Tomatoes are an abundant farm vegetable and fruit, but horses should avoid them as they contain solanine that is toxic for them. Solanine can reduce gut mobility and cause colic as well as trigger toxic symptoms including twisted muscles, reduced saliva production and hemorrhagic diarrhea – potentially dangerous health risks!

Solanine

The tomato plant contains solanine, a toxin which is extremely harmful to horses. When consumed, solanine disrupts digestion leading to diarrhea and colic; heart rates slow; breathing issues worsen and ultimately death may result from too much ingestion. Tomato plants belong to the Solanaceae family – deadly nightshade is another toxic species with significant impact for horses.

Oblivious to their low solanine levels, tomatoes remain dangerous to horses despite looking safe at first glance. Horses tend to be curious creatures who will investigate anything unusual they find lying around; so it is always wise to keep all plants away from horses even if they appear harmless.

Tomatoes contain harmful substances other than solanine, such as atropine and hyoscyamine. Atropine reduces saliva production and gut mobility – two serious adverse impacts – while hyoscyamine toxin can do even more harm by impacting the nervous system, leading to loss of coordination, dilation of pupils, colic, diarrhea or even death in extreme cases.

When horses consume tomato plants or their fruits, they often experience rapid symptoms that include diarrhea, colic and excessive salivation. If this is happening frequently enough to warrant immediate vet attention.

Though it might seem impossible, every animal has different tolerances and you should respect that each horse may react differently when exposed to plants like tomato plants. Even if it normally doesn’t consume plants, if fresh pasture is scarce it might do so without warning. To be on the safe side and ensure your horse remains healthy and happy follow these steps: avoid letting your horse near tomato plants, feed only grass/hay/haylage as feed instead and fence off the area where the tomatoes grow (this way your horse cannot accidentally consume them!). By following these steps it will ensure their wellbeing while remaining secure ensuring you ensure their wellbeing; making sure their wellbeing!

Atropine

As part of the nightshade family, tomatoes contain glycoalkaloids which are toxic to horses and other animals; such as solanine, atropine, and hyoscyamine. Although small amounts of tomato fruit is considered safe, most horse owners opt out due to risk of poisoning from giving their horses any plants from this family altogether.

Though the levels of atropine found in ripe tomatoes may be low, eating them is still not recommended for horses. This poison may interfere with digestive processes and cause colic or diarrhea in horses as well as make their heart rate increase and respiratory system become compromised.

Hyoscyamine toxin can be found in all parts of a tomato plant, from green leafy sections to unripe fruits. When inhaled, this toxin causes throat swelling, severe indigestion and delayed motility of the digestive tract; furthermore it disables horse salivary glands preventing them from swallowing food properly leading to dangerous bloating or even death if untreated immediately.

As is true for all plants, tomato plants pose greater danger when their unripe or rotting parts are consumed by horses or donkeys. Even when fully-ripe tomatoes are available as treats for horses or donkeys, it should never be fed unsupervised and properly washed to remove any chemicals or residue that might form on its exterior; mycotoxin can make horses very sick.

Tomatoes are an excellent source of vitamins A and C, potassium, fiber and other essential minerals. If you plan on cultivating tomatoes in your pasture, make sure that proper soil preparation has taken place and harvesting takes place at an acceptable size so as to limit exposure of horses to any toxic components of the plants.

As a rule of thumb, horses should avoid eating plants or vegetables not in season as these foods don’t offer optimal nutrition to horses and there are plenty of healthy treats that can be given in smaller doses to satisfy their dietary needs.

Hyoscyamine

Though horses are necessary herbivores, they tend to avoid tomatoes. Tomato plants contain alkaloid elements and chemicals which can be toxic for horses if eaten in large quantities, as well as trace amounts of mycotoxin which can make horses very sick when consumed in larger amounts. Touching these plants could still pose risks; thus it’s wiser for horses to stay away from them altogether.

Hyoscyamine and atropine can be found not only in the leafy parts of tomato plants but also within their fruit. Hyoscyamine toxins found within tomato fruit may disrupt your horse’s salivary glands and make swallowing food difficult for them. Furthermore, reduced intestinal mobility could result in colic or even worse.

Unfortunately, nightshade poisoning cannot be diagnosed definitively; therefore if your horse has consumed significant quantities of tomato plants or fruit, seek immediate veterinary attention immediately. Treatment typically entails supportive care along with administering neostigmine to aid in blocking uptake in their digestive tract and activated charcoal to absorb any poisons that might otherwise enter.

Though many horse owners report their horses are unharmed after eating tomatoes, it’s always better to play it safe than sorry. While certain breeds of horses may be resistant to tomato’s toxicities, most will feel discomfort after ingesting too much and this could result in long-term issues for them.

Since tomatoes may contain mycotoxin, it’s best to prevent your horses from eating any part of the tomato plant, including stems, leaves and unripe fruit. Even if there are no signs of mycotoxin on them, hungry horses may find them appealing and try to consume them, leading to serious complications for themselves and for humans alike. If growing tomatoes near horses is likely, consider fencing them off in order to keep horses at bay.

Mold

Although many horse owners report their horses disliking tomato plants, their dislike alone does not ensure safety for these species. Tomatoes belong to the nightshade family and contain toxic substances which may pose serious health concerns for horses – from digestive health concerns, central nervous system issues and heart complications to depression, diarrhea, tremors, hallucinations and loss of coordination as well as hypothermia or seizures.

If a horse consumes either the green leaves or fruit of a tomato plant, they could suffer alkaloid poisoning. This is because these leafy parts contain atropine and hyoscyamine toxins which inhibit saliva production while slowing gut mobility, potentially leading to colic in horses as well as throat swelling, loss of appetite and weakness.

Unripe or rotten tomato fruit, including its seeds, can be toxic for horses. Such items may contain mold containing solanine which, while not visible to us humans, horses can sense as soon as it enters their mouths and even small amounts can trigger severe reactions in them. Intestinal issues caused by this mold contamination can also arise which lead to colic or other ailments in horses.

If your horse shows signs of nightshade poisoning, contact a veterinarian immediately. He or she will perform tests such as urinalysis and blood work to ascertain their levels of solanine in their system, while administering drugs like Neostigmine and activated charcoal that help block alkaloid absorption by the digestive tract.

If you own horses or donkeys on your property, it is wise to refrain from cultivating tomatoes and other nightshade plants on their property. Instead, feed your horses a variety of fruits and vegetables as food sources. If necessary, put any nightshade plants you must grow behind a fence in an enclosed space, uprooting any already present on your land so as to safeguard their health from toxic chemicals present in their soil.