Red maple leaves contain toxins that bind to hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that normally carry oxygen throughout a horse’s body. This destroys the cells and leads to organ failure within 48 to 72 hours. Green leaves that fall and wilt, when a branch falls during a summer storm, for instance, are most toxic, but those that wilt naturally in autumn are also dangerous. Ingesting only a few handfuls can be deadly for a horse.
Source: Equus, September 2017.
Take measures to protect horses from a potentially deadly source of poisoning.
Also see: Fall brings risk of red maple poisoning in horses, Animal Health Digest, August 23, 2016.
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