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[RC] Lupine - Julie Fuller

Here is what I found relating to lupine and horses..... Pretty much everything I read was similar.

Lupine

Lupines involve a large genus of plants, many species which are not poisonous. They typically display bunches of white, blue, purple or pinkish pea-shaped flowers on upright stalks. They are found in a wide variety of landscapes from ocean beaches to high mountain pastures. Like locoweeds, it is difficult for even the experts to distinguish the toxic from the non-toxic, so one should assume that all lupines are harmful if eaten.

While poisonous throughout the year, young lupines and those going to seed are the most toxic. Fortunately the effects are not cumulative so a lethal dose must be consumed over a short period, otherwise if removed from access to lupines and if symptoms are properly cared for, a poisoned horse should recover.

Symptoms include gastrointestinal irritation accompanied by diarrhea. The horse's gait may change; the horse being reluctant to move and lifting his feet higher than normal when he does, acting nervous and displaying leg twitching. Loss of muscle control, prostrations, convulsions and coma may follow. While the "one time ingester" of lupines may completely recover, continuous consumption can produce toxic hepatitis. This can result from lupines being baled in hay cut from poorly managed fields and being fed to horses over time. Other than separating the horse from the toxic plants and treating the visible symptoms, there is no published treatment for lupine poisoning.