Our horses ingested milkweed!?

Question

We found some milkweed in the hay our horses were eating. They probably ingested some before we picked it up. I looked it up and it is highly toxic to horses. Is there anything we can do or just wait and see if they show any signs or call the vet rihgt now?

And please keep in mind they only ingested a ver tiny amount, if any cause we saw it about 5 minutes after we put down hay

Answer 1

I'm a retired veterinarian and have seen many horses that ingested a small amount of milkweed and were fine. Milkweed is the US version of oleander- mostly grown freely in Europe and Australia.
Most horse's that ingest either Oleander or Milkweed in small amounts may display grogginess and depletion of activity for 24-48 hours.
If your horse ate a good bit of milkweed I would call your vet. Most signs of toxicity are similar to colic. So watch for your horse nipping at his belly, sweating with little or no movement, laying and then getting back up, or laying and rolling.Your horse may also start to get hives- watch for them on their neck as this is where they are likely to start first. Hives is a good sign of respritory failure which is common in horses who ingest toxic material.
I hope your equines are alright and god bless.

Answer 2

I would call the vet right away, and ask them what they recommend you do. Here's the official information I found on milkweed, apparently it is toxic even when it's dried in hay. Better safe then sorry!!



Milkweed poisoning results from the cardiotoxic effects of the glycosides that act like digitalis glycosides. Milkweeds are most toxic during rapid growth, and retain their toxicity even when dried in hay. Toxicity varies with the species and growing conditions, however all milkweeds should be considered potentially poisonous, especially the narrow-leafed species such as the whorled milkweed (Asclepias subverticillata). The highest concentration of glycosides occurs in the latex, with the lowest concentrations in the roots. Fatal poisoning of an adult horse may occur with the ingestion of as little as 2 lbs. of green milkweed plant material.

Signs of poisoning usually begin within 8-10 hours of milkweeds being eaten. The severity of symptoms being dependent on the quantity of plant consumed. In acute milkweed poisoning the animal may be found dead without any prior symptoms. A variety of cardiac arrhythmias may be present prior to death. Poisoned horses, once recumbent, exhibit periods of tetany and chewing movements. There are no specific post mortem signs in animals poisoned by milkweeds but congestion of the lungs, stomach, and intestines, with hemorrhages present on the surfaces of the lungs, kidneys, and heart are commonly found.

Answer 3

Between :) :) and Silverspur, there isn't anything else left to say. But I will make sure it is in the Natural Poisons to Horses book that ASPCA sells. I don't remember seeing Milkweed in there, but I will double check to make sure.

Answer 4

Milkweed is the host plant of Monarch butterflies. They have a hard time surviving in some areas because their host plant is a weed and has cardiatic (heart attack) poisons (that the butterflies use to keep birds from eating them). That's why the plants get irradicated in many farms.

The feed needs to be safe for your horses. Can you see if migrating butterflies can still be attracted to your area without endangering your horses?

Answer 5

if it were my horse i would call the vet...milkweed is toxic to horses...how did it get in the hay in the first place...you may also want to contact your hay supplier.

Answer 6

2

Answer 7

1

Answer 8

It hasn't hurt any of our horses yet. It probably tastes too nasty for them to want to eat enough to cause problems. But the dried stuff probably doesn't taste as strongly and might cause problems.

Answer 9

See this website:
http://www.vet.purdue.edu/depts/addl/toxic/plant26.htm