…… The Official Dangerous Plants, Trees, Mulches, and Garden Stuff for Pets & Livestock

[packyderms_wife]

Now that we have our very own Garden forum, I thought I'd post a thread here on plants, fruits, veggies, etc., that are dangerous to our pets, or even our livestock, so we can make smart decisions when building and planting our gardens.

IIRC cherry tree leaves kills horses, but Summerthyme would be the one to ask about this.

So please share your plant safety wisdom here! TIA

ETA It's okay to post about stuff that's toxic to humans as well!

 

[packyderms_wife]

Grapes are toxic to dogs.

Our beloved idiot Weimaraner would stand on her back legs and steal grapes off of the grapevine. We could never figure out what in the world was giving her gastritis and so badly, and the vet never offered any solutions. It wasn't until after she passed, after losing the fight with a second round of cancer, that we learned how bad grapes were for dogs.

So dog owners beware.

 

[summerthyme]

WILTED cherry leaves will kill anything that eats them!! Be VERY careful about having cherry trees in a pasture, if you have a choice. I remember a top breeder of Ayrshire cattle losing over a dozen promising heifers a few days after a bad windstorm... some branches were broken, and the animals ate the wilting leaves. They contain a cyanide...

And for some reason, they're very attractive to cattle, at least... we once cut a bunch of small cherry trees, and piled them in the pasture along with a bunch of other vegetation and lit them on fire. The blasted Dexter cows were actually trying to pull the cherry branches out of the fire to eat them!!

Chocolate is toxic to dogs (most here know that), but what many don't know is that the cocoa shell mulch that is often sold in garden centers is very toxic for them- and for some reason, some of them will love the stuff!

And last, but absolutely not least- moldy ANYTHING can be dangerously toxic or fatal. Don't feed your dogs moldy bread or cheese!! We learned that the hard way when our little Red border collie ate an entire brick of cream cheese covered with blue mold (it got 'lost" in the back of the fridge and I put it on the back step for hubby to take out to the barn to toss in the burnables). She was down in convulsions within a couple hours. A good emergency vet and several hundred dollars saved her, but she developed severe low thyroid issues within a few months... I think the mold contributed (or caused it) The funny thing was how many guilty faces there were at the vet clinic as they all realized that they'd been feeding bits of moldy food to their dogs for years!

Yew is extremely toxic. A single mouthful of yew will kill a pony or horse. I've read of several cattle deaths due to someone trimming the yard bushes and tossing the trimmings over the pasture fence.

Rhubarb leaves are very toxic as well. I once was asked to look at a down cow for a neighbor. She was hugely fat, icy cold and clearly dying, but I couldn't find a thing really wrong with her. When they butchered her, her stomach was full of rhubarb leaves... the wife had trimmed back the rhubarb in the garden and dumped a couple bushel of the leaves over the fence. I swear that cow ate every one of them!

Tomato and potato leaves are toxic, but few animals will eat them, probably due to the taste. (they're nightshades). Potatoes with green skins or potato sprouts are also very toxic... children have died from eating a green potato raw. (that one always makes me wonder... it would be SO bitter I don't know why a kid would take more than one bite!!) Cooking deactivates the toxin, but again, the taste would be awful. If a potato is just mildly green, peel it deeply (below the green color) and toss the peels (where animals can't get them!) and you're fine.

Summerthyme

 

[packyderms_wife]

Tomato and potato leaves are toxic, but few animals will eat them, probably due to the taste. (they're nightshades). Potatoes with green skins or potato sprouts are also very toxic... children have died from eating a green potato raw. (that one always makes me wonder... it would be SO bitter I don't know why a kid would take more than one bite!!) Cooking deactivates the toxin, but again, the taste would be awful. If a potato is just mildly green, peel it deeply (below the green color) and toss the peels (where animals can't get them!) and you're fine.

Green Grapes are toxic to people and I suspect animals as well, and I'm not talking the ones in the grocery store, but the ones on the vine before they are ripe. My grandfather's oldest sister died at 4 or so years of age after eating a bunch of green grapes.

 

[moldy]

Pigweed (amaranth) can be fatal to pigs. It is toxic to their kidneys. This was a very expensive lesson for me - lost 10 pigs out of 14 before we found out what it was.

 

[Hermantribe]

Oleander is poisonous to animals.

