Cattle Toxicity from Woolly Locoweed (\u3cem\u3eAstragalus mollissimus\u3c/em\u3e): A Case Study in Central New Mexico

Livestock toxicity resulting from poisonous plants poses a significant challenge for ranchers, particularly concerning locoweeds (Astragalus spp. or Oxytropis spp.). This study investigated a case of cattle poisoning in central New Mexico, where clinical signs were consistent with locoweed toxicity. Rangeland conditions were hot and dry following earlier spring rains, promoting advantageous environmental conditions for a locoweed outbreak. Analysis of Woolly locoweed (Astragalus mollissimus) and animal samples from the ranch confirmed the presence of swainsonine, a key toxin in locoweeds. It can be concluded that the likely cause of cattle losses was locoweed toxicity, highlighting the need for proactive management strategies when environmental conditions are conducive to increases in locoweed populations

An Evaluation of the Susceptibility of Goats to Larkspur Toxicosis

Larkspurs (Delphinium spp.) are a major cause of cattle losses in western North America, whereas sheep have been shown to be resistant to larkspur toxicosis. Goats are often used as a small ruminant model to study poisonous plants, even though they can be more resistant to some poisonous plants. It is not known how susceptible goats are to the adverse effects of larkspurs. In this study, we evaluated the susceptibility of goats to larkspur toxicosis by performing a dose-response study. We dosed goats with D. barbeyi collected near Cedar City, Utah at 3.3, 4.4, 6.6, 8.8 and 10.0 g plant material per kg body weight. None of the goats, at any of the doses, exhibited clinical signs typical of larkspur poisoning, including no observable muscle weakness. We conclude that goats are resistant to larkspur toxicosis, and thus it is very unlikely that goats would be poisoned by larkspur

Comparison of Sheep and Goats to the Acute Toxic Effects of Foothill Death Camas

Death camas (Zigadenus spp) is a perennial forb found throughout the western United States, which is known to kill both sheep and cattle. In a previous study, goats appeared to be somewhat resistant to the adverse effects of death camas. Therefore, the objective of this study was to directly compare the susceptibility of goats and sheep to the acute toxic effects of death camas. Sheep and goats were dosed at 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, and 6.0 g death camas per kg BW. The data presented in this manuscript suggest that goats are more susceptible to death camas than sheep. There were no differences in the serum concentrations of zygadenine in sheep versus goats. There was a difference between goats and sheep in the severity of observed clinical signs of poisoning. This is highlighted by the fact that five goats from the two highest doses died, whereas none of the sheep died. Consequently, when grazing goats in death camas infested pastures as much caution, if not more, should be taken than one would with sheep. Additionally, the data presented in the study suggests that goats can be used as a small ruminant model to study the toxic effects of death camas

The effect of western juniper on the estrous cycle in beef cattle

Numerous evergreen trees and shrubs contain labdane acids, including isocupressic acid, which can cause late-term abortions in cattle. Recent research has shown that the bark from western juniper trees can also cause late-term abortions in cattle. Additionally, ranchers have observed that cattle in western juniper-infested rangelands tend to have decreased conception rates. The objective of this study was to determine if western juniper alters the estrous cycle of cattle. Fourteen heifers (10 treated and 4 control) were monitored for 74 days for signs of normal estrous behavior, with a 21 day feeding trial with western juniper bark from days 28-48, after which the cattle were bred naturally with a bull. The cattle were checked for pregnancy 30 days after all cattle had been bred. The data from this study indicate that exposure to western juniper bark does not affect normal estrus, estrous cycle or conception rates of cattle.Keywords: Cattle, Isocupressic acid, Estrus, Abortion, Western juniper, Estrous cycl

Laparoscopic spleen-preserving pancreatic resection for epidermoid cyst in an intrapancreatic accessory spleen: case report and literature review

Bo Zhou,1 Qiyi Zhang,1 Canyang Zhan,2 Yuan Ding,1 Sheng Yan1 1Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Neonatology, Children’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China Introduction: An epidermoid cyst in an intrapancreatic accessory spleen (ECIPAS) is a rare non-neoplastic cyst, typically occurring in the pancreatic tail. It is difficult to preoperatively differentiate ECIPAS from other types of pancreatic neoplastic cysts.Case presentation: We herein report a case of a 32-year-old man with a cystic tumor in the tail of the pancreas. The patient underwent a laparoscopic spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy, and histological examination revealed the presence of ECIPAS. In addition, we also performed a literature review of 42 case reports of ECIPAS.Conclusion: Although the preoperative diagnosis of ECIPAS is relatively difficult, familiarity with the imaging features, the clinical presentation and the location of the cyst could lead to a correct preoperative diagnosis of ECIPAS, which might thereby reduce the number of unnecessary resections. Keywords: epidermoid cyst, accessory spleen, pancrea