Abstract
BackgroundIn Brazil, coffee (Coffea arabica) husks are reused in several ways due to their abundance, including as stall bedding. However, field veterinarians have reported that horses become intoxicated after ingesting the coffee husks that are used as bedding. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether coffee husk consumption causes intoxication in horses.ResultsSix horses fed coast cross hay ad libitum were given access to coffee husks and excitability, restlessness, involuntary muscle tremors, chewing movements and constant tremors of the lips and tongue, excessive sweating and increased respiration and heart rates were the most evident clinical signs. Caffeine levels were measured in the plasma and urine of these horses on two occasions: immediately before the coffee husks were made available to the animals (T0) and at the time of the clinical presentation of intoxication, 56 h after the animals started to consume the husks (T56). The concentrations of caffeine in the plasma (p < 0.001) and urine (p < 0.001) of these animals were significantly greater at T56 than at T0.ConclusionsIt was concluded that consumption of coffee husks was toxic to horses due to the high levels of caffeine present in their composition. Therefore, coffee husks pose a risk when used as bedding or as feed for horses.
Highlights
In Brazil, coffee (Coffea arabica) husks are reused in several ways due to their abundance, including as stall bedding
Brazil is the largest coffee producer in the world, and coffee grain processing generates a large amount of waste, given that close to 60% of the crude weight of the bean corresponds to the husk
Analysis of the coffee husk samples did not reveal the presence of insecticides or mycotoxins, and the concentration of caffeine found was 0.9%
Summary
In Brazil, coffee (Coffea arabica) husks are reused in several ways due to their abundance, including as stall bedding. Field veterinarians have reported that horses become intoxicated after ingesting the coffee husks that are used as bedding. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether coffee husk consumption causes intoxication in horses. Several studies have addressed reuse of the husks, especially as organic fertilizers, in tea production, caffeine extraction and the feeding of ruminants and pigs [2,3,4,5,6]. Teas, soft drinks, energy drinks, chocolate and in some medications [14,15], caffeine is considered a leading cause of intoxication in humans, and several fatal cases have been reported [16,17,18,19]. Natural cases of intoxication have been described in cats and dogs [15]; lethal doses of caffeine combined with theobromine are used for population control in coyotes [20]
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