Agriculture officials say six horses have died in North Carolina after eating hay containing blister beetles.
The Rocky Mount Telegram reports that state Department of Agriculture investigators have linked the deaths to a load of alfalfa hay delivered from Kansas last month to feed stores in Louisburg and Middlesex.
The two stores sold the hay from Aug. 11 until Monday, when the state issued a stop-sale order.
Officials say a poison in the blister beetle can be fatal to horses and can also sicken cattle, goats and sheep.
D&B Acres' owner Dolly Colbert says four of the Nashville farm's horses died within 12 hours of eating the contaminated hay.
Three of the Colberts' other horses are recovering. Pamela Colbert says they probably didn't eat as much as the others.
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