Not Everything Is Edible

Plant poisoning
 Contrary to popular belief, horses do not
possess any magical “nutritional wisdom”
 In other words, not only will they not seek
out and eat plants that contain compounds
which will cure whatever ailment they may
have, they will eat things that may be
harmful or even fatal
Occurrence of poisoning
 Most common toxic plants are
relatively unpalatable
 Unless there is no other food
around, horses will avoid them
 There are exceptions:
 Alsike clover
 Certain plants which are so toxic
they kill too quickly for taste
aversion to be useful
Exceptions:alsike
 Alsike clover
 Fairly palatable
 Liver disease
 Photosensitization
 Flower stem
originates from
same part of stalk
as leaf stems
 No chevrons

Red clover
Exceptions: highly toxic plants

 Certain plants which are so toxic they kill

too quickly for taste aversion to be useful
Yew
 Taxus spp
 Evergreen commonly
used in landscaping
 Contains taxine
 Cardiac toxicity
 Sudden death
 Only need a mouthful
Foxglove
 Digitalis purpurea
 Cardiac effects
 Dried plants remain
toxic
Oleander
 Nerium oleander
 Highly toxic
 25 g of fresh leaves a
fatal dose
 Evergreen, and drought
hardy, so frequently
planted as ornamental in
warmer climates
Poison Hemlock
 Conium maculatum
 Not to be confused with
the evergreen tree
known as hemlock
 Sometimes confused
with Queen Anne’s lace
—has lead to human
poisonings
Other things you wouldn’t want
to eat
White snakeroot
 Eupatorium rugosum
 Tremetol—a fat-soluble
alcohol which causes
“trembles”
 Neurologic signs
 Cumulative effect over time
Rhododendrons and relatives
 Rhododendrons
 Azaleas
 GI and cardiac toxicity
 5 pounds can be a fatal
dose
Jimsonweed
 Datura stamonium
 Atropine and other
alkaloids
 Relatively non-palatable
  Solanum spp.
Nightshades  Same family as Jimsonweed
 Also includes potato, tomato,
and tobacco
St. John’s Wort
 Hypericum perfoliatum
 photosensitization
 Recommended in several
species for
antidepressant effects
 May want to read the
labels on herbal mixtures
for calming horses
Yellow star thistle and Russian
knapweed
 Centaurea solstisialis (thistle)
 C. repens (knapweed)

 Ingestion causes damage to a

particular area of the brain
 Horses acquire a taste for the
plants
 Develop inability to chew
Bracken fern
 Pteridium aquilinum
 Large amounts cause a
thiamine deficiency
 Can be treated if caught
early
Oak
 Quercus spp.
 Tannins in leaves and in
acorns
 Gastrointestinal upset
 Can cause renal damage
Red maple  Acer rubrum
 Aka swamp maple
 Wilted leaves
 Unknown toxic principle
 Thought to be gallic acid
 Severe intravascular hemolysis,
leading to renal failure
Black walnut  Juglans nigra
 Exposure of horse to
shavings causes laminitis
 As little as 10% can be
dangerous
 Be careful if buying bulk
shavings from a
sawmill!
Cherry
 Prunus spp
 Includes cherry,
chokecherry, plum
 Cyanide poisoning
 Wilted leaves
particularly dangerous
Blister beetles
 Cantharidin poisoning
 Severe damage to GI tract
lining and to urinary
system
 Sometimes infest alfalfa
hay from midwest
 50 beetles can kill a
horse, but as few as 5 can
cause illness--colic
Ionophore toxicity
 Coccidiostats used in
ruminant and poultry feeds
 Rumensin (monensin)
 Bovatec (lasalocid)
 1-2 mg/kg of monensin is
fatal
 Myocardial degeneration