# Yew tree toxicity



## Bryxy (Jun 6, 2013)

We cut down a tree in our garden that was overgrowing and left it in the garage to be cut into bits. My mum needed some help with it so I went in and the dogs followed. I ask them to wait in the porch just so they stayed out the way. I turned around and Bryn had a piece of the end of a branch (the very tip where it's green with the leaves coming off it). I asked him to drop it and he did and went back in the porch. Then as I was leaving he picked up one of the actual big branches with the end in his mouth and licked it. I called him away and he dropped it. I don't know if he did anything else while I wasn't looking but I didn't hear or see anything and I only saw him come in the garage those two times.

Being my paranoid self I got worried about this as I know some plants are toxic. Idiot me only thinks about this after though. Asked mum what tree it is and she says it's a yew tree. Cue googling and finding out it is highly toxic and kills dogs. I feel awful. Called the emergency vets and they said if he hasn't consumed any he's fine but I'm not 100% that he hasn't, they said to call back if I see any signs like seizure. His tummy made a funny noise once since and he was licking his lips a bit but he'd also been playing with his toy around then. Right now he's snoozing in his bed.
I also read that the minimum lethal dose is 2.3g/kg of leaves so he would have had to eaten 35g which sounds like a lot considering how light they are?

It's scaring me because everything I read says there are no real signs just death. I lost my dog around this time last year (not toxin related) so I am probably more paranoid than usual about this sort of thing.

So first, does anyone know if this actually is a yew tree?








It's laying on its side but I rotated the picture to show what it'd be like standing.


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## Burrowzig (Feb 18, 2009)

It is yew, but as long as he hasn't eaten loads of leaves or chewed the wood, he should be OK. You can always make him throw up if it makes you less worried.


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## Bryxy (Jun 6, 2013)

Burrowzig said:


> It is yew, but as long as he hasn't eaten loads of leaves or chewed the wood, he should be OK. You can always make him throw up if it makes you less worried.


From what I saw he just had it in his mouth then dropped it and he was just in the garage for a few moments. There's no chewed bits around either so I'm pretty sure he hasn't chewed anything. I think it's a bit late to make him vomit? This happened about 2 hours ago.
Do you know how long it would take to show signs if anything was wrong?

Evil evil tree.


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

The tree is not evil any more than onions or grapes are evil.

You have called the emergency vet and received some professional medical advice.

And before you make any animal vomit you need to ask the vet first.

As they have not suggested this I would abide by the advice of those who have the relevant qualifications.


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## Bryxy (Jun 6, 2013)

smokeybear said:


> The tree is not evil any more than onions or grapes are evil.
> 
> You have called the emergency vet and received some professional medical advice.
> 
> ...


The evil part was merely a response of someone concerned for their dog, I am more than aware the tree has no plans for world domination.

Im not making him vomit? I just said it was too late. I didn't even ask how to because if I was told it may be useful I would've called the vet again first.

I have recieved advice to observe which I'm following. My question really was whether it's a yew tree and as that's something the vet can't tell me without seeing it.

Sorry if you think I'm ignoring medical advice and seeking it elsewhere, I understand how dangerous that can be. But I assure you that's not what I'm doing and agree with your sentiment. The point of this was to find out if it's worth worrying in the first place.


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## Old Shep (Oct 17, 2010)

There's a whole host of "natural" things which are toxic- and not just to dogs. 


One of the reasons I eschew most "natural" remedies.

"Natural" does not equal safe.

Hope the dog is ok. Will you let us know?


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## Bryxy (Jun 6, 2013)

Old Shep said:


> There's a whole host of "natural" things which are toxic- and not just to dogs.
> 
> One of the reasons I eschew most "natural" remedies.
> 
> ...


I know most things toxic to dogs, yew trees I'd never heard of until today. I don't think bringing up natural remedies is necessary here. No natural remedies have been discussed and I don't want the thread derailed if that's alright. It's just meant to be asking if it's the right tree and hopefully anyone else that didn't know as I did is aware now too.

So far he is his normal self thank you for asking. I am going to call my normal vets tomorrow and ask if they think anything needs to be done.


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## Old Shep (Oct 17, 2010)

Yews are really poisonous to horses (everything, I think. They are pretty toxic). Tis is common knowledge amongst horse people.


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## Bryxy (Jun 6, 2013)

Old Shep said:


> Yews are really poisonous to horses (everything, I think. They are pretty toxic). Tis is common knowledge amongst horse people.


I don't have any horses but good to know. Yes they are toxic to a lot of species I've found.


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## Burrowzig (Feb 18, 2009)

Old Shep said:


> Yews are really poisonous to horses (everything, I think. They are pretty toxic). Tis is common knowledge amongst horse people.


A friend who's a grazier, putting native breed cattle on nature reserves for grassland management, was worried when they would tuck into yew as soon as they got onto sites containing it (nearly all of them in the area). After a few hours or a day or so, they'd lose interest. None ever showed ill effects and the breeding cows lived normal, healthy lives and had healthy calves. The broken pips of the berry are toxic, but the red part of the berry not at all. A remedy for cancer is derived from yew, now widely used.


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## Old Shep (Oct 17, 2010)

I find that very surprising, Burrowzig. Could it have been some other hybrid? All parts of the yew are toxic. Farmers usually won't tolerate any yew anywhere on their farms- including in their gardens.

Yew Poisoning in Horses and Ruminants


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## Burrowzig (Feb 18, 2009)

Old Shep said:


> I find that very surprising, Burrowzig. Could it have been some other hybrid? All parts of the yew are toxic. Farmers usually won't tolerate any yew anywhere on their farms- including in their gardens.
> 
> Yew Poisoning in Horses and Ruminants


No, definitely common Yew _Taxus baccata_. There's loads on the limestone, including a 'Yew Trail' on the nature reserve I work as a volunteer on so I'm very familiar with it. As a conservation grazier, Bill has no choice but to expose his livestock to yew (unless he fences individual trees at his own expense, which is not practical). Cattle seem very good at identifying and avoiding toxic plants; I once watched a herd selectively spitting out psilocybin mushrooms when grazing a field in which they were very common, and of course both horses and cattle avoid living ragwort.


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## Old Shep (Oct 17, 2010)

Absolutly! 

Growing ragwort is avoided by horses, but sometimes they eat it if cut.

In fact, when my horse was at livery, there was a bad batch of hay which contained ragwort. I was phoned late one evening to say the yard had to call the vet as some of the horses were really sick and it was thought to be the ragwort. Interestingly, all the horses affected were thouroughbred, every one of the native horses and ponies and those with native blood, were unaffected as they hadn't eaten the ragwort. My horse (with Connemara blood) had actually eaten all his hay, but left the ragwort scattered around.


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## Burrowzig (Feb 18, 2009)

I passed Myers Allotment nature reserve today; it's woodland with a lot of yew, limestone grassland. Butterfly Conservation - Myers Allotment, Lancashire, and there were 3 cattle I could see over the wall (native breeds). Before Butterfly Conservation took over management of the site, it was leased to EPIC (Exmoor Ponies in Conservation) where it was grazed by - guess what - Exmoor ponies. Those also had no issue with the many yews there.

Possibly non-native cattle might not have the inbred nous to avoid toxic plants which they must have evolved alongside.


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