Oak Tree – Toxic Plant of the Week

Oak Tree

Welcome to a new edition of the a-z of plants that hate your horse. Today’s plant is one everyone probably knows & you wouldn’t think it could be possible. But it’s true, Oak Trees are bad for your horse & should be kept from grazing areas.

A Little About Oak Trees

Quercus species includes Red Oak & White Oak. Both deciduous & evergreen trees with lobed or serrated leaves arranged in spirals. Flowers are catkins & the fruit is an acorn nut.

How Dangerous Is It?

The whole tree isn’t a problem, but the little acorns are. Horses won’t generally eat acorns, however should they begin they often develop a taste for them & will actively search them out, even when better forage is available. Oak trees contains tannic acid, which is poisonous to horses

The leaves & acorns of this plant are toxic & can be fatal to equines.

Oak Tree

What To Look For

You know your animal the best, so you should know when something is amiss. Oak Tree toxicity symptoms include abdominal pain, constipation, bloody diarrhea, depression, frequent or discolored urine & jaundice.

Learn More

Be sure to check out the Oak Tree page to learn more about the plant & while you are at it why not check out more toxic plants?

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*It should be noted that we’re not veterinarians. This information is written specifically for horses & should be used for reference purposes only. If you think your horse has eaten something toxic call your vet right away.