Sago palm is poisonous to dogs.

 

[Babs]

Bracken fern (which we have an overabundance of) is very poisonous to livestock. You'll want to get it out of your pasture.

 

[summerthyme]

Bracken fern (which we have an overabundance of) is very poisonous to livestock. You'll want to get it out of your pasture.

This is true. Fortunately, it isn't at all palatable to most animals. The largest danger (and this is true of *almost all* of the stuff I wrote above, especially the plants that grow naturally) is when pastures are depleted and the ferns are one of the few growing things available.

For people with livestock, one of the most important things you can do is to walk pastures and drylots at least weekly. For the pastures, you want to make sure that what looks like adequate feed (ie: it looks green from a distance) actually is adequate safe food plants, not just a bunch of barely edible (or potentially toxic) weeds.

Some things animals just don't touch. Jimson Weed is a narcotic plant that pops up in barnyards and waste areas around here every summer. I used to worry about it, and pull plants when I found them. But I noticed that even if it's the only green thing in the lower barnyard, the cows (and horses) simply never go near the stuff. I still yank most of it, just to keep it from going to seed and taking over instead of useful forage crops, but I don't worry about it anymore.

I also forgot to mention our current bane... poison hemlock! Again, it's not a plant livestock will willingly eat, but it doesn't lose much toxicity when it's dry, and they can't really pick it out of hay or silage. If you see a patch of what looks like Queen Anne's Lace, or Wild Carrot, blooming in June (at least a month too early) be VERY careful... It's probably Poison Hemlock.

Also, watch out for Wild Parsnip, and its even more dangerous relative, Giant Hogweed. Both contain an acrid sap or Judi e that will blister and burn the skin, and the damaged areas will be *severely * sun sensitive for years afterward. Hogweed can actually cause third degree burns!

St Johnswort, a useful medicinal herb, us considered a noxious weed in the West, because consumption of it will cause sever sun sensitivity, in hairless areas, or areas which have white hair (and less skin pigment). Again, it's a plant animals won't graze much by choice, but if it's a predominant pasture plant in an area, they will eat it.

Water hemlock is another truly toxic plant. And Locoweed is a problem in the American West.

Moldy.. I didn't realize that about amaranth! Since our son raises pastures pigs, it's a good bit of knowledge to have! The woods pasture where we plan to put his pigs when they mo've back to our farm doesn't have any, but it's something to keep in mind if we wanted to use some hogs to clean up a garden plot before planting.

Summerthyme

 

[SusieSunshine]

Tiger lily seeds are toxic to dogs. They cause kidney failure.

 

[packyderms_wife]

Tiger lily seeds are toxic to dogs. They cause kidney failure.

The entire plant is toxic to cats, have another friend that brought some of them in the house, the cat ate part of a petal and she died the next morning.

 

[Old Gray Mare]

Inside the home Dumb cane (Dieffenbachia) is especially dangerous to children and cats. It closes up the air ways, hence the name: dumb cane.

Outside: Rhododendrons and azaleas are toxic for goats not sure about other live stock.

Grass seeds: Some grass seed screws it's self into the soil when it sprouts. That's fine if it is in soil but very bad if it has been inhaled by a goat or dog. It can kill a goat. This is why I soaked grain for 8 to 12 hours (over night worked) before giving it to my goats. A little molasses from the feed store to help it stick together doesn't seem to hurt either. Goats eat grain like pigs. It happens.

Mold will colic or kill a horse. That white dust on hay? Chances are good at least some or most of it's mold. If the hay is fresh and there is mold, white where the stems crimp, do not feed it. If the bale is hot inside don't feed it. If it is rotted or matted and with white or black mold, even if dry don't feed it. Do not leave it as mulch where horses can get at it even by accident. Had an old farmer tell me; "That little bitty, bit of mold won't hurt your horse! I feed it to my work horses all the time.". I had a really sick horse from the "little bitty, bit of mold". It survived but it was a long night.

Daffodils and iris are also toxic but I don't know of any animal that will willingly eat them.

Some varieties of maple leaves and bark are toxic to horses. I know of one beautiful Arabian stallion possibly lost to eating the bark. It was board and tied to the tree and started to strip the bark from the tree.

 

[summerthyme]

OGM... mold is just plain toxic to ANY species. Hubby is extremely sensitive to even traces of mold, the result of too much exposure to moldy silage in his younger years.

