Horse Owners Field Guide to Toxic Plants

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Summary: horse owners field guide to toxic plants
Review: Extremely informative. Every horse owner should buy a copy.

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Summary: A must have for horse owners who pasture their horses
Review: In the author's preface, she describes the reason that she wrote the book, the loss of a treasured friend. Recently (10/02), the nightmare was repeated with a friend of mine and her 18 month-old filly. The case appeared to be a simple case of colic, and the vet treated her accordingly. By the time we realized that the treatment wasn't working, I grabbed my copy of this book and we poured over the description of the symptoms. After matching the symptoms to the possible plant species that cause them, we began a systematic search of the pasture. It turned out that the filly had been poisoned by a common plant under uncommon conditions. Her symptoms were described in detail in the book, along with the treatment. Unfortunately, for us, the treatment came too late to save her.

The true strength of this book is the description of the symptoms and the treatments for the various plant toxins. The pictures and the descriptions of the plants are a starting point, but they will not make the reader an expert in plant taxonomy. They act more as a warning flag to encourage the reader to research similar looking plants in their pasture with a more detailed reference.

I am so convinced that this book is valuable, that I ordered 10 more copies that I plan to give away. I will give them to all of the 4-H horse leaders in the county plus the 4 vets who work with our young horse owners and their parents. Maybe we can, through education, give the caregivers the tools that they need to save a life. We owe them at least that.

Rating:
Summary: A must have for horse owners who pasture their horses
Review: In the author's preface, she describes the reason that she wrote the book, the loss of a treasured friend. Recently (10/02), the nightmare was repeated with a friend of mine and her 18 month-old filly. The case appeared to be a simple case of colic, and the vet treated her accordingly. By the time we realized that the treatment wasn't working, I grabbed my copy of this book and we poured over the description of the symptoms. After matching the symptoms to the possible plant species that cause them, we began a systematic search of the pasture. It turned out that the filly had been poisoned by a common plant under uncommon conditions. Her symptoms were described in detail in the book, along with the treatment. Unfortunately, for us, the treatment came too late to save her.

The true strength of this book is the description of the symptoms and the treatments for the various plant toxins. The pictures and the descriptions of the plants are a starting point, but they will not make the reader an expert in plant taxonomy. They act more as a warning flag to encourage the reader to research similar looking plants in their pasture with a more detailed reference.

I am so convinced that this book is valuable, that I ordered 10 more copies that I plan to give away. I will give them to all of the 4-H horse leaders in the county plus the 4 vets who work with our young horse owners and their parents. Maybe we can, through education, give the caregivers the tools that they need to save a life. We owe them at least that.

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Summary: incorrect information
Review: The idea for a handy guide of toxic plants specific to horse owners is great, however I found some of the information to be incorrect. Photographs are on one page with the description of the flower on the adjoining page. In one instance a yellow flower photo is described on the following page as producing flowers that are pink to white. I would not rely on this book to identify possible toxic plants.

Rating:
Summary: incorrect information
Review: The idea for a handy guide of toxic plants specific to horse owners is great, however I found some of the information to be incorrect. Photographs are on one page with the description of the flower on the adjoining page. In one instance a yellow flower photo is described on the following page as producing flowers that are pink to white. I would not rely on this book to identify possible toxic plants.

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Summary: Valuable but alarmist
Review: This book is very valuable as a reference to a horse owner. The pictures are good, and each entry contains a description of possible symptoms and treatments (which I assume are correct). As a diagnostic, this book seems very useful and something you should have around.

However, as a new pasture owner, I found it incredibly alarmist. So much so that I almost :-) wanted to take my horses back to the boarding stable so I could stop worrying my pretty head about plants. Ha!

Practically every plant that has ever been known to harm a horse is listed, which means that the book is overwhelming. Some of the toxicities are mild and very uncommon, but the text is thick enough that it is difficult to determine whether the plant is likely to be dangerous without close reading. Clover is listed next to locoweed. In some cases, the plant listed is not itself toxic, but it tends to attract toxic fungi, as in the case of fescue. However, when reading the entries, they all have scary-sounding symptoms. It is difficult to ascertain under even a close reading whether the plant in question is really dangerous. There's a difference in my mind between "a nibble will be a life-or-death situation" and "symptoms will disappear if you remove the plant from the diet," and that difference is not readily apparent in the listings.

This book would be much improved if plants that were especially dangerous - plants that are acutely toxic in minute quantities and plants that are especially likely to be eaten in toxic quantities - were more obviously called out. I would love to have a quick icon at the top that tells me "Deadly - remove from pasture using any means necessary" or "Potential Problem" or "Not Likely to cause serious problems." This triage would allow me as an owner to concentrate my first efforts on learning to identify and eradicate the most dangerous plants, rather than being distracted by fescue and clover.

I'm glad that plants that can but usually don't cause problems, like fescue and clover, are listed. It's very useful when trying to diagnose a horse that's not quite right, and if they were omitted, the horse owner might incorrectly assume that the diet was not the issue. I would just like to see them flagged differently or perhaps included in an appendix rather than mixed in with the truly deadly plants that have no margin for error.

As it stands it is better as a reference for answering specific questions than as a book you can just read through when contemplating several acres of plants or potential plants.

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Summary: A Must Have for Horse Owners!!
Review: This book will help horse owner's identify if there are any toxic plants in their horse's paddock easily with the big color pictures. This guide also gives a written description of the plant, symptoms of intoxication and what the owner can do to try to save his or her horse. This book is also great for Pony Clubbers. The "C" book does not describe all of the plants that are toxic to horses, so this guide is helpful for ratings, or for Know-Down. All in all, this book is worth the money!

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Summary: The most important hosre book you might ever buy !!!!
Review: This is definitely in the MUST HAVE catergory. Tells you all the deadly poisonous plants down to the upset stomach plants. This book is going to shock and definitely open your eyes to all the poisoins lurking ,waiting to get to your horse. This is a definitely scary,get outside, and start ripping plants out of the ground book! GET IT NOW!

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Summary: Excellent reference book for veterinarians and horse owners
Review: This is the best and most affordable compact reference book on toxic plants that I have seen. It lists common name, scientific names & local a.k.a.s. A detailed description of the plant is given as well as geographical distribution, signs of poisoning and a 'what to do' section. The best part of all is that there are full color photos for each plant as well as a drawing. The index allows you to look the plant up by name or by clinical sign (plants that will cause the sign are listed with their page numbers). Indespensible for the veterinarian or student. Useful for large and small animals!