nancy_in_GA]

Well I think listeria is a bacteria and mold is a fungus---two different things. But I suppose hay that has the bacteria in it is probably also likely to mold.

Haven't heard much about diseases caused by mold, but they do mention fungal pneumonia (versus bacterial and viral pneumonia) in the Merck vet manual online. That might be a good place to look.

[hoofinitnorth]

Moldy hay is commonly associated with thiaminase toxicity in goats, better known as goat polio. Basically it binds the thiamine in the rumen so that the goat is suddenly deficient and has severe neurological symptoms. Goat polio has a huge mortality rate if not caught and treated in time.