Warning to horse owners as Chips

Rescue animal ill after eating sycamore seed survives poisoning

A woman has warned about the dangers of sycamore seeds to horses after one of her animals was left fighting for his life after eating one.

Chips was discovered lying in the corner of his field in Chartham having separated himself from the rest of owner Katie Pattrick’s rescue mounts last month.

The 16-year-old was initially diagnosed by vets as having colic – abdominal pain – but his condition soon took a turn for the worse, as he started to shake and sweat profusely.

Ms Pattrick said: “My partner found a sycamore seed in his hair, which is the first time I’ve ever seen them in the field.

“Chips was very lethargic and not himself. The vet gave him painkillers and told us to watch over him for the next 12 hours and see how he goes.

“Because they thought it was colic, we were told to keep him moving. But within 15 minutes of leaving, he’d completely deteriorated.”

The couple took the horse that night to Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic, an emergency centre, where again medics were unable to diagnose his condition.

They suspected his illness could have been caused by a rare form of colic, or through soil contamination.

It was not until the following morning – on November 14 – that he was diagnosed with sycamore poisoning, and given a 20% chance of survival.

“I couldn’t believe it. It was really, really stressful,” Ms Pattrick, 24, added.

“The vets described it as like having a really heavy workout.

“Every time he moved, he was really tight, achy and losing the strength in his muscles.

“It can end up shutting down the digestive system.

“The main concern was it affecting his heart and lungs.”

Sycamore poisoning, also called atypical myopathy, is a muscle disorder caused by ingesting helicopter seeds or leaves from their trees.

About 75% of horses that develop the condition die.

Chips spent 12 days at the emergency centre in Ashford as medics attempted to save his life.

He was discharged at the end of November – but Ms Pattrick says the impact the illness has had on his heart means he will no longer be allowed to exercise.

“We’re out of the woods with the poisoning, but we’re dealing with its after-effects now,” Ms Pattrick continued.

“We’ve cleared the rest of the horses out of the pasture and we’re going through the grass with a fine toothcomb to get the seeds out.

“Horse owners need to be really vigilant because it can be mistaken for colic and so easily allowed to develop to the point it’s too late.”

Because Chips was lame when Ms Pattrick started to care for him three years ago, she was unable to secure insurance for the animal.

In a bid to pay off the £5,500 vet fees, Ms Pattrick has launched a fundraising appeal at bit.ly/37HMyK6.

Katie Pattrick with Chips, who is now on the road to recovery