What wood shavings are toxic to horses?

Asked by: Renee Moore

Black walnut shavings are a toxic bedding for horses. The innermost wood of the black walnut causes toxicity after oral or skin contact. Bedding containing as little as 20 percent fresh black walnut shavings made from old or new wood can cause toxicity.

What type of shavings are best for horses?

Wood shavings are a very popular choice since they are soft, highly absorbent and easy to clean out of the stall. The most popular type of wood used in shavings comes from pine and can vary in size from large, fluffy shavings to smaller, finer size shavings.

Are wood shavings toxic?

Shavings from Aspen wood (hardwood) is also considered safe because it does not contain any phenols, but it is only available in USA. These phenols in the wood that give it insecticidal and bactericidal properties are also irritants to the lungs and upper respiratory air passages.

Can you use pine shavings for horses?

Opt for the kiln-dried shavings
Pine shavings or pine pellets seem to be the best and safest type of bedding to use for your horse.

Can horses be allergic to sawdust?

Cedar shavings: While not necessarily dangerous, its oily nature can stain your horse’s coat and irritate their skin. Some horses experience an allergic reaction to this type of bedding. The potent smell can also be too strong indoors.

Will horses eat wood shavings?

Because hungry horses have been known to eat hay or straw used as stall bedding, some owners have used sawdust or wood shavings in stalls, thinking that these substances would not be consumed. Apparently, however, hungry ponies can develop an appetite for wood shavings.

Are cedar shavings toxic?

Cedarwood produces natural insecticides known as phenols and acids, both of which are aromatic hydrocarbons. When mice and other rodents are exposed to cedar shavings, harmful phenols enter the bloodstream via the respiratory tract, causing liver damage that can be fatal.

Can horses use sawdust for bedding?

Sawdust is a very easy bedding to keep clean. Wood Chippings are an excellent alternative to wood shavings. Wood Chippings provide a very stable bed for your horse and they are extremely absorbent. Because of the stability of the bed mucking out is much quicker and urine is kept to a minimal spread.

Why do horse shavings turn red?

This is due to the presence of plant metabolites (pyrocatechines) in the urine that change color when mixed with oxygen. When they oxidize they turn a red or orange color. It can happen year round (the same process can turn stall shavings red), but is especially obvious against the white snow!

Why is my horses pee white?

Horses tend to absorb excessive calcium from the intestine and then eliminate it via urine, which gives it a cloudy/milky appearance. Urine is bubbly when first passed due to containing mucus, which acts as a lubricant to prevent calcium carbonate crystals from turning into stones.

Why is my mares pee red?

Normal horse urine sometimes turns red or brown after standing for a while. This is due to the presence of oxidizing agents termed “pyrocatechines. It can happen year round (the same process can turn stall shavings red), but is especially obvious against the white snow!