Frequently (and not so frequently) Asked Questions
BRIEF: Do you know of a list that compares the plant toxicity in horses and ruminants?
QUESTION:
Do you know of a list anywhere that compares and contrasts which plants are
toxic to horses but not ruminants and vice versa??
ANSWER:
Well, alsike clover, yellow star thistle, russian knapweed and red maple are
equicides that don't hurt cattle that we know of.
And ruminants are more likely to form 3methyl indole from high protein lush
pastures and suffer the grunts (acute bovine pulmonary emphysema) than horses.
In the lab, if you pour 3MI into a horse, it will get respiratory symptoms, but
without a rumen, there is no practical way for horses to get this nutritional
disease in the real world. 3MI also gives cat feces that special aroma it has,
but that is anopther story...