It’s Monday morning and time to learn about another plant that has it in for your horse. Today we’ll take a closer look at a commonly found plant that doesn’t look very tasty, the Cyad.
A Little About the Cyad
Cycas revoluta is the Cyad, also called Sago Cycas & Sago Palm. This is an evergreen palm type tree with glossy green leaves, divided into small leaflets. Pollen grows in an erect cone with large, meaty, yellow or tan seeds.
How Dangerous Is It?
These trees are often used in ornamental planting and landscaping so horses exposure to them will be limited, they aren’t very palatable anyway. However they are very toxic so it’s important to catalog them as a plant to avoid when riding.
All parts of this plant are toxic (with highest concentration in the seeds) and can be fatal to equines.
What To Look For
You know your animal the best, so you should know when something is amiss. Cyad toxicity symptoms occur within one or two days of ingestion and can include gastrointestinal upset, diarrhea, loss of coordination, liver failure and seizures.
Learn More
Be sure to check out the Cyad 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.