Moldy sweet clover (dicoumarol) poisoning in Saskatchewan cattle

Information pertaining to 286 animals from 56 herds affected by moldy sweet clover poisoning in Saskatchewan during 1983 was tabulated from the toxicology laboratory records. The morbidity in the affected herds was 12.1%, with a case fatality of 65.5%. Aborted fetuses and calves less than two weeks of age were affected with sweet clover poisoning most often. Sweet clover poisoning was more common during the period from January to April, 91.6% of the morbid animals were seen at this time. The rates of poisoning in beef and dairy cattle were estimated to be 0.156 and 0.095 cases per 1000 cattle respectively. Sweet clover poisoning was observed with the use of large of small bales of sweet clover in 78.9% of the affected herds. The geographical distribution of sweet clover poisoning in Saskatchewan followed the northern regions of the dark brown soil zone and the southern regions of the black soil zone which extend from the mid northwest portion of the province to the extreme southeast region.

Dicoumarol concentrations were determined on a variety of tissues including liver, plasma, serum, kidney and muscle. Significant differences in the liver dicoumarol concentrations were found between animals of different ages (P = 0.045). Livers from younger animals, in particular, the fetus, contained lower concentrations of dicoumarol.

     

Acorn poisoning in cattle.

Ten cows in a suckler herd totalling 60 sickened after grazing parkland which was heavily covered with acorns. Two died. The main clinical signs were dullness, anorexia and constipation. The main pathological findings were severe nephrosis and some intestinal ulceration. After removal to an acorn-free pasture, the remaining eight animals made a full recovery.     

Abomasal impaction of cattle in Saskatchewan

Seventy-five necropsy reports of cattle diagnosed as abomasal impaction by the Pathology Department of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine were reviewed. Twenty percent of all affected animals had lesions of traumatic reticuloperitonitis and 60% were believed to be primarily dietary in origin resulting from the ingestion of too much fibre. The remaining 20% did not fit into either category. Abomasal tears, ulcers, and necrosis of the walls of the rumen, omasum, or abomasum were recorded in almost half of the cases. Pyloric stenosis was not encountered. The disease occurred mostly in winter in association with straw feed. Sixty percent of impacted beef cattle suffered from the dietary form, but the majority of dairy cattle, which would have been fed better diets, had the traumatic form which may have been precipitated by dry fibrous feeds. There was no indication of a higher incidence in heavily pregnant animals. Thirty-five of the animals necropsied had been presented alive, and the clinical features of the two main types of abomasal impaction were examined. Cattle with impactions associated with traumatic reticuloperitonitis were sick for a longer period than those animals with dietary related impactions, were single incident cases, and had a statistically significant rise in serum protein.     

Bog asphodel (Narthecium ossifragum) poisoning in cattle.

Fifteen cows among a herd of 50 suckler cows and calves rapidly lost body condition and became dull and anorexic after grazing pasture containing bog asphodel (Narthecium ossifragum) during the summer of 1989. The affected cows had evidence of kidney damage characterised by elevated plasma urea and creatinine concentrations. Eleven cows died and diffuse renal tubular necrosis was present in three cows which were examined post mortem. Similar renal lesions were reproduced experimentally by feeding bog asphodel to a healthy calf.     

Benzene hexachloride poisoning in cattle.

Of 174 cattle dipped in an emulsified preparation of benzene hexachloride labeled for plant use, 18 were fatally poisoned. The preparation contained 0.14% active ingredient, gamma isomer of benzene hexachloride (BHC), a normally safe concentration for cattle. Analyses revealed 0.08% gamma BHC in the used dip and 0.5, 7.9, and 198 ppm in liver, kidney, and hairskin specimens, respectively, from a fatally affected cow. Microscopic examination of the freshly prepared dip demonstrated emulsion droplets ranging from 5 to 60 mu in diameter.