Poisonous plants Flashcards
Water Hemlock
Name: cicuta douglassi
Mneumonic: without a GLASSI-WATER you will DIE
Looks like: white flowers, umbrella shaped clusters
Species: farm animals and horses
Signs: neuro (violent convulsions, thrashing, muscular twitching, hypersalivation, dilated pupils)
Other: roots are the worst, leaves still bad
ONE OF THE MOST TOXIC PLANTS IN N. AMERICA
St Johns Wart
Name: hypericum perforatum
Mneumonic: warts cause photosensitization
Looks like: yellow flowers (warts are yellow)
Species: horses
Signs: cell damage
Why? Hypericin released from plant, goes into circulation, deposits and interacts with UV light
Senecio (ragwort) and Amsinkia (fiddleneck) Crotalaria and Heliotropium
Pyrrolizidine alkaloidosis - chronic accumulation leads to hepatic fibrosis and then liver failure
Succulents, amsinkia = fiddleneck (yellow flower)
Signs - loss of body condition/anorexia, jaundice, diarrhea, dullness… can progress to hepatic encephalopathy and secondary photosensitization
Most common in horses and cattle, sheep and goats more resistant
Lupine
Adult cows - dyspnea/death from respiratory paralysis, convulsions, inappetantace —> major cause of arthroogryposis in calf or lamb
Whole plant toxic, worst part is the seed
Western UA
Poor poor prognosis, no treatment
Oak trees (quercus)
Species: pastured cows especially calves
Signs: peri-renal edema - kidney failure!
Spring - buds, leaves and acorns are nephro and hepatotoxic
Fall - acorns !!
Prevention? Proper nutrition so cows don’t get hungry and go chomping on acorns
Hypochoeris radicata
Dandelion - australia and some parts of NE and europe, causes SPORADIC stringhalt aka excessive flexion of one or both pelvic limbs in horses. Other type of stringhalt is idiopathic, thought to be more common in N. America
ponderosa pine
Gs name: pinus ponderosa
Toxic component in pine needles and bark - vasoconstriction and ischemia to uterus and other organs
Reproductive loss - within 21 days of exposure, especially susceptible in last 3 months
Vulva bloody and swollen
calves not aborted are weak and cows don’t produce sufficient colostrum or milk for them
Blister beetles (epicauta spp)
Cantharidin toxicity in HORSES –> potent irritant, diarrhea, stranguria, polakiuria and colic
moldy sweet clover
Melilotus officinalis - clover when baled improperly …. comourol turned to dicoumoral - anticoagulation in horses cattle and others
lush pastures
causes fog fever in cows - l tryptophan converted into a pneumotoxic compound (3 methylindol) leading to acute bovine pulmonary emphysema edema (ABPEE) - ddx: perilla ketone toxicity vs moldy sweet potato vs feedlot acute pulmonary interstitial pneumonia
purple mint OR moldy sweet potato
Purple mint (Perilla ketone grown in SE us) and moldy sweet potato - causes same syndrome. 4 ipomeanol toxicity leading to pulmonary edema and emphysema….
larkspur (delphinium spp)
contains toxic alkaloids that compete with aceytlcholine and cause neuromuscular blockade
causes sudden death in cows (before death - excitability, weakness, bloat)
young growing plants have the most toxic alkaloids
Horses and sheep more resistant
tall fescue (with endophyte)
Tall fescue infected with neotyphodium coenophialum (an endophyte)
H + C = hyperthermia and lameness
Cows: endophyte causes necrotic abdominal fat, also known as lipomatosis
Horses: agalactia, thickened placentas and prolonged gestation. Toxicity the worst in the last 3 months of gestation
Sorghum (sundan grass, johnson grass, milo grass)
Neorologic toxicity primarily in horses
Can also cause cyanide poisoning in cows
coffee senna toxicosis
Senna occidentalis
Causes a degenerative skeletal myopathy/cardiomyopathy –> decreased muscle tone, weakness, and slow gait that progresses to sternal recumbency… MYOGLOBINURIA
east and south texas and east to florida and north to virginia
grows around pens or shade trees… plants more attractive to cattle after a killing frost or after the plant is damaged by clipping or trampling
Locoweed
(astragalus or oxytropis spp.) increases risk of high mountain disease and CHF from pulmonary hypertension. also causes cats to stumble around, behavior changes, aggression etc
Toxic component: swainsonine
Differentials for cardiopulmonary disease: hardware disease and lymphosarcoma
black walnut (juglans nigra) in horses
laminitis in horses
Perenial Ryegrass (lolium perenne)
Ryegrass staggers due to toxin inside the plant (neotyphodium lolli)
Sheep, cattle, horses, llama
oak trees and acorns - which species and what does it cause
cows more sensitive than horses, renal and GI signs
bracken fern - what in what species
horses - leukoencephalomalacia cows - enzootic hematuria
azaelea (rhododendron)
alkaloid containing - cardiac arrythmias and severe gastric distress
greasewood (sarcobatus verniculatus) which species and what does it cause
mostly sheep - sometimes cattle - OXALATE is toxic component
think greasy sheep
(dullness, lowering head, salivation, coma) - death from hypocalcium and kidney failure
tetradymia (horsebrush) toxic to which species and what does it cause
hepatic photosensitization and edema throughout body, especially head –> big head disease
pigweed (amaranthus) causes what signs
renal signs!
