A 13-year-old horse named Frank was found in critical condition at his home in Rochdale, Manchester, after being fed harmful human food by visitors, according to his owner, Julie Kershaw, 58. Frank was discovered lying on the floor and unable to walk by Ms. Kershaw, who feared he would not survive the night. Vets diagnosed Frank with a colon infection and administered four injections to stabilize his condition. His illness was severe enough that his owner feared for his life, highlighting the serious risks of feeding horses inappropriate food. The horse was first seen in distress by a passing mother and daughter, Freya, 13, and her mother Rachel, who observed Frank rolling onto his side and breathing heavily after suddenly collapsing. They put out an appeal on Facebook to find the pet’s owner. Ms. Kershaw said she received about 20 phone calls as she realized the stricken animal was her own. With help, she called a vet who arrived at the stable within 40 minutes. Ms. Kershaw spent £300 to save the animal, including a vet bill of £235 and the remainder on food. Ms. Kershaw expressed concern about the dangers of feeding horses human food, noting that many common foods are harmful to horses, which are lactose intolerant and unable to process meat or bread. Vegetables such as tomatoes, potatoes, onions, and garlic are toxic, according to the charity Animal Friends. Even normally safe snacks such as apples and carrots can become harmful if fed to horses repeatedly by visitors. This highlights the need for awareness among people who visit farms or stables. Ms. Kershaw said the situation has worsened as the area has been discovered by walkers following the Covid pandemic. Another animal owner named Patsy said she had caught visitors standing near the animals with an Indian takeaway, including a chicken kebab and naan bread. This behavior has raised concerns among local pet owners, who are now more vigilant about keeping their animals safe from unintended harm caused by human food.