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Home > Resources > Pet Care Library > Horse Articles

Nitrate Poisoning in Horses

by Pam Hunter
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Other issues include animals ingesting plants that are "borderline" in toxicity causing abortion, reduced milk flow, lower weight gains, vitamin A deficiency.

Plants to Watch Out For:

Field Crops	Vegetables	Weeds
alfalfa millet soy bean barley oats soy bean corn rape sudan fescue rye wheat	beets lettuce spinach celery mangles squash cucumbers parsnips swiss chard kale radishes turnips	bindweed elderberry Russian thistle blue-green algae fiddleneck smartweed bull thistle goldenrod stinging nettle burdock lambsquarter sunflower Canadian thistle nightshades velvetweed carelessweed ragweed whitecockle

Management Practices

Feeding rations high in carbohydrates will reduce and some times prevent losses from nitrate poisoning.
Control weeds that accumulate nitrates. Freshly sprayed plants may become more palatable, so defer grazing of sprayed areas.
During periods of cool or cloudy weather. avoid grazing a suspect area if possible. During periods of sunlight allow’ animals to eat large quantities of dry forage and then graze the area.
Test the nitrate content of forage when in doubt.
Distinguish nitrate poisoning from prussic acid poisoning or grass tetany, so the appropriate treatment may be administered.

Oat hay moistened with water can convert nitrates to nitrites in a short time.

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