It’s Monday morning and time for yet another lesson on plants your horse can’t eat. Today we’ll take a closer look at one of my personal favorites, the snowy and beautiful Chrysanthemum.
A Little About the Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum also commonly called Mum, is a perennial with literally hundreds of varieties. Generally grows lobed and toothed leaves and large headed flowers with peripheral petals in a variety of shapes and an endless supply of colors.
How Dangerous Is It?
These colorful flowers aren’t likely to be anyplace horses spend unsupervised time, and they are highly unpalatable. However it’s good to know horses shouldn’t eat them because they are so incredibly common. Chrysanthemum sap contains Alantolactone which can irritate skin on contact.
The leaves, stalks and flowers of Chrysanthemums are toxic to equines.
What To Look For
You know your animal the best, so you should know when something is amiss. Chrysanthemum toxicity symptoms can include irritation like redness, swelling or blisters anywhere the sap comes into contact with the skin.
Learn More
Be sure to check out the Chrysanthemum page to learn more about the plant and while you are at it why not check out more toxic plants?
*It should be noted that I’m not a veterinarian. This information is written specifically for horses and should be used for reference purposes only. If you think your horse has eaten something toxic call your vet right away.