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Poisonous Plants |
Llamas and alpacas are natural browsers, which is a good thing if you have
blackberry bushes, but not such a good thing if you have any poisonous
plants on your farm.
Things that are commonplace and seem harmless can kill your animals.
The most common culprit in our area is the rhododendron bush, which is
highly toxic to livestock. Almost everyone in the Pacific Northwest
has one or two in their garden.
One goat farmer in the Fraser Valley was devastated when his next door
neighbour threw some rhododendron leaves over the fence as a "treat" to the
animals. The result was five dead goats, and many with chronic liver
damage - plus a healthy lawsuit.
Even things like rhubarb leaves can cause liver damage. One farmer planted
lily of the valley bushes right next to his field as part of his
landscaping. Unfortunately, they were within easy reach of his
alpacas, who reached through the fence, nibbled on the leaves and died.
The best thing to have on hand in the case of plant poisoning is Pepto
Bismol, liquid charcoal - and the vet's phone number.
So what plants are poisonous, and how do they act?
The best source of information about poisonous plants is put out by Brian
Pinkerton, Mount Lehman Llamas. He has literally "written the book"
about it.
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