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 Christmas Rose.
A Little About the Christmas Rose
Helleborus niger is the Christmas Rose, this is an evergreen perennial with dark green, shiny leaflets, white or pink flowers and green, pointed seed pods.
How Dangerous Is It?
Often used as a decorative planting and not very palatable, this rose isn’t a real concern except during drought conditions. However, its extreme toxicity and overall nasty disposition make it a plant horses should be kept well away from. This rose contains potentially deadly toxic principles.
All parts of the Christmas Rose are toxic and can be fatal to equines.
What To Look For
You know your animal the best, so you should know when something is amiss. Christmas Rose toxicity symptoms can include gastrointestinal upset, excessive drooling, irritation of the mouth or throat, diarrhea, weakness, respiratory difficulty and convulsions.
Learn More
Be sure to check out the Christmas Rose 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.