Frequently (and not so frequently) Asked Questions
BRIEF: Could pine needles poison my goat?
QUESTION:
My 4 yr old Nubian doe recently went to New Bolton Center in PA for suspected
plant poisoning. We have Ponderosa pine in the pasture, and I've noticed small
tufts of the needles growing from the trunks of the trees. Would
something like this be enough to poison
her?
I have two other goats, and they're fine. This particular goat had spit up
green "forage" of some sort, was grinding her teeth, and was blowing bubbles from
a runny nose. She was unsteady on her feet, and not at all interested
in eating or drinking. No other vets had the time to come see her, so I
hauled her to New Bolton Center. There are mountain laurel OUTSIDE the pasture,
but none IN it. I don't think she could get at any of them. Her signs are the
same as those for rhododendron poisoning, but I wonder if the Ponderosa pine
would do the same?
ANSWER:
You don't tell how much (ounces. pounds, tons) pine foliage is in the pasture or
how much was spit up or what was in the rumen contents New Bolton removed. I
can't tell sitting here, but I wouldn't think eating a few pine needles would be
any big deal. Dring later pregnancy, a healthy dose of pine needles can cause
estrogen to rise and the uterus may become so contractile as a result that
abortion
occurs.
Rhododendron, laurel, azelea all have similar poisons and symptoms. Could be they
ate some of these you don't know about...(After all there may be a reason you see
laurel outside but not inside the pasture...if they ate what was
inside)
With the dry year, there has been a lot of buttercup coming in, and that can
really cause some serious GI problems. Just speculation.