Barn terminal
Can horses eat it?
Foods and plants, checked against veterinary guidance. Press / to search.
If your horse has eaten something toxic, call your vet or a poison line straight away. In the US, ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435. Charges may apply.
Safe: fine as an occasional treat, prepared as described. Careful: fine in a small amount, prepared as described, and not for every pet; the details say when to skip it. Toxic: do not give it; if they ate it, call your vet or a poison line. 65 foods and plants.
| Food or plant | horses |
|---|---|
| Avocado No. Fruit, pit, leaves and bark all contain persin. | Toxic |
| Black walnut shavings Never as bedding. Laminitis within hours of standing on it. | Toxic |
| Bracken fern No. Destroys vitamin B1 over weeks. | Toxic |
| Cattle feed with ionophores (monensin, Rumensin) Never. A single meal of medicated cattle feed can kill a horse. | Toxic |
| Chocolate No. Theobromine affects the heart, and it tests positive in competition horses. | Toxic |
| Cocoa bean mulch No. Theobromine, and it smells like chocolate. | Toxic |
| Coffee and energy drinks No. Stimulant, and a banned substance in competition. | Toxic |
| Foxglove Never. Acts on the heart; dried in hay it is still deadly. | Toxic |
| Hoary alyssum No. Common in hay in the upper Midwest; swollen legs and fever. | Toxic |
| Horsetail (Equisetum) No. Destroys vitamin B1 like bracken. | Toxic |
| Johnsongrass and sorghum No fresh, careful as hay. Cyanide after frost, drought or trampling; nerve damage with long grazing. | Toxic |
| Lily of the valley Never. Heart toxin in every part. | Toxic |
| Locoweed No. Permanent brain damage with repeated grazing. | Toxic |
| Meat No. Horses are herbivores. | Toxic |
| Milk and dairy No. Adult horses cannot digest lactose. | Toxic |
| Milkweed No. Mostly a hay problem; heart and nerve toxins. | Toxic |
| Moldy corn (fumonisin) Never. Causes a fatal brain disease. | Toxic |
| Moldy hay and silage No. Botulism, colic and lung disease. | Toxic |
| Nightshade No. Berries and leaves affect the gut and nerves. | Toxic |
| Oak leaves and acorns Careful. Large amounts of acorns or spring buds damage the kidneys and gut. | Toxic |
| Oleander Never. A few leaves can be fatal. | Toxic |
| Persimmon seeds No. Seeds and skins form stomach blockages (phytobezoars). | Toxic |
| Pet food (dog or cat kibble) No. Meat-based and sometimes medicated; not for a horse. | Toxic |
| Poison hemlock Never. Looks like wild carrot; kills by paralysis. | Toxic |
| Ragwort and groundsel (Senecio) Never. Slow liver damage that shows months later. | Toxic |
| Red maple leaves Never. Wilted or fallen red maple leaves destroy red blood cells. | Toxic |
| Rhododendron, azalea and mountain laurel Never. A few leaves cause colic and heart trouble. | Toxic |
| Rhubarb leaves No. Oxalates that damage the kidneys. | Toxic |
| Tansy ragwort Never. The same slow liver poison as other ragworts. | Toxic |
| Tobacco and cigarette butts No. Nicotine is a nerve poison. | Toxic |
| Tomato and potato plants (and green potatoes) No. Nightshade family; the plants and green or sprouting tubers are toxic. | Toxic |
| Water hemlock Never. The most toxic plant in North America. | Toxic |
| White snakeroot No. Shaded woodland edges in the eastern US; muscle and heart damage. | Toxic |
| Wild cherry, chokecherry and plum leaves Never when wilted. Cyanide from damaged or fallen leaves. | Toxic |
| Yew (Taxus) Never. A mouthful can stop the heart within hours. | Toxic |