Mini Hay Cubes Recalled After Botulism Concerns Surface in Horses
Laub’s Feeding and Cubing, Inc. has voluntarily recalled up to 89 tons of Grade A Mini Hay Cubes after potential contamination with Clostridium botulinum raised concern for botulism in horses and other animals. The recall covers product sold from October 3 through October 31 and immediately places a familiar equine emergency back in focus: a toxin-mediated neurologic syndrome that can progress from subtle weakness to respiratory failure.
The company said the feed was sold at the Paragonah Farm in Paragonah, Utah, and at the Feed Store in St. George, Utah, during October. Some customers may have redistributed the product after purchase, widening the possible exposure footprint beyond the original point of sale. Distribution could include Utah, Northern Arizona, Nevada, and Southern California, a regional span that makes rapid feed removal especially important for barns, boarding facilities, and small private owners.
This is not a theoretical contamination issue. Horse owners were told not to feed the recalled cubes and to quarantine any remaining product in a secure covered location inaccessible to animals if it cannot be returned. Direct contact with customers began on November 3, an important step because feedborne botulism can become a barnwide problem before the first obvious neurologic signs appear.
Why Botulism in Horses Becomes an Emergency Fast
Botulism is driven by a neurotoxin produced by Clostridium botulinum. In horses, the toxin interferes with acetylcholine release at the neuromuscular junction, creating the classic pattern of flaccid paralysis rather than the spastic findings that often come to mind with other neurologic disorders. The clinical picture can begin with depression, colic, or incoordination and then escalate to muscle weakness, tremors, difficulty swallowing, weak eyelids, loss of tone such as a “floppy tail,” trouble breathing, abdominal distension, constipation, and inability to urinate.
Those signs matter because they point to a process that can deteriorate quickly once toxin exposure has occurred. A horse that is still standing may already be in serious danger if swallowing becomes impaired or respiratory muscles weaken. For clinicians, the key challenge is not just recognizing the syndrome, but acting before aspiration, recumbency, or ventilatory compromise turns a suspected toxicosis into a fatal event.
The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food received reports of illness and death in horses in southern Utah and surrounding areas, prompting the recall. Initial reports described several horses on one farm becoming sick, including three deaths. Additional reports arrived on November 2 involving horses in southern Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. The exact cause of the deaths remains unconfirmed, and testing of feed cubes sold at facilities in southern Utah is underway.
Exposure Control Matters More Than Waiting for Confirmation
The recall action reflects a practical veterinary reality: suspicion often has to move faster than laboratory confirmation. Feed testing can take time, and the window for preventing additional exposures is narrow when a common ration component may be involved. When a neurologic toxin is under consideration, every hour spent continuing to feed a suspect lot increases the chance of more animals becoming ill.
Customers who still have the product were instructed to return it to the place of origin or, if return is not possible, to isolate it in a secure covered location and contact the company for further instructions. That kind of containment is especially important in multi-animal settings where a single feed source can affect an entire herd or stable. Horses that have already consumed the product should be watched closely for neurologic signs, with immediate veterinary attention for any animal showing depression, colic, incoordination, or the broader muscle weakness pattern associated with botulism.
The recall covers product sold in 1500-pound totes and in bulk supply, a packaging format that can make traceability more complicated once feed is moved between properties. If a barn split a tote, transferred feed to smaller bins, or distributed part of a bulk load to another site, the exposure chain may be longer than the original sales record suggests. That is why the notice also warned that some customers may have further distributed the product to additional locations or recipients.
Veterinary Response Will Depend on Speed, Not Certainty
The presence of reported illness and death in horses changes the clinical stakes for every exposed animal in the region. Veterinary assessment should be immediate when neurologic signs appear, because management of botulism depends on early recognition, supportive care, and aggressive exposure cessation. The sooner the feed source is removed, the better the chance of limiting further toxin ingestion and narrowing the number of animals at risk.
For owners, the most important practical step is simple: do not feed the recalled product. The second is equally direct: treat any neurologic change as urgent, even if the signs are mild or intermittent. A horse that seems merely dull or slightly unsteady may be entering a more severe phase of paralysis, and waiting for progression can close the treatment window.
Reports of adverse events can be submitted through the FDA reporting pathway for horse or other livestock feed and food problems. Customers with questions were directed to the company at 1-435-439-5531, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. MST.
A Regional Feed Recall With Wide Animal Health Implications
The recall reaches beyond a single Utah facility because horse feed distribution often extends through informal sharing, transport between ranches, and redistribution after purchase. Once a contaminated or potentially contaminated feed enters that chain, the practical risk shifts from one product lot to a much broader animal health concern. The current investigation will determine whether the illnesses and deaths are linked to the recalled hay cubes, but horse owners do not need that confirmation to act.
The immediate task is removal of the feed, isolation of any remaining product, and urgent veterinary evaluation of exposed animals with neurologic signs. In botulism, waiting for certainty can be the wrong clinical choice; the syndrome rewards speed, containment, and suspicion.