Our now-retired farm vet HATED silage of any kind with a passion. He'd seen so many sick and dying animals from badly made silage and baleage over the years, he automatically blamed it for problems until he could prove otherwise. Not only can it have mold problems, but it can cause fatal clostridial disease (caused by bacteria/toxins similar to botulism).

For those who don't know, "silage" is essentially pickled forage... usually chopped corn plants or hay. It's like making naturally fermented pickles... done properly and with careful attention to moisture levels, etc, it can be excellent feed. But if you get sloppy, or weather issues cause problems, it can be awfully toxic.

That same vet started seeing an awful lot of "persistent downer " cows... cows who would present the appearance of having milk fever (a calcium deficiency), but who didn't respond to IV calcium. He figured out it started when the big farms switched to bunker silos... where you dump the freshly cut material and then pack it wiyh heavy machinery before sealing it airtight with plastic.

It turned out that the animals were developing *botulism*! The tractor tires were contaminated with soil or manure, which got mixed into the layers of the silage. If the silage didn't "pickle" properly, and develop sufficient acidity to prevent the botulism from growing, the sealed pile acted like a giant, improperly processed canning jar!

He had a heck of a time convincing the farmers of that, though.

Another problem I'm seeing is horses developing heaves (sort of like emphysema) from being fed large round bales of hay. They eat the middle out of the bale, and end up spending a lot of time with their head stuck deep inside, breathing in whatever mold or dust is in the hay. Too often, I see people around here cutting corners and baling hay in round bales way too early (when it's still damp) ; because they're stored outside, they don't have to worry about burning the barn down from the heat the mold process puts out.

A neighbor last winter asked me to help him try to figure out what was wrong with one of his good milk cows... she was going off feed and breathing hard about 20 minutes after they started milking for several days. I was sure it was an allergic reaction to something, and since they were feeding silage, that seemed yo be the most likely culprit. But the silage looked good, and she didn't seem to react to it. We were completed puzzled, until a few days later when he told me he'd figured it out... his grain mix they were feeding had gotten damp somehow, and his sons, who were doing the feeding, hadn't bothered to tell him! Badly moldy... the only real shock was that only the one cow had reacted.

Oh...black walnut! If you use black walnut sawdust or shavings for bedding for hooved animals, they will founder and die!

Reading over this thread makes me wonder how we keep anything alive and healthy! It sure isn't as simple as it looks on the postcards!

Summerthyme

 

[packyderms_wife]

And never put moldy hay on your garden as a row crop, that white stuff is mycelium and it spreads like wildfire onto other plants causing your crops to develop blight.

 

[moldy]

I would love to plant a mimosa tree (great herbal medicine), but the pods it produces are fatal to cattle in very small amounts. It is also a plant that spreads like wildfire.... I do have a small island in the middle of a pond. Still thinking about it.

 

[packyderms_wife]

I would love to plant a mimosa tree (great herbal medicine), but the pods it produces are fatal to cattle in very small amounts. It is also a plant that spreads like wildfire.... I do have a small island in the middle of a pond. Still thinking about it.

I wouldn't do it, the pods are easily blown by wind.

 

[ShadowMan]

Oleander is poisonous to animals.

Every part of the Oleander plant is extremely POISONOUS to humans: Leaves, Stems, Flowers and Berries. Here in Southern California we called them the "Freeway Plant" because they were grown in the dividing zone between the two different directions of the freeways. They are very hardy once established, drought tolerant and grow very thick and tall. They were very common in that use before the "Jersey Barriers" came into common use, as a hedge of Oleander would stop all but the largest vehicle from breaking through to the other side of the freeway into head on traffic. It is often used as a decorative plant around buildings because of it's low maintenance requirement, dark green color and pretty flowers.

This is not a plant to have growing anywhere near children or animals that might eat or chew on it's leaves or flowers. A single leave is enough to kill a child.

