11/15/2025
🚨 Toxic Plant Warning for Cattle Producers – Japanese Yew 🚨
We want to share an important and uncommon toxicity case we saw today, with the owner’s permission, in hopes of preventing future losses.
A local producer tragically lost two cows within 24 hours. The second cow was examined shortly after she passed. She appeared to have died almost instantly, collapsing with food still in her mouth. A full post-mortem exam showed very little out of the ordinary…
…until we learned that some shrubs had been trimmed the day before, and the clippings were tossed over the fence. After examining the shrubs, they were identified as Japanese yew—a common but highly toxic ornamental plant that can be fatal to cattle (and other livestock) within minutes to hours.
When we returned to the deceased cow’s rumen contents, we found pieces of yew clippings confirming the cause. Japanese yew contains compounds that are severely cardiotoxic, causing sudden, fatal arrhythmias. Animals often show no signs of illness before collapsing, which fits this case exactly.
The owner noted that they had disposed of clippings this same way for years without any issues. Unfortunately, yew toxicity is unpredictable—even very small amounts can be lethal, and different cuttings may contain different toxin concentrations.
Because cases like this are rare but devastating, we want to raise awareness:
What Producers Should Know
🌿 Japanese yew is extremely poisonous to cattle, horses, sheep, goats, and many wildlife species.
⚠️ Animals may die suddenly within minutes to hours after ingestion.
🌿 All parts of the plant are toxic, including dried clippings.
🌳 Yew is commonly used as a landscaping shrub around homes, barns, and driveways.
🚫 Never allow livestock access to the plant, trimmings, or discarded branches.
🔍 Learn to identify yew—its flat, dark green needles and red berries make it easy to mistake for other evergreens.
Please share this information with other producers in our community—awareness can save lives.
— Hermann Veterinary Clinic
📍 2094 Hwy 100, Hermann, MO
📞 (573) 486-2515
