Are Poppies Poisonous to Cattle?

Poppies produce colorful flowers in a variety of bright colors and are found in gardens and growing wild in agricultural areas. Unfortunately, these beautiful plants pose a health risk to cattle and can poison them if they graze on them in large amounts. Keep your cattle and other livestock, along with their food, away from any poppy plants to prevent any issues.

  1. Poppies

    • Poppy plants are members of the Papaveraceae family and include those of the genera Papaver, Argemone, Eschscholzia and Stylophorum. Poppies are prolific plants that grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 2 through 10, depending on the genera and species. The common poppy (Papaver rhoeas L.), prickly poppy (Argemone polyanthemos), Iceland poppy (Papaver nudicaule L. var. radicatum) and Mexican poppy (Argemone mexicana L.) are all considered toxic to livestock, including cattle, sheep and horses, according to the New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service. Most poppy plants contain chemicals toxic to animals and humans, contained in almost all parts of the plant. The only nontoxic parts of a poppy plant are the ripe seeds, which often are eaten as condiments.

    Toxins

    • Poppy plants contain chemicals called isoquinoline alkaloids. These toxic alkaloids include codeine, morphine and protopine in the Papaver species and sanguinarine in the Argemone species, according to the Cornell University Department of Animal Science. The most notorious of the toxic poppy species is the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum), which is used to make the addictive drugs opium and heroin; it is illegal to cultivate, although it may grow wild. While the entire plant of any type of poppy is potentially poisonous when ingested, the unripe green seeds contain the highest concentrations of the toxins, according to the Alberta Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

    Effects

    • Poppy plants taste unpleasant and bitter, discouraging most cattle from eating them. If one of your cows has grazed on a poppy plant, expect her to experience restlessness, a lack of appetite, drowsiness and debilitation, according to "The Alkaloids: Chemistry and Biology." The cow may even fall into a deep sleep after eating the poppy plants. Other symptoms of poisoning include bloat or muscle spasms. While rare, death can occur if a cow ingests a large amount of poppies, leading to heart failure, warns the Merck Veterinary Manual. There is no treatment available to counteract the effects of poppy poisoning in cattle.

    Treatment and Prevention

    • While there are no antidotes to give your cow after she ingests poppy plants, your large animal vet may administer olive oil, mineral oil or laxatives to help clear the poisonous plant matter from her stomach more quickly, according to the West Virginia University Extension Service. Getting the plants out of her system can help to reduce the severity of her symptoms. Prevent your cattle from ingesting potentially toxic plants like poppies by providing them with enough feed to keep them full. If possible, remove any poppy plants from the areas in which your cattle are kept so they won't be tempted.