Ragwort poisoning
Ragwort, Senecio jacobaea, can occur in all grazing animals and has been seen from animals that have eaten growing plants as well as dead ones and can cause disease if eaten in hay. The damage to the liver caused by ragwort is gradual. When eaten it causes irreversible damage to liver cells, however, signs are seen until this damage is severe enough, usually one to six months after ingestion. The signs of ragwort poisoning will occur very suddenly and can be very severe. The liver is an accessory gland of the digestive system and is the largest gland in the horse’s body.
Treatment
If the affected animal is showing neurological signs such as circling and stumbling then they can be sedated with xylazine. Often the horse will be very ill indeed and may require intravenous fluids and feeding via a stomach tube. In some of these very sever cases the horse needs to be put to sleep. If the horse survives then very careful management must be carried out. They must be fed a good quality protein diet and every effort must be made to make sure they don’t graze on pasture with ragwort present.