It’s Monday morning again and here is something to take your mind off of work. It’s time to learn about another plant horses can’t eat and take a look at a seemingly innocent & incredibly common offender, Chickweed.
A Little About Chickweed
Stellaria is Chickweed, also commonly called Star Chickweed and Mouse-ear Chickweed. This is an annual herb with a finely haired stem with small, pointed leaves and tiny white five petaled flowers.
How Dangerous Is It?
This isn’t a highly toxic plant and large quantities must be consumed to create problems. However it’s absolutely widespread and highly common in grass areas so it’s important to keep it under control. It’s best to keep animals away from it whenever possible as it’s not particularly unpalatable.
All parts of Chickweed are (mildly) toxic to equines.
What To Look For
You know your animal the best, so you should know when something is amiss. Chickweed toxicity symptoms are not very well documented – however toxicity is very rare as it takes such large quantities for it to occur.
Learn More
Be sure to check out the Chickweed 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.