Frequently Asked Questions
The
common names and pseudonyms of most toxic plants are listed in our database,
but due to regionalism, it undoubtedly is missing a few local names. If you are uncertain, or
can't find your plant by common name, attempt searching by scientific name. An
Internet search using Google or Yahoo!
should provide you with most scientific names. The USDA plants databases
are also excellent sources: http://plants.usda.gov
& http://www.pprl.ars.usda.gov/.
QUESTION:
What ornamental or landscaping
plants are toxic to horses?
ANSWER:
This largely depends on the
geographical region in which you live. However, some landscape plants documented as
having toxicity to horses are arborvitae, boxwood, bittersweet, creeping charlie,
some ivies, Japanese yew, oleander, some ornamental grasses, philodendron,
rhododendron, Prunus species like chokecherry, serviceberry, and cherry,
and shamrocks, among others. We suggest identifying the species in question and
then searching our database for them, as each region or area has its own
ornamentals.
QUESTION: There are a number of trees in my
horse pasture,
and I wondered which are
dangerous if eaten?
ANSWER:
Again, this is largely based on
region, but some of the toxic tree species are some oak species,
red maple and some maple hybrids, some mesquites, ponderosa pine, the Prunus
species as above, and many regional species such as the Kentucky coffee tree,
buckeyes, golden chain tree, hawthorns, and the lucky nut tree, to name a few.
Black walnut is also toxic on contact at certain stages. It's best to identify
your tree and do a search on it, for accuracy.
QUESTION:
I was wondering if there are any ways to prevent your
horse from eating poisonous plants?
ANSWER:
There is no absolute way to ensure that your horse will never ingest a toxic
plant. However, most occurrences of equine plant poisoning would not have
happened if there had been plenty of good forage grasses or clean hay
available for the animal. Equines normally select for younger grasses and
occasionally forbs, and will only sample unusual foods if their preferred forages are not available. In addition, the condition of the
animal has a significant effect on how its system will be able to handle the
toxic plants it does manage to ingest.
Please take a look at our section on grazing/pasture
management for more detail.
QUESTION: Do you know of a list anywhere that compares the plants
toxic to horses vs. the ones toxic to ruminants?
ANSWER:
No, not specifically. However, on the
Bibliography/Links/Resources page there are a number of sites and books which
may be of some help. A search of scientific literature on
scholar.google.com may be helpful
as well.
QUESTION: Which garden plants can be poisonous to horses?
ANSWER:
First of all, it's rarely a good idea to give horses
garden refuse unless you know absolutely there is no toxic matter included.
However, a short list of common garden plants that can be toxic to equines
includes onions, rhubarb and leaves, herbs (include all to be on the safe side
since little literature is available on them), most berries and cherries,
potatoes, avocados, persimmons, mint, and tomatoes, to name the more common
ones.
There are also many common garden flowers that have
been known to cause problems in horses, such as anemone, azalea, bleeding heart,
buttercups, daffodils, delphiniums, Easter lily, foxglove, hyacinth, larkspur,
lily of the valley, poinsettia, shamrocks, tulips, flax, iris, and jasmine,
among others.
Remember that the absence of a plant from our database
does not mean it is nontoxic to equines: it only means that so far there has
been no published
literature citing it in cases of poisoning. Therefore, don't take chances: you
don't want your horse to be the first case published for the ingestion of that
particular plant.
QUESTION: Can I safely feed lawn clippings to my horses?
ANSWER:
Unless you are absolutely
sure your lawn consists only of varieties horses can consume safely (and if your
mower doesn't spew gas and oil) it's not advised to feed lawn clippings. In
addition, forage containing applied herbicides and fertilizers can also be
dangerous to your animal if consumed. Some
of the toxic plants that can be hidden in your yard in rural areas may include
wiregrass, tall fescue, Sudangrass, snakegrass or horsetails, thistles, reed
canarygrass, three-awn grasses, foxtails, needlegrass, clovers, Johnsongrass,
Kleingrass, stickseed, oatgrass, cheatgrass, and a number of others. In addition, there may
be leaves, seeds, or acorns from trees, shrubs, or other ornamentals included in
those clippings that are unnoticed by you. True, in most cases there probably
wouldn't be enough of the toxic material to cause a problem on its own, but
combined with other ingested toxins from the pasture or other health issues in
your horse, it just may be enough to tip the scale, so why tempt fate?
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