Officials: Colorado firm’s alfalfa cubes may kill horses

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — State and federal officials are warning horse owners not to feed their animals Top of the Rockies brand alfalfa cubes after nearly 100 horses have developed neurologic illnesses and 45 have died or been euthanized. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued the warning Saturday. The agency says it’s working with state agriculture departments in Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico and Texas to investigate horse deaths. Manzanola Feeds of Manzanola, Colorado, recalled the cubes Friday. The company warns that certain batches may contain bacteria that cause botulism, a fatal paralytic disease. Some cubes have been reported to contain what appears to be animal tissue, which may have been ground up during alfalfa harvesting.