I got a call today to come identify a maple tree to assist a vetranarian who was treating a dying horse. I had heard that "Red Maples" were toxic to horses but did not truly believe it. After identifying the Acer ruburm I now fully believe that "Rubrum's" are toxic. Research has now educated me to the fact that just three pounds of fall leaves can kill a large horse and just six pounds is sure death. "Rubrums" apparently don't affect any other animal than horses but horses I can attest they do. But please remember that 'Rubrums' are just one of the many maple species and have nothing to do with Japanese maples.
Maple toxicity I forgot to ask in my A.rubrum alert if anyone is aware of any other maples - species or cultivars - being toxic to humans or animals? Be it bark, leaves - fresh or dried -, seeds and or flowers.
I just had a horse die of kidney failure. We supsect it was due to some toxin he ate. We have no red maple, but do have sugar maples and a Canadian maple. Any information would be appreciated. sarchibald@yahoo.com Thanks
I can't find any info in my poisonous plant books, they only list for humans, but, I did find a resource for a reference book: " A Guide to Plants Poisenous to Horses - K. Allison, C. Day - $14.95 This book lists 50 plants commonly regarded as poisonous and gives an illustration and profile of each. " available at Horse Council of BC, http://www.horsecouncilbcsite.com/manuals-membership-merchandise/store/bookstore-01-mainpage.html
toxic maples most red maples and the silver maples are toxic to horses, I have horses and that is what my toxic plant books say.
I'm not sure if you're from British Columbia or not, but did you catch this bit of news: Rare tropical fungus kills BC horse (link is probably only good for a week)
I found this when researching butcher block tables, which I would like to build for my kitchen: "When making a tabletop that will come into contact with food -- such as this butcher-block -- be sure that the woods you use for the top surface are food-safe. One wood to avoid, for example, is spalted maple. The spalting is caused by a fungus that can be toxic." So is spalted maple a type of wood, or is it a condition (spalting) that can affect any type of maple. I don't know, but I guess it's something to look out for. sluggo
Response to acer rubrum toxicity I am a fourth year vet student at Upenn. Today in rounds, we discussed an article published in the most recent JAVMA magazine. This was a case example of two camelids (alpacas) who were fed acer rubrum and developed toxicoses as seen in horses. Why true ruminants are not affected but Camelids are is unknown.
Hi Drdoolittle76: You may want to look at this sometime. I'll check in a few days and see if there is some updated information on the toxic compound. http://personal.ashland.edu/~jweiden/isce3.htm Jim
A quick note: < The most obvious result of this poisoning is a type of methemoglobinemia known as Heinz-Ehrlich body anemia. > Essentially what this means above is a fast acting blood disorder which can lead to renal (kidney) and/or hepatic (liver) failure. My best friend is a DVM so I'll talk to him about it when I see him in a few days. Jim
poisoning I called a Vet. to take a look at one of my horses who was down , and it only took him a few min. to decide he was poisoned. We looked the pasture over and found he had cleaned up the maple leaves all around the maples. He had hay in his feeder but out of bordome he was eating the maple leaves. They were not red maple but it killed him anyways. The second horse in the field got sick as well but we anti toxined him and he did pull out of it......Lloyd York Lake City Mn.
I can't believe that such a thing as leaves can do so much damage to a horse!!:(! Is there any other leaves besides Red Maple that can harm a horse? I am very very worried now! I think i am gonna go check and make sure my horses are ok right away. Yoni from horsesring.com
Oleander and yew are also highly toxic to horses. You won't have oleander in NY (it is subtropical), but do look out for planted yews. Otherwise, there are a number of other plants, including some weeds such as ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) that can poison horses. Best to ask your horse vet for recommendations on information, there is plenty available, both books and on-line. Any good horse care book should have a chapter on recognising poisonous plants.
thank you for your help Michael F. it has really put my mind at ease. but i will not even be thinking red or maple thoughts around the horses.
a surprising number of common plants are poisonous. I did a quick search and found some interesting websites. Acer rubrum is toxic to horses. http://cal.vet.upenn.edu/projects/poison/plants/ppredma.htm This vetrinarian website lists many other plants poisonous to animals.
Re: Horse Death Alert {the tree's defense will now reply} Being brought up on a farm w/ horses you soon learn that they chew on any and everything. Put out some hay that has a bit of mold on it and you have a dead one. Use the wrong saw dust to bed them down, and this could cause a fatality or you will be paying a vet to move in with you.( I am not saying the wood is poison, it is the splinters they can pickup, namely walnut) We had to be so carefully it was ridiculous. We didn't use pressure teated wood, hemlock or anything that was vaguely poisonous, for fencing, stalls, gates what have you, for fear they would eat it. Our pasture where clean of noxious weeds and the fences were equally clean and when painted it was with non toxic interior paint. We kept the horses far away our Black walnut trees as they are toxic too, have you ever seen anything grow under a walnut tree, no I didn't think so? Most tree leaves will have mild toxins in them. These toxins are the trees best defense from being over crowded. When the leaves drop in the fall, the all powerful leaf will release a host of chemicals in a attempt to stymie seeds from sprout near it, crowding it out, or steal its resources. Some trees have stronger toxins then other, the black walnut has very strong ones, so does an oak, a sugar maple doesn't, a red maples apparently does. We didn't have trees in our pastures for horses, because they probably would just eat the bark off anyways. We did have trees for the cows though, I think they were a bit smarter, but it was hell riding them. I like riding tractors, you ride the horses and call the vet or your doctor after being kicked in the ribs for the umpteen time. My neighbor was killed buy one, she was 32, she was with her children, she didn't ride it often enough so he clipped her with a low hanging limb. I have seen little girls thrown threw the heavy rails of the riding rink, and on and on it goes. You have to ride it everyday or you should not have one.
