Special Report on Diseases of Cattle Part 8

_Treatment._--Allow as much warm water as the animal will drink; give protectives, such as linseed tea, etc. Linseed or olive oil may be given.

To keep up the heart action give ether, alcohol, camphor, digitalis, or coffee. To allay pain, give opium.

VEGETABLE POISONS.

Vegetable poisons may be divided into two cla.s.ses--those that are likely to be administered to the animal as medicine, and such as may be taken in the feed, either in the shape of poisonous plants or as plants or feeds of vegetable origin that have been damaged by fungi or by bacteria which have produced fermentation or putrefaction.

VEGETABLE POISONS USED AS MEDICINE.

OPIUM (MORPHIN, LAUDANUM) POISONING.

Opium and its alkaloid, morphia, are so commonly used in the practice of medicine that the poisonous result of an overdose is not uncommon. The common preparations are gum opium, the insp.i.s.sated juice of the poppy; powdered opium, made from the gum; tincture of opium, commonly called laudanum; and the alkaloid or active principle, morphia. Laudanum has about one-eighth the strength of the gum or powder. Morphia is present in good opium to the extent of about 10 per cent. In medicine it is a most useful agent in allaying pain. It first produces a stimulating action, which is followed by drowsiness, a disposition to sleep or complete anesthesia, depending on the quant.i.ty of the drug used. In poisonous doses a state of exhilaration is well marked at first. This is particularly noticeable in cattle and in horses. The animal becomes much excited, and this stage does not pa.s.s into insensibility unless an enormous dose has been given. If the dose is large enough, a second stage sometimes supervenes, in which the symptoms are those of congestion of the brain. The visible membranes have a bluish tint (cyanotic) from interference with the air supply. The breathing is slow, labored, and later stertorous; the pupils of the eyes are very much contracted; the skin dry and warm. Gas acc.u.mulates in the stomach, so that tympanites is a prominent symptom. The patient may be aroused by great noise or the infliction of sharp pain, when the breathing becomes more natural. A lapse into the comatose condition takes place when the excitement ceases. Later, there is perfect coma and the patient can no longer be aroused from the insensible condition. The contraction of the pupil becomes more marked, the breathing intermittent and slower, there is perspiration, the pulse more feeble and rapid, till death takes place.

Poisoning of cattle with opium or its products rarely goes beyond the stage of excitement, because the quant.i.ty of the drug required for the later effects is so great. Seventy-five grains of morphia administered subcutaneously has sufficed merely to excite for 12 hours.

_Treatment._--Give strong coffee, 1 to 4 quarts, aromatic spirits of ammonia or carbonate of ammonia. Atropia is the physiological antidote.

STRYCHNIN POISONING.

Strychnin is a very concentrated poison and produces its effect very quickly, usually only a few minutes being necessary if given in sufficient dose and in such a way that it will be at once absorbed. When employed as a medicine, as a rule, minimum doses should be used, as cattle are quite susceptible to its effects and may be killed by the maximum doses given in the common manuals of veterinary medicine. The first noticeable symptom is evidence of unrest or mental excitement; at the same time the muscles over the shoulder and croup may be seen to quiver or twitch, and later there occurs a more or less well-marked convulsion; the head is jerked back, the back arched and leg extended, the eyes drawn. The spasm continues for only a few minutes, when it relaxes and another occurs in a short time. The return is hastened by excitement and in a short time again disappears, continuing to disappear and reappear until death results. As the poisonous effect advances the intervals between the spasms become shorter and less marked and the spasms more severe until the animal dies in violent struggles.

_Treatment._--The best method is to put the patient under the influence of chloral, chloroform, or ether, and keep it there continuously until the effect of the poison has pa.s.sed off. Alcohol may be given in large doses.

ACONITE POISONING.

In recent years tincture of aconite has become a popular stable remedy. If an animal is ailing, aconite is given whether indicated or not. Fortunately the dose used is generally small, and for this reason the damage done is much less than it would otherwise be. Aconite is one of the most deadly poisons known. It produces paralysis of motion and sensation, depresses the heart's action, and causes death by paralysis of respiration. In large doses it causes profuse salivation, champing of the jaws, and attempts at swallowing. If not sufficient to cause death, there is impaired appet.i.te with more or less nausea for some time after. In poisonous doses it causes the animal to tremble violently, to lose power to support itself, and brings on slight convulsions, with perspiration. The pulse is depressed, irregular, and afterwards intermittent.

_Treatment._--The chemical antidote is tannic acid, which forms an insoluble compound with the aconitin. The depressing effect on the heart should be counteracted by the use of ammonia, digitalis, alcohol, camphor, or other diffusible stimulants, which have a physiological effect opposite to aconite.

POISONOUS PLANTS.

An important group of poisons may be cla.s.sed under this head. In most cases it is poison naturally belonging in the plant; in other cases the poisonous principle is developed in what would otherwise be harmless plants as a plant disease, or as a fermentation or putrefaction due to bacterial growth and observed in forage, grain, or meal that has become heated, damaged, or "spoilt."

The subject of poisonous plants is an important one and is of especial interest to those using the western stock ranges, for it is probable that there is no other single cause producing so many fatalities. In this article only a few of the more important plants are treated in a brief way, for an extended treatise would be necessary if the subject were to be handled adequately. Further information should be sought in the more elaborate publications. Many of the American poisonous plants have been treated in bulletins issued by the United States Department of Agriculture.

