Yew poisoning is the commonest form of animal poisoning. Yew contains an alkyloid that depresses the action of the heart. Yew needles are greenish-yellow on the under surface and have no white stripes. A veterinarian should be consulted immediately for supportive treatment to reduce the damage caused by ingestion of poisonous plants. Its flowers are show and very fragrant, but the belief that their perfume is dangerous is unfounded.
Oleander ranks with yew in toxicity.
Oleander contains a poisonous principle similar to digitalis in its effect on the heart, causing arrhythmia and cardiac arrest. A veterinarian should be consulted immediately for supportive treatment to reduce the damage caused by ingestion of poisonous plants. Leaves of bracken fern are poisonous to horses both when fresh and when dry in hay. Cattle are far more likely to be poisoned by bracken than horses. It would be necessary for a horse to ingest hundreds of pounds of bracken over a week or more in order for a problem to occur.