Guide to Poisonous Plants:

Oleandrin and neriine are two very potent cardiac glycosides (cardenolides) found in all parts of the plant. Red flowered varieties of oleander appear to be more toxic. Oleander remains toxic when dry. A single leaf can be lethal to a child eating it, although mortality is generally very low in humans. The lethal dose of the green oleander leaves for cattle and horses has been found to be 0.005% of the animal's body weight. The minimum lethal dose of oleander for cattle was found to be 50mg/kg body weight. Horses given 40mg/kg body weight of green oleander leaves via nasogastric tube consistently developed severe gastrointestinal and cardiac toxicosis. Cardiac glycosides that act by inhibiting the cellular membrane sodium-potassium (Na+-K+ ATPase enzyme system) pump with resulting depletion of intracellular potassium and an increase in serum potassium. This results in progressive decrease in electrical conductivity through the heart causing irregular heart activity, and eventual complete block of cardiac activity, and death.


Cardiovascular system - Sudden death may be the presenting sign. Cardiac arrhythmias, rapid, weak pulse. Signs of shock including cold extremities, weakness, collapse, and death.

Respiratory System - Difficulty in breathing

Ocular System - Dilated pupils, impaired vision.

Diagnosis - Cardiac arrhythmias, increased serum potassium. Detection of cardiac glycosides in the serum, urine, tissues and stomach contents is possible using high performance liquid chromatography. Oleander glycosides will cross react with digoxin radioimmunoassays.

Special Notes - Livestock are usually poisoned when they are allowed to graze in places where oleander is abundant or when prunings are carelessly thrown into animal pens. Oleander should not be planted in or around livestock enclosures.

Personally I won't have this plant growing on any part of my property for any reason. It makes a nice dark EVERgreen hedge and looks pretty cool when in full bloom, but is just too deadly to have around where children and animals are. YMMV.

 

[packyderms_wife]

Every part of the Oleander plant is extremely POISONOUS to humans: Leaves, Stems, Flowers and Berries. Here in Southern California we called them the "Freeway Plant" because they were grown in the dividing zone between the two different directions of the freeways. They are very hardy once established, drought tolerant and grow very thick and tall. They were very common in that use before the "Jersey Barriers" came into common use, as a hedge of Oleander would stop all but the largest vehicle from breaking through to the other side of the freeway into head on traffic. It is often used as a decorative plant around buildings because of it's low maintenance requirement, dark green color and pretty flowers.

This is not a plant to have growing anywhere near children or animals that might eat or chew on it's leaves or flowers. A single leave is enough to kill a child.

Guide to Poisonous Plants:


Personally I won't have this plant growing on any part of my property for any reason. It makes a nice dark EVERgreen hedge and looks pretty cool when in full bloom, but is just too deadly to have around where children and animals are. YMMV.

So I'm assuming that the plant is just as toxic if set on fire, the smoke is deadly?

 

[DazedandConfused]

I would love to plant a mimosa tree (great herbal medicine), but the pods it produces are fatal to cattle in very small amounts. It is also a plant that spreads like wildfire.... I do have a small island in the middle of a pond. Still thinking about it.

I'd stay away . I have it on my property been trying to get rid of it for 26 years its worse now than when I first started.

 

[ShadowMan]

So I'm assuming that the plant is just as toxic if set on fire, the smoke is deadly?

Hmmmm don't know about that. Have never heard any issues regarding smoke from burning Oleander, although it would be difficult to burn if alive as it's very drought hardy and I've never seen one dry out and die. I suppose the dried clippings would eventually burn. Good question.

 

[packyderms_wife]

Hmmmm don't know about that. Have never heard any issues regarding smoke from burning Oleander, although it would be difficult to burn if alive as it's very drought hardy and I've never seen one dry out and die. I suppose the dried clippings would eventually burn. Good question.

I just wondered if it was possible since you said it grows in california and they have wild fires there.

 

[ShadowMan]

It's not a native plant....like so many that we have here they were imported at some point in time.

Oleander is native to the Mediterranean. It is grown as an ornamental plant in the warm regions of the world, including the southern section of the United States, as well as South America and Africa. It is valued for its speedy growth rate and showy blooms.

 

[RememberGoliad]

I haven't seen twinleaf senna mentioned. It's toxic to goats, sheep, and to a certain extent horses. Upside is, they won't eat it unless they're really stupid or desperate. Found a huge cluster of it in the garden area and another colony of it down in a corner of the pasture, still catching 2 years ago's reseeds. Stuff is hard to get shed of but needs to happen. Good thing it's in the bottom end of the pasture right against the fenceline, so any seeds wash off the property.

Can't get pics to upload. Will try again later.