Abstract
In many rangeland settings, there is more than one potential poisonous plant. Two poisonous plants that are often found growing simultaneously in the same location in North American rangelands are death camas (Zigadenus spp.) and low larkspur (Delphinium spp.). The objective of this study was to determine if co-administration of death camas would exacerbate the toxicity of low larkspur in cattle. Cattle dosed with 2.0 g of death camas/kg BW showed slight frothing and lethargy, whereas cattle dosed with both death camas and low larkspur showed increased clinical signs of poisoning. Although qualitative differences in clinical signs of intoxication in cattle co-treated with death camas and low larkspur were observed, there were not any significant quantitative differences in heart rate or exercise-induced muscle fatigue. Co-treatment with death camas and low larkspur did not affect the serum zygacine kinetics, however, there was a difference in the larkspur alkaloid kinetics in the co-exposure group. Overall, the results from this study suggest that co-exposure to death camas and low larkspur is not significantly more toxic to cattle than exposure to the plants individually. The results from this study increase our knowledge and understanding regarding the acute toxicity of death camas and low larkspur in cattle.
Highlights
Most rangelands that are used for livestock grazing contain more than one poisonous plant.Two poisonous plants that are often found in the same rangeland are low larkspur (Delphinium spp., Ranunculaceae) and death camas (Zigadenus spp., Melianthaceae)
Steers dosed with mg/kgwas zygacine demonstrated pronounced of poisoning, including frothing, vomiting,lethargy, and weakness, which was highlighted by vomiting the fact thatincreased they severity of clinical signs including frothing, weakness, dyspnea, and as were not able to walk on the treadmill for 5 min at both 8 and 24 h post‐dosing
There was a trend for a greater effect in the steers receiving both death camas and low larkspur, especially at the 4 h time point, where only one of the four DC + LL steers was able to walk on the treadmill for 5 min
Summary
Two poisonous plants that are often found in the same rangeland are low larkspur (Delphinium spp., Ranunculaceae) and death camas (Zigadenus spp., Melianthaceae (formerly Liliaceae)). Both of these plants emerge early in the spring and exhibit similar phenological growth stages. The overgrazing of ranges, wherein higher quality forages have been depleted or management errors result in hungry animals being moved into death camas/larkspur-infested areas, greatly increases the risk of livestock poisonings [1]. Livestock losses to death camas have been reported in numerous species including sheep and cattle [2,3,4]. The toxic compounds in low larkspur are norditerpenoid alkaloids with methyllycaconitine
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