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Story Via: Eleanor Blaze
You say, “Potato.” I say, “Poison.”
You say, “Tomato”. I say, “Toxin.”
These plants are members of the nightshade (Solanaccae) family and they can kill horses. Other members include eggplant, tobacco, chili and bell peppers, horse nettle, jimsonweed – there are more than 2,000 plants in the family.
Some are desirable plants we cultivate and others are weeds. All are poisonous to horses. The poison is an alkaloid. It’s highly concentrated in the greenery and unripe fruit, but is present in all parts of the plant.
The toxin affects the nervous and digestive system. Symptoms of poisoning can be depression preceded by nervousness, low heart and respiration rate, colic, muscle twitching and/or weakness, eye problems (light sensitivity, blindness, dilated pupils), excessive salivation, inability to stand and bowel movement changes (diarrhea or constipation).
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