This page is a work in progress but there is a lot of great information already here.   Look around and e-mail me if you have more questions.

The University of Tennessee Agricultural extension service has published a great field guide to toxic plants. Click here to be directed to the web book.

Bitter sneezeweed—all parts of this plant  are toxic.  a severe irritant to the mucous membranes. Dullness, trembling and weakness are first observed. In many instances, vomiting is prominent. For this reason, it has been called "spewing sickness" by sheepmen. Many vomiting animals inhale part of the regurgitated material into the trachea and develop inhalation pneumonia. These animals usually survive only to become chronically poor performers and perhaps die later from secondary ailments.

Cocklebur—this plant is very common in our area.  The seeds and seedlings are the most toxic, but the entire plant can cause problems.  Signs of toxicity include stomach and intestinal irritation, weakness, breathing difficulty, behavioral changes, heart abnormalities, and death.

Horsenettle—All classes of livestock and humans have been poisoned. Two syndromes have been described: acute and chronic. The acutely poisoned animal is characterized by irritation of the mouth and gastrointestinal lesions. In the chronic form, unthriftiness, jaundiced mucous membranes, abdominal dropsy and constipation have all been seen.

St. John’s wort— The toxin in St. Johnswort is called hypericin. When animals ingest the plant, the hypericin is absorbed from the intestinal tract and goes into the circulation. Hypericin is photodynamic, able to convert sunlight into energy (primarily heat), causing cellular damage and sunburn (which can be severe). Cattle and sheep are the most sensitive to this toxin.

Pokeweed—the most commonly observed symptom is a severe gastroenteritis with cramping, diarrhea and convulsions. Postmortem lesions include severe ulcerative gastritis, mucosal hemorrhage and a dark liver. In most cases the animal recovers within 24-48 hours.

Oak—Goats are fairly resistant to oak poisoning but it does happen. Oak is most dangerous early in the spring when the leaves and buds are the highest in toxicity and when there is little else to eat. The fall is another at risk period, when acorns and leaves fall and better forage dies back. Therefore, management plays a key role in preventing oak toxicosis. The toxins in oak are called gallotoxins and are converted in the body to tannic acid, gallic acid and pyrogallol, all of which are very toxic to the kidney. It is the resulting kidney failure that causes the clinical signs. Typically, a significant amount of oak needs to be consumed over a period of time before clinical signs appear. Signs can develop over 2 to 14 days, or signs may be present with the animals becoming progressively worse over many weeks. The number of animals affected in the herd can vary greatly, but of those showing clinical signs, up to 80% may die. Signs of oak poisoning can include depression, lack of appetite, a gaunt and emaciated appearance, poor or rough hair coat, dependent edema (fluid buildup under the skin under the neck, abdomen or on the legs), digestive disturbances (both diarrhea and constipation have been reported, with mucus covered or tarry stools), increased drinking, passage of copious amounts of urine which may contain blood, and death.