My friend who stayed with me last week has just sent me a cutting from her local paper re the dangers of ragwort- she did some weeding for me :-) :-) :-) and says she thinks we may have some (ragwort!) in our front lawn. It's not an issue for our dogs, as they only pass through the front garden on leads, but is it poisonous to dogs, anyway, or just "donkeys, horses, sheep and cattle" which are the livestock mentioned in the cutting?

Its poisonous to everything - including humans. It is really evil stuff.

Wear gloves when you remove it (roots and all!) because it can cause a reaction to your skin. And burn the remains to make sure it's killed. Those seeds spread a very long way in the slightest breeze. :)

Ragwort

And a mask... apparently it can be dangerous if inhaled...

Ragwort is a tall plant, up to 2ft tall. There is a plant called Tansy which is very similar to Ragwort, same shaped leaves, yellow flowers almost identical to Ragwort flowers, just a little smaller, Tansy isn't poisonous. If you have got Ragwort the the advice given by the other posters is very sound advice. Ragwort is very bitter tasting when it is green, but becomes palatable to ruminants when it is dried. It's very unlikely your dogs would eat it. There is a danger to humans as the poison can be absorbed through the skin. Also, the body doesn't process the poison, it simply stores it in body fat. Ragwort can kill a horse over a period of several years even if it only eats one plant a year, this is because of it's cumulative effect. Though horses will only eat it if it is accidentally cut and dried whilst haymaking, and fed to the horse with the hay. It causes liver failure. The Ragwort Control Act of 2004 states that if you have Ragwort on your property you have to take steps to eradicate it or face a possible fine, (take note Tony Blair, the land around Chequers is thick with Ragwort).
EDIT Forgot to say, Tansy is very low growing, only about 3-2 inches tall, also, Ragwort is not poisonous to sheep or goats.

Ragwort is not poisonous to sheep or goats.

But it does taint goats' milk!

Margot

Never thought of that. We sometimes borrow a friends goats to sweeten up our horse paddocks as goats will eat literally everything, docks, thistles, nettles. I don't like spraying with weedkiller so this is an alternative solution. Luckily, we don't have the milkers.

Ragwort is not poisonous to sheep or goats.

I beg to difer. Ragwort IS poisonous to sheep and goats. I keep goats and in ALL the books I have it clearly states ragwort IS poisonous to goats.

I bow to your superior knowledge Pedlee. I was told by a goat breeder that it wasn't poisonous to them, he was obviously wrong. He WAS a very old chap and was maybe passing on an old wives tale. The goats I borrow are never in any danger because I pull up and burn any ragwort that strays onto my land.