I received this from a friend. We don't have persimmons in our area that I know of, but it seemed like useful information to pass on to every in the group.
PERSIMMONS and HORSES > I have updated our story since the last posting, please use it to >alert everyone about how dangerous persimmons can be to horses. > 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 them, 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. >I know our horses ate a lot more than that. 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 am told that due to good weather >this year is a bumper crop for the persimmon fruit and the deer hunters are >very happy about it. I do know that Duster became sick within >two weeks after eating the persimmon fruit, Bruce had been eating them at >least a week longer. > We did find some information on line in addition to the autopsy results >on Duster that gave us an idea of what happened. The fruit of the persimmon >tree forms a mass of seed, pulp, and skin called a phytobezoar. This mass >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 of medication. Oiling is recommended if the horse has just ingested the fruit, in order to move it through the body. The only way to determine if your horse has developed a seed mass is to have him scoped in order to look into their stomach. In our case we found out a few weeks too late. Duster's autopsy showed that the concrete seed mass had ruptured his stomach and smaller seed masses were located in his intestines. Horses that have eaten too many persimmons and developed a >phytobezoar may loose appetite and show slight signs 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 to his >stomach. This seed mass can become very large; Duster's was the size of a softball. > Our haflinger Bruce died the following day during surgery to remove a >seed mass in his stomach. We asked the surgeon not to wake him from the >surgery after finding that the seed mass was the size of a basketball. The >surgeon told us because the size of the seed mass Bruce had a very small chance of recovery. > We scoped our pony (Cocoa) and found a seed mass about the size of a >baseball. It should be noted that Coca has developed a lameness in his hind >end, he seems to have lost his coordination and stumbles at times. Our mini >donkey Brownie has a mass the size of a golf ball and our other donkey has a large number of seeds floating around in his stomach. The scoping can only show what is in the stomach, if the mass has passed into the intestines it will not be seen. > After more research it was found that people in other countries suffer >with phytobezoars after eating persimmons. In most cases, patients were >treated with surgery. One article said that an experimental treatment using >coca cola had been successful on humans in Japan. I understand that this treatment was successfully done as a (last ditch effort) on a mini pony at the University of Auburn last week. I would not suggest that this treatment be done at home without a vets supervision. The coca cola caused a large amount of gas when breaking down the seed mass which could lead to colic. By tubing the pony the vets were able to relieve the gas pain. The vets at UGA are treating our pony as I write (10/12/04). It has been 36 hours and so far the coca cola treatment has not helped break down the seed mass. We will continue the treatment for a few more days. > I have been told that horses don't usually get sick from persimmons and >ours is a very rare situation. Our entire barn has been wiped out by this >fruit and it is my strong feeling that this one of those conditions that >has 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 the phytobezoars (seed mass) which acts like a time >bomb. The only way we were able to find the cause of death in our animals >was by having an autopsy performed at UGA. Without this valuable >piece of information their death would always have been a mystery. Please >alert everyone you know about the risks of leaving persimmon trees in their >pasture. > Thank you so much for helping me get this information out. > It is too late to save Duster and Bruce but maybe it is not to late to >save your horses. > Kitty Davis
