ragwort

[petmar]

Could any body tell me, how much ragwort a pony/horse would have to eat before it would effect him/her. let me now when/ if you have an answer! many thanks

[jules77]

not sure how much they have to eat before it is dangerous, suppose any of it is too much - Ragwort destroys liver cells causing permanent damage and eventually death. A friend had some in her field, and her horse ate some before she knew it was there, and the vet told her it would take seven years to cause damage - and true to his word, it had to be put to sleep seven years later due to liver damage.

[kwicky]

Not very much it seems and affects the liver

http://www.ilph.org/advice/ragwort.asp

[lankeela]

The problem is it builds up and stays in the system, it is not a case of them passing it out and being ok. We fed some hay that had been cut from a field (we did not know at the time). We asked the vet for his opinion, and he said he would get it tested, but it would be ok to feed. He then rang with the results and said do not feed it under any circumstances. We had to destroy the whole load and the horses had to have Vitamin B injections. Fortunately they were both fat old plodders who had a lot of excess body to soak it up and they didn't come to any harm (it helped that we stopped feeding the hay as soon as we became suspicious without waiting for the vets confirmation). Both lived to a ripe old age (mine was 34).

[lankeela]

Meant to say, they would not eat it whilst still growing, they will however eat it dry if left cut in the field or in the hay.

[horsestache1]

Ragwort should not be allowed to grow and indeed a land owner can be ptosecuted for not controling the growth. Dig it up as soon as you see it when it is in the rosette stage, long before it flowers.

A relativley small amount can be very dangerous.