Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Suspected red maple (Acer rubrum) toxicosis with abortion in two Percheron mares.
- Journal:
- Veterinary and human toxicology
- Year:
- 1993
- Authors:
- Stair, E L et al.
- Affiliation:
- Oklahoma State University
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
Two Percheron mares experienced serious health issues after eating wilted leaves from red maple trees. They both developed a severe type of anemia, which is when the body doesn't have enough healthy red blood cells, and unfortunately, they also aborted their pregnancies. Although the exact cause couldn't be confirmed due to limited testing, the signs and lab results strongly suggested that red maple toxicosis (poisoning from the tree) was the likely reason for their condition. Other possible causes were considered, but red maple poisoning seemed the most plausible. Sadly, the outcome was fatal for both mares.
Abstract
Horses develop severe and often fatal hemolytic anemia after ingesting dried leaves from red maple (Acer rubrum) trees. Toxicosis appears related to an unknown oxidant present in the dried or wilted leaves. This case report describes 2 horses that aborted and developed fatal hemolytic anemia after consuming wilted leaves from red maple (Acer rubrum). While an absolute diagnosis was not confirmed due to lack of proper antemortem and postmortem examinations, red maple toxicosis appeared a reasonable diagnosis based on clinical signs and laboratory findings. Other differentials include equine infectious anemia, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, piroplasmosis, leptospirosis, ehrlichiosis, and other plant or chemical sources of oxidants (onion, garlic, kale, phenothiazines).
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8351795/