_Treatment for plant poisoning._--Remedies given by the mouth in most cases fail to give relief to cattle affected by poisonous plants. The material of the poisonous plants in the first stomach is not very largely affected by a remedy given as a drench. If any beneficial result is effected, it must be on the material which has already pa.s.sed into the fourth stomach, so that to get any real antidotal result the remedy must be given repeatedly in order to meet the alkaloid poisons as they are pa.s.sing through the fourth stomach. While certain substances like tannic acid and pota.s.sium permanganate are the logical antidotes for plant poisons, in practical application they are very disappointing in the treatment of ruminant animals. Reliance must be mainly on prevention and upon such remedies as will increase elimination. A laxative or purgative is always helpful, and for this purpose Epsom salt may be given in pound doses, or linseed oil in doses of 1 or 2 pints. In some few cases special remedies can be given as is indicated below.

It is well to bear in mind that cattle while grazing freely in good pasture are not likely to eat poisonous plants to any extent. If these same plants are gathered and thrown in a pile, the animals, through a kind of pernicious curiosity, may eat them with disastrous results. This has frequently happened when freshly cut branches of cherry, yew, oleander, and other plants have been thrown where dairy cattle could get at them.

OAKS.

The foliage of oaks is a valuable const.i.tuent of the forage on many ranges and pastures. It has been shown, however, that when this is eaten without some admixture of other food, cattle frequently sicken and die. Many cases of the poisoning of cattle by acorns have been reported in England and Germany, and there have been some complaints in the United States. Harmful results from eating acorns do not seem likely to occur except as they are eaten in considerable quant.i.ties.

_Symptoms._--The symptoms of oak poisoning are constipation, mucus and blood in the feces, emaciation, and edema. The symptoms of acorn poisoning are much the same.

_Treatment._--Change of pasture or an addition of other food material.

HORSE CHESTNUT--BUCKEYE.

All the species of _aesculus,_ popularly known as horse chestnut or buckeye, are considered poisonous. The bark, leaves, and fruit are injurious. It is said that if the fruit is boiled or roasted and washed out it becomes harmless and even is a desirable addition to the feed of cattle. The Indians in time of scarcity of food have used the fruit after preparing it in this way. The buckeyes are said to have a specific effect in producing abortion in cattle and goats.

DEATH CAMAS (SPECIES OF ZYGADENUS).

The death-camas plants, which are commonly known in the Pacific States as "lobelia," are especially destructive of sheep, but cattle sometimes eat them and are poisoned. Cases of cattle poisoning are not likely to result fatally.

_Symptoms._--The symptoms are salivation, nausea accompanied by vomiting, great weakness, and lowered temperature.

_Treatment._--There is no effective treatment for death-camas poisoning.

FLY POISON (CHROSPERMA MUSCaeTORIUM).

This plant, which is closely related to the death-camas plants, is sometimes known as "stagger gra.s.s" and causes a considerable loss in the Southern States. It grows earlier than the gra.s.ses, and on this account is more likely to be eaten. Like death camas, it produces p.r.o.nounced nausea, resulting in vomiting and weakness, and in cases which recover the effects may continue for several days. Apparently the injurious effects are more common in the case of cattle than in other domestic animals. There is no known way of treating these animals, though doubtless purgatives would be beneficial.

YEW (TAXUS BACCATA).

The European yew has long been known as a very poisonous plant. It is cultivated in America, and while cases of poisoning have not been common, it is well to recognize its dangerous character. A comparatively small dose is poisonous and ordinarily acts with great rapidity. It causes respiratory paralysis and the animal dies in convulsions.

LAUREL.

The laurels, including the broad-leafed laurel, _Kalmia latifolia_, the narrow-leafed laurel, _Kalmia angustifolia_, the rhododendrons, and other closely related plants are poisonous and cause considerable losses. It is dangerous to let cattle graze where these plants are abundant at times when other forage is scarce. The symptoms are salivation, nausea and vomiting, spasms, dizziness, stupor, and death.

FERN.

The common brake or bracken fern, _Pteris aquilina_, has been considered responsible for the poisoning of many horses and cattle. Many cases have been reported in England and Germany, and some well-authenticated cases in the United States. Very little has been learned experimentally of fern poisoning, but there seems to be little question that it has been the cause of many deaths. The symptoms are said to be temperature higher than normal, loss of appet.i.te, b.l.o.o.d.y discharges from mouth, nose, and bowels, and great depression followed by coma and death. Some authors say that the urine is colored by blood. It is thought by some that the disease known as "red water" in the northwestern United States and Canada is caused by eating ferns.

SORGHUM POISONING.

Under certain conditions sorghum contains enough hydrocyanic acid to make it exceedingly dangerous to cattle. These cases of poisoning most commonly occur when cattle are pastured upon the young plant or upon a field where the crop has been cut and is making a second growth. Conditions of drought make the sorghum especially dangerous. There is some reason to think that the frosted second growth is particularly rich in hydrocyanic acid. The cases of poisoning occur when animals are grazed upon the plant, but not from the harvested crop or from silage. If cattle are grazed on sorghum or sorghum stubble they should at first be under constant observation and should be removed as soon as any signs of illness appear. Similar precautions should be used in grazing kafir.

CORNSTALK DISEASE.

Considerable losses of cattle have occurred when they were turned upon cornfields in the fall. Deaths come very suddenly and there is no opportunity to apply remedies. It has been thought that these fatalities, like those from sorghum, were caused by hydrocyanic acid, but there is good reason to think that this is not true, and at the present time there is no accepted explanation of this disease, although there seems to be no doubt that it is connected in some way with the condition of the corn. Whether a given field is poisonous or not can only be determined by experiment, and the wise farmer will keep his cattle under close observation when they are first turned into a cornfield.

WATER HEMLOCK (CICUTA).