California City May Ban Oleanders (Kills Horses)

Science Daily ^ | 9-2-2007

[blam]

California city may ban oleanders

YORBA LINDA, Calif., Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Residents and city officials in Yorba Linda, Calif., are considering a ban on oleanders because of the plant's risk to horses.

Oleanders, which have pink and white flowers, can be deadly to a horse if consumed, and many Yorba Linda residents own horses, The Orange County Register reported.

The Yorba Linda City Council plans to vote this month on banning the plants.

A University of California at Davis veterinary medical publication suggests that horses could suffer heart failure even from eating a small amount of the plant, the newspaper said.

[blam]

Wild cherry trees can be fatal to horses too. I didn't know about oleanders.

[starfish923]

Oleander IS poisonous. Even the hordes of locust that descend on the world avoid them.

Question: why are horses around oleander? It shouldn't be where the horses graze. Wouldn't it be easier to corral the horses rather than trying to eradicate a plant that is ALL OVER CALIFORNIA?

Is this a joke?

[cripplecreek]

I like Rose of Sharon bushes and planted several after putting in the new fence this spring.

[livius]

Do you remember the horrible incident in California years ago (actually, about 20 years ago) where a group of Boy Scouts used oleander twigs to grill hotdogs and marshmallows over a campfire? Several of the boys and one of the Scoutmasters died as a result.

I would never plant oleander. It’s a beautiful plant, but it is really, really toxic.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Unless horses are grazing in the center lanes of freeways, I don’t see this as much of a problem.

[Man50D]

Wild cherry trees can be fatal to horses too. I didn't know about oleanders.

Shouldn't the horses be banned since they are lethal to the Oleanders? It sounds as though a battle is shaping up between PETA and the environmentalist socialist wackos. Get the popcorn!

[Past Your Eyes]

I wonder if I can get my town to ban pigweed.

[LibWhacker]

I think this is the plant they plant along the medium strip on the freeway, among other places. There must be millions of ‘em out here. Never understood the attraction. I think they’re ugly, and they stink.

[Paul Heinzman]

That movie White Oleanders was pretty toxic.

[al baby]

Why don’t mommy horses teach the baby horses not to eat them

[Tamar1973]

Shouldn't the horses be banned since they are lethal to the Oleanders? It sounds as though a battle is shaping up between PETA and the environmentalist socialist wackos. Get the popcorn!

Is the microwave stuff ok? LOL!

[Ben Chad]

Steely Dan:

Oleanders growing outside her door
Soon theyre gonna be in bloom
Up in annandale
I cant stand her
Doing what she did before
Living like a gypsy queen
In a fairy tale
Well I hear the whistle but I cant go
Im gonna take her down to mexico
She said oh no
Guadalajara wont do

Well I did not think the girl
Could be so cruel
And Im never going back
To my old school

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

Would the dog food made from these horses be toxic?

[Man50D]

Is the microwave stuff ok? LOL!

MMMMMMMMMM! Yummy!

[arizonarachel]

We have a ton of oleanders out here in AZ - there is one in our backyard and several in the front yard. We have dogs and a child (newborn), and I try to keep an eye on them. The dogs don’t really eat plants, though. I always have known they’re poisonous.

[LibFreeOrDie]

Urban legend?

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/poison/oleander.asp

[McGavin999]

They are also fatal to dogs. Just the oil from their leaves can be deadly. They are also highly flamable.

[Polybius]

Wild cherry trees can be fatal to horses too. I didn't know about oleanders.

In Florida, it is a plant that parents are warned against as it can also kill children that chew on it.

According to the American Medical Association Handbook on Poisonous and Injurious Plants, all parts of the oleander plant contain two toxic principles. These toxic principles, oleandroside and nerioside, both have been identified as glycosides. This extremely toxic plant can poison livestock and humans at any time of the year. Lethal doses of leaves for livestock have been established for horses (15-30 grams), cows (10-25 grams), and sheep (1-5 grams). ... Because of its poisonous nature, the placement of this plant in a landscape should be carefully considered. The best use of this plant may be in areas where people will not come in direct contact with it. Parents should avoid planting oleander in their home landscape where there is a potential for small children to consume parts of this plant.

[Carry_Okie]

Starthistle kills horses too, albeit slowly. I'd bet Orange County is covered in it.

[Starwolf]

Part of me wonders if this is a real issue...Horses are supposed to be penned or otherwise in control of their owners. Why should someone have to change what they do in terms of landscaping to accomodate others who are not doing what they are supposed to?

This is mostly theoretical for me than anything else, I hate gardening, live in a desert, and have nothing that green on my property. My neighbors have horses which is a real PITA, but they do try and keep them under control. The files on the other hand...