Kentucky Performance Products: Buttercup Toxicity

Learn about this common pasture threat.

Photo courtesy of Kentucky Performance Products

Those pretty yellow flowers can cause problems in your pasture.

Buttercup is a bright yellow flower found in pastures throughout North America. They thrive in areas that have been overgrazed. Horses usually avoid eating them because they are very bitter.

Buttercups release a toxic oil called protoanemonin. Toxicity levels vary with plant type and maturity. They are most toxic during the early stages of growth and remain dangerous through the flowering stage. Depending on where you live, you see Buttercups from April to August. If cut and baled with hay, the oil quickly dissipates and the plant no longer presents a danger.

Signs of buttercup toxicity:

Mild cases

• Blister on lips
• Swelling of face
• Excessive salivation
• Mild colic
• Diarrhea that might be bloody

Severe cases

• Twitching of the skin
• Paralysis
• Convulsions

The best way to avoid problems is to irradiate the weed by spraying or mechanical removal. Proper pasture management that includes rotational grazing, fertilization and reseeding will help keep your pasture healthy and weed-free.

Article written by KPP staff.

Copyright (C) 2017 Kentucky Performance Products, LLC.   All rights reserved.

Article sponsored by Elevate Maintenance Powder; an affordable, easy way to provide essential natural vitamin E, when longer-term vitamin E supplementation is needed.

When health issues arise, always seek the advice of a licensed veterinarian who can help you choose the correct course of action for your horse. Supplements are intended to maintain healthy systems and support recovery and healing. They are not intended to treat or cure illness or injury.

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Fight back against colic and digestive upset

Neigh-Lox Advanced provides a scientifically advanced blend of ingredients that work synergistically to maintain your horse’s digestive tract in peak condition by supporting both the gastrointestinal tissues and the beneficial bacteria that populate the gut.  Maintaining a healthy digestive tract reduces the risk of colonic and gastric ulcers, colic, laminitis related to hind-gut acidosis, and oxidative stress that damages digestive tract tissues themselves.  Horses with a well-balanced GI tract have good appetites, absorb more nutrients from their diets, maintain a strong immune system, and stay healthier.

It is why the horse that matters to you matters to us. Not sure which horse supplement best meets your horse’s needs? We are here to help. Contact Kentucky Performance Products, LLC at 859-873-2974 or visit our website at KPPusa.com.