![]() ![]() Here’s the critical part – once symptoms develop, your horse’s chance of survival decreases.These events cause a chain reaction in your horse, that essentially clogs the kidneys and puts your horse into an anemic state.The toxins in maple leaves act on the red blood cells of your horse, causing them to stop carrying oxygen.You will also find dark and discolored gums, a rapid pulse, and almost black urine. Your horse will be sluggish, have colic, and probably stop eating. ![]() Signs your horse is in danger from the toxins doing damage That seems like a lot of leaves, considering they weigh as much as air, but have you ever known a horse to turn down a tasty snack in mass quantities? It does take a horse eating about one to two pounds of wilted or dried leaves to be affected by the poison.It is believed that concentrations of gallic acid also vary with the age of the tree, the climate, the type of maple, lots of different factors. As leaves wither and dry, the water disappears, and the concentration of gallic acid increases in the leaves.When leaves are green and on the branches, the leaves are mostly water, thus diluting the amount of gallic acid. Researchers believe there is more than one toxin, but this one seems to be the big one.There’s at least one substance in maple leaves, gallic acid, that is dangerous. Jump to shopping – resources for horse owners and toxic plants This, naturally, makes me consider all maple leaves at all stages of life from all types of maple trees a possible hazard. There are varying shades of unknowns regarding other maple trees, how much your horse eats, and if the leaves are green, wilted, or dried. And despite our wishes that horses are smart enough not to eat toxic things, they will. This is a complicated situation, but the bottom line is that red maple leaves are toxic to horses and can kill a horse. ![]()
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