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1. Poisonous Pastures By: John E. Woodmansee
Extension Educator
Agriculture/Natural Resources
Purdue Extension – Grant County
Reviewed by Glenn Nice, Extension weed scientist
Purdue University
3. Introduction Your veterinarian will be the person to check with for symptoms/treatments/cures
Some sources of information you find on this subject may contradict each other
We’ll discuss most common plants as referenced in Purdue Extension publication WS-9, “Indiana Plants Poisonous to Livestock and Pets” – supported by many references/research
4. Source: Purdue Extension publication WS-9, Indiana Plants Poisonous to Livestock and Pets
5. Introduction In Indiana, poisonous plants far outnumber poisonings
Animals generally prefer other plants to poisonous plants – may only eat poisonous plants when nothing else is available
Poisonings most common in early spring, second most common in winter
6. You suspect a poisoning Eliminate all other possibilities
Positively identify suspected plant
Match symptoms to those reported for plant
7. Prevention is the key! No antidotes for many of the poisons in plants
Know the poisonous plants in your pasture and control or keep animals away with fencing
Supply good forage or feed
Avoid overgrazing
8. If an animal appears poisoned… Avoid disturbing animal as much as possible
Contact your veterinarian
If practical or advised: move animal(s) to fresh pasture or give fresh feed/water
9. Animals react differently Individual animals within a species may react differently
Different types of animals react differently (e.g. cattle may be killed, but swine fine)
10. Possible Symptoms Birth defects
Bleeding
Blood clots in stools
Blue coloration
Breathing difficulties
Death (sudden)
Diarrhea
Drooling
Dullness, depression
Excitedness, unusual behavior Gangrene
Heart or pulse problems
Jaundice
Nausea
Prostration
Rash, sunburn
Staggering, incoordination
Stomach upset, colic
Throat irritations
Trembles, convulsions
11. WS-9: Plants that cause physical injury (skin, eye, mouth, stomach, or hair-ball problems – mechanical injury to animals) Foxtail barley
Common burdock
12. WS-9: House/Garden plants that poison Aroids (Jack-in-the-pulpit, philodenron, etc.)
Bulb-bearing plants (lily-of-the-valley, amaryllis, hyacinth, iris, daffodil, etc.)
English ivy
Lupine, wild and cultivated (bluebonnet, Quaker-bonnets)
Catnip
Christmas plant (poinsettia)
Rhubarb
Azalea, rhododendron
Castorbean
Common tansey
13. WS-9: Forage and crop plants that poison Cultivated oats (nitrate poisoning)
Ergot (a fungus parasite on heads of grasses)
Tall fescue (varieties infected by Acremonium endophytic fungus – a “mold”)
Sweetclover, yellow and white
Tobacco
Alsike clover
14. WS-9: Woodland plants that poison Jack-in-the-pulpit (Indian turnip)
Larkspur, dwarf and cultivated
Dutchman’s breeches, squirrelcorn (staggerweed, bleeding heart)
White snakeroot (white sanicle, richweed)
Brackenfern (brake fern)
Groundsel (butterweed, ragwort)
Green falsehellebore (white hellebore, Indian poke)
15. WS-9: Marsh and streambank plants that poison Milkweeds
Spotted waterhemlock (waterhemlock, spotted cowbane)
Poison-hemlock
Field horsetail, scouringrush
Buttercups
Nettle, stinging and wood
Common cocklebur
16. WS-9: Plants of fields, roadsides, and open areas that poison Redroot pigweed
Mustard family (wild mustard, pennycress, peppergrass, etc.)
Hemp (marijuana)
Jimsonweed (thornapple)
Spurges (prostrate spurge, cypress spurge, etc.)
Common St. Johnswort (klamath weed)
Star-of-Bethlehem (snowdrop, nap-at-noon)
Common Pokeweed (pokeberry, pokeroot, inkberry, poke)
Bouncingbet (soapwort)
Nightshades (eastern black nightshade, Carolina horsenettle, bull nettle, bitter nightshade, climbing bittersweet)
Johnsongrass
17. WS-9: Trees and shrubs that poison Ohio buckeye
Black walnut
Wild black cherry
Red oak
Black locust
Yew, English and Japanese
18. WS-9: Most common toxic plants in Indiana Alsike clover
Bitter nightshade
Black nightshade
Common cocklebur
Dutchman’s breeches
Dwarf larkspur
Groundsel
Johnsongrass
Poison-hemlock
Redroot pigweed
Field horsenettle, Scouringrush
Spotted waterhemlock
Sweetclover
White snakeroot
Wild black cherry
Yew
19. Alsike Clover
20. Bitter nightshade (also called bittersweet nightshade, climbing nightshade)
21. Black nightshade
22. Common cocklebur
23. Dutchman’s Breeches
24. Dwarf larkspur
25. Groundsel (Senecio spp.)(also called Cress-leaved groundsel, Butterweed, Ragwort)
26. Johnsongrass
27. Poison-hemlock
28. Redroot pigweed
29. Field Horsetail, Scouringrush
30. Spotted waterhemlock
31. Sweetclover
32. White snakeroot
33. Wild black cherry
34. Yew(also called English or Japanese Yew, Taxus spp.)