Cyanide poisoning

Attention! This is a potentially life-threatening condition for your Cow. Time is of the essence, contact your veterinarian immediately.

Cyanide Poisoning

Hydrocyanic Acid Toxicity, Prussic Acid Poisoning

Cyanide (also referred to as prussic acid and hydrocyanic acid) poisoning occurs sporadically in grazing cattle. Cyanide is a rapid acting toxin which inhibits the use of oxygen by the cells in the animal's body, resulting in suffocation.

It occurs when cattle ingest cyanogenic plants. The amount of cyanide present in the plants varies depending on the plant part, season, stage of growth of the plant, whether herbicides were recently used, and environmental conditions. Drought and frost or freezing are stressful conditions that increase the risk of high levels of cyanide accumulation in affected plants. Any stressful condition that inhibits the growth of the plant can cause higher amounts of cyanide to develop. New plant growth also has higher levels of cyanide then mature plants. Leaves of cyanide-accumulating forage grasses produce 25 times more cyanide than the stems.

Symptoms

Drooling
Difficulty breathing
Sudden death
Collapse
Staggering
Bright pink mucous membranes
Blood is a bright cherry red color

Diagnosis

  • History
  • Clinical signs
  • Physical exam
  • Laboratory tests

Treatment


Treatment TypeDetailsReference
Sodium nitrite
Sodium thiosulfate

Prevention

  • Learn which plants are toxic and walk your property every season to survey for their presence. Remove or fence off plants which can accumulate large amounts of cyanide.
  • Don't leave hedge trimmings from toxic plants where cattle can access.

Prognosis

Poor

Article Reference

Risk Factors

  • Letting cattle graze or have access to plants or trees that have the potential to accumulate high levels of cyanide
  • Leaving hedge trimmings from poisonous plants where cattle can access them.

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