The Dangers of Buttercups

Buttercups are very common at this time of year and can often look like it’s a deliberate crop!!

They are poisonous to horses and contain a toxin called ranunculin which, when the plant is damaged,  is converted to protoanemonin.

This then irritates the mouth, nose, gums as well as lower legs if they walk through large patches of them often causing sores or ulcers around the mouth and legs.

Obviously this isn’t as serious a toxin as something like ragwort but can be quite literally an irritation.

Occasionally some horses may not eat very well or even salivate excessively in response to the toxin contacting lips and gums. This is obviously a little more concerning but is generally not a problem and resolved very quickly with treatment.

Wet weather, like today in the North West, can may it worse as they become more easily traumatised and so generates more of the toxin.

On the whole, however, horses do not like the taste of buttercups because they are very bitter and will preferentially eat grass around the flowers.

Also reassuringly, the toxin in buttercups is inactivated by the process of hay or haylage making so it is safe to eat at that point.

Pasture can be sprayed against buttercups in Spring or even Autumn although horses cannot normally be grazed there for two weeks after spraying.

Advice Kindly supplied by Simon Constable Equine Vets

Contact the office if you have any questions.