oleanders?

Susan Evans Garlinghouse (suendavid@worldnet.att.net)
Sat, 01 Nov 1997 17:04:48 -0800

Hi all,
Could one of the vets (or anyone else) on the list tell me whether
oleander is really as toxic to horses as they say? I've heard
everything from "it doesn't matter because no horse will eat it" (yeah,
right) to "one leaf and they're dead within 24 hours". I heard stories
a few years ago about Friesians being fed a handful of oleanders by
well-intentioned show-goers and dying soon thereafter despite veterinary
intervention.

The reason I ask is because an Elks Lodge is being built right next to
my place and they want to be able to plant oleanders on the greenbelt
that separates their property from my horse's corral. Despite a planned
six foot barrier wall, I know how high oleander can grow and believe me
when I say that there is no force in nature that will keep George of the
Jungle (the former Spudnuts, 'cept now we're Spudnutless :-D) out of any
trouble he sets his sights and appetite on. Not to mention leaves drop
and winds blow and s**t happens. The final Planning Commission hearing
is next week and I plan to be there raising holy hell about oleanders if
this is a threat to my horses. When I called the Elks themselves, I got
blank looks and a response of, "Oh, don't worry, we have plenty of
insurance to cover that sort of liability." Like I could place a value
on Dakota, Cato, Katy and Puzzle. Argh.

Sorry, I know this isn't directly endurance-related, except that if I'm
right and they're wrong, there might be four less endurance horses in
the world...any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Susan and...
Cato ("you know I never eat anything that moves in the wind")
Katy ("you know I never eat anything not directly from Daddy's hands")
Puzzle ("you know I never eat anything except sand and leg wraps")
Dakota aka George of the Jungle ("Look! They're putting in a salad bar
next door!")