With fall and winter weather arriving, many people are doing their fall clean-up of yards, pastures and other areas. Most horse owners may not be aware that various yard waste “trimmings” can be toxic to horses and other livestock.
Horse owners: Beware of toxic plants in your area
Being aware of toxic plants in your area can save your horse from being poisoned when you and your neighbors are trimming bushes, trees, and plants before cold weather arrives.
In urban areas, neighboring homeowners are not aware that certain yard vegetative plants tossed over the fence can be deadly when consumed by horses. It is always a good idea to establish a good acquaintance with your neighbors and educate them to the toxic affect yard waste may have on horses and other livestock.
Perhaps during this time of year, the greatest risk comes from those who need a place to discard their yew bush trimmings. As little as ½ lb. of yew trimmings, consumed by a horse can be fatal. Common symptoms of poisoning, from this evergreen ornamental bush is sudden death within 24 hours, though occasionally death may be precluded by respiratory difficulty, shaking or muscle weakness. There’s no known antidote for yew poisoning.
Other common ornamentals to our landscape are the Rhododendrons and Azaleas. All parts of these plants, but especially the foliage, contain the poison, and two or three leaves may produce a severe toxic reaction. Rhododendrons are more likely to retain green leaves year round than most other plants, and most toxicoses occur in the early spring, when other green forage is unavailable.
So prevention is critical to assure keeping your horse healthy. It is essential to always provide a balanced nutritious diet to animals at all times so that they are not driven through hunger to eating unusual plant material.
It is also important to remember that the careless disposal of tree and plant prunings into an animal enclosure is a frequent cause of poisoning.
Following is a list of plants that are poisonous to animals according to scientists at Cornell University:
Trees
- Black walnut
- Red Maple and its hybrids
- Oak
- Black locust
- Golden chain tree
- Horse chestnut, buckeye
- Chokecherry
- Kentucky coffee tree
- Russian Olive
- Persimmon
- Chinese tallow tree
Shrubs
- Yew
- Oleander
- Yellow oleander
- Privet
- Hydrangea
- Rhododendron (azalea)
- Japanese Pieris
- Laurel
- Black laurel
- Boxwood
- Burning bush
- Lantana
- Angels Trumpet
- Mesquite
- Day or night blooming Jasmine
Vines
- Carolina jessamine
- Virginia creeper
Perennial Plants
- Fox glove
- Larkspur
- Monkshood
- Lupines
- Hairy vetch
- Crown vetch
- Castor bean