Is Foxglove poisonous?

[Sparkie]

I'm not sure weather Foxglove is poisonous or not.

Some people say it is, but someone I know owns a horse and there is Foxglove growing beside the field, in reach of the horses. She says it wont harm her horse, but I'm worried that it may be poisonous and maybe kill Toffee.

I've tried looking it up in books but none of them mention it.

 

[Esther.D]

Yes, foxglove is poisonous it contains digitalis which is used in heart medicines and is very powerful. If sufficient quantities (I'm not sure on the exact quantities) are eaten it can be fatal as it would stop the heart. Generally horses will not touch foxgloves but it is a good idea to remove any growing in the field.

 

[Wally]

It is poisonous, but having said that we have a patch of it growing in the park and the horses, don't touch it. Generally plants which are poisonous are high in alkaloids which taste ghastly so are not eaten when there is grass available, however if they are on starvation they might have a go at it, or any poisonous plant.

 

[chev]

If you do pull it wear gloves. Foxgloves are just as poisonous to people.

 

[artemis]

Yes, it is & very difficult to get rid of. I have tried to get rid of some for years to no effect. Whatever method I try it comes back every year!!

 

[SwiftwindSpirit]

Yes, Foxglove IS poisonous to horses. If a horse eats it they can get diarrhea, colic or an irregular heartbeat (and I'm sure many other things too!) Maybe you should get your friend to do a bit research on it, and hopefully she'll realise it will be much safer for her horse once it's removed.

 

[LynneAC]

Yes, it can cause an irregular pulse, convulsions, tremors, diarrhoea and abdo pain (I was doing the 'poisonous plants' section for my NVQ portfolio last night!). Although they don't tend to eat foxglove they CAN start to crave it once they've eaten it!! It doesn't lose it's toxicity when it's dried either so it's always a danger.

Even when used in humans as medication (digoxin/digitalis) too much or a decreased tolerance to it can lead to 'toxicity' ...... same symptoms as in horses! Useless information I realise but then I'm a mine of useless information