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Toxic Plants

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Toxic Plants. Straight From the Horse's Mouth. Dr. Andi Foster. Loomis Basin Equine Medical Center ... White, pink or red. Leaves. Whorled, narrow, sharply ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Toxic Plants


1
Toxic Plants
  • Straight From the Horses Mouth

Dr. Andi Foster Loomis Basin Equine Medical
Center 2009 Miniature Horse Symposium
2
What is a toxic plant?
  • A plant that when touched or ingested in
    sufficient quantity can be harmful or fatal to an
    organism

3
Why are plants toxic?
  • Self defense mechanism
  • Chemical toxins
  • Mechanical toxins

4
How to tell if a plant is toxic
  • Do not attempt the wait and see approach
  • When in doubt
  • Call your veterinarian
  • Visit your local nursery
  • Be well informed - use references

5
Where are toxic plants found?
  • Dry, arid environments
  • Moist, wooded areas
  • Hay
  • Your own backyard

6
Common toxic plants that your horse may encounter
  • Oleander
  • Yellow Star Thistle
  • Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids

7
Oleander Poisoning
8
General Facts
  • Perennial evergreen shrub
  • Extensively used in landscaping
  • Highways, cityscapes, back yards
  • Extremely drought tolerant

9
Description
  • Flowers
  • Five or more petals
  • White, pink or red
  • Leaves
  • Whorled, narrow, sharply pointed
  • 3-6 long

10
Distribution
http//plants.usda.gov/
11
Toxic Components
  • Leaves
  • Flowers
  • Stems
  • Toxic fresh or dried
  • Red flowering plants more toxic

12
Toxins
  • Multiple chemicals that are highly toxic to
  • Heart
  • GI tract
  • Kidney

13
Toxic Dose
  • 0.005 of body weight
  • 0.2 oz leaves
  • In other words

Just a few leaves can be FATAL!
14
Mode of Ingestion
  • Leaves mixed into lawn clippings or hay
  • Horses usually do not like the taste

15
Cardiovascular Signs
  • Abnormal heart rate
  • Rhythm abnormalities
  • Collapse
  • Sudden death
  • often the 1st sign

16
Gastrointestinal Signs
  • Colic
  • Profuse watery diarrhea
  • Bloody diarrhea
  • Inappetence

17
What do you do?
  • Call your veterinarian immediately
  • Determine how many leaves ingested
  • Show the plant to your veterinarian for proper
    identification

18
Veterinary Care
  • Field Management
  • Thorough physical/cardiac exam
  • Thorough stomach lavage
  • Activated charcoal
  • Laxatives
  • IV fluids

19
Veterinary Care
  • Hospital management
  • ECG exam
  • Cardiac drugs
  • IV fluids
  • Intensive supportive care

20
Prognosis
  • Based on amount ingested
  • Mild cases can recover
  • Poor when multiple leaves are ingested

21
Prevention
  • Be extra careful with miniature horses!
  • Eliminate access
  • Be cautious of lawn clippings, hay and
    neighboring plants

22
Yellow Star Thistle Poisoning
23
Description
  • Invasive weed found in dry areas
  • Non-irrigated pastures
  • Flowers
  • Yellow and disc shaped
  • Base surrounded by thick spines

24
Distribution
http//plants.usda.gov/
25
Toxic Components
  • Leaves
  • Flowers
  • Stems
  • Toxic fresh or dried

26
Toxins
  • Multiple chemicals that damage the brain
  • Cause severe irreversible damage

27
Toxic Dose
  • 59-200 body weight
  • 150-500 pounds
  • Large quantities consumed over several months

28
Clinical Signs
  • Sudden in nature
  • Difficulty eating/drinking
  • Weakness
  • Weight loss
  • Usually die from starvation and dehydration

29
Veterinary Care
  • No known treatment
  • Nutritional support
  • Good nursing care
  • Usually fatal

30
Management/Prevention
  • Eliminate plant from property
  • Always have other edible feed available

31
Prognosis
  • Good
  • If clinical signs are NOT present
  • If further access is stopped
  • Poor
  • Once clinical signs present

32
Pyrrolidizine Alkaloid Poisoning
33
What are Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids?
  • Chemicals found in certain plants
  • Severe liver damage
  • Indirect skin problems
  • Consumed over long periods

34
PA Containing Plants
  • Fiddleneck

Common Goundsel
  • Tansy Ragwart

35
Fiddleneck (Amsinckia intermedia)
36
Distribution
37
Common Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris)
38
Distribution
http//plants.usda.gov/
39
Common Groundsel vs Sow Thistle
40
Contaminated Hay?
41
Tansy Ragwart (Senecio jacobea)
42
Distribution
http//plants.usda.gov/
43
Toxic Components of PAs
  • Flowers
  • Seeds
  • Leaves
  • Stems
  • Toxic fresh or dried

44
Toxic Dose
  • 5 body weight
  • 12 pounds of plant
  • Consumed over several weeks months
  • Larger amounts can cause immediate liver damage

45
Early Signs of Liver Failure
  • Weight loss
  • Lethargy
  • Poor appetite
  • Jaundice
  • Dark colored urine

46
Later Signs of Liver Failure
  • Behavioral changes
  • Incoordination
  • Blindness
  • Pacing
  • Head pressing
  • Convulsions

47
Signs of Skin Photosensitization
  • Dermatitis
  • Skin sloughing over WHITE haired areas
  • Lesions vary with severity of liver damage

48
Diagnosis of liver disease
  • Evaluation of clinical signs
  • Evidence of exposure to PA
  • Blood work
  • Liver biopsy

49
Treatment of PA-Induced Liver Disease
  • Eliminate plant immediately
  • Hospitalization
  • Supportive care
  • No specific treatment

50
Prognosis
  • Good
  • If only mild liver damage is present
  • Poor
  • If severe liver damage and scarring
  • Behavior changes present
  • Best indicator of recovery is return of appetite

51
Moral of the Story
  • An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!
  • Be vigilant and well informed
  • Remove suspicious plants from property
  • Always provide good quality feed

52
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