Feed recalled after horse deaths

BOISE – An Idaho manufacturer said Thursday it was recalling bags of horse feed that are possibly contaminated with a drug compound that may be responsible for the deaths of two horses in Montana.

Western Stockmen’s Inc., a subsidiary of J.R. Simplot Co., said the lot of 50-pound bags of Pride Mature Horse feed was produced at its Caldwell plant May 3. Twelve bags sold at the company store in Caldwell are unaccounted for.

All bags from the possibly contaminated lot that were delivered to Cowpoke Ranch Supply in Corvallis, Mont., have been located while 20 bags delivered to a now-defunct feed store in Lostine, Ore., on May 10 are unaccounted for.

The bags may contain monensin sodium, which has been approved for use in some livestock species but can be deadly to horses.