Salinomycin toxicosis in horses.

Case Description: A 4-month-old American Paint filly was evaluated because of sudden onset of ataxia that progressed to recumbency. Five additional horses from the same and neighboring premises developed signs of poor performance, generalized weakness, ataxia, and recumbency; 2 of those horses were also evaluated. A new batch of a commercial feed supplement had been introduced to the horses' diet on each farm within the preceding 3 days.

Effects of desflurane and mode of ventilation on cardiovascular and respiratory functions and clinicopathologic variables in horses.

Objective: To quantitate the effects of desflurane and mode of ventilation on cardiovascular and respiratory functions and identify changes in selected clinicopathologic variables and serum fluoride values associated with desflurane anesthesia in horses.

Animals: 6 healthy adult horses.

Procedure: Horses were anesthetized on 2 occasions: first, to determine the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of desflurane in O2 and second, to characterize cardiopulmonary and clinicopathologic responses to 1X, 1.

Effects of sevoflurane dose and mode of ventilation on cardiopulmonary function and blood biochemical variables in horses.

Objective: To quantitate effects of dose of sevoflurane and mode of ventilation on cardiovascular and respiratory function in horses and identify changes in serum biochemical values associated with sevoflurane anesthesia.

Animals: 6 healthy adult horses.

Procedure: Horses were anesthetized twice: first, to determine the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of sevoflurane and second, to characterize cardiopulmonary and serum biochemical responses of horses to 1.

Normal and toxic zinc concentrations in serum/plasma and liver of psittacines with respect to genus differences.

Determination of zinc concentration in serum/plasma and tissue of caged and aviary birds is commonly requested by practitioners because of an increased awareness of zinc toxicity. However, interpretation of zinc levels is often based on normal zinc concentrations established for poultry. Also, it is likely that intergenus differences exist in normal zinc concentrations of pet birds.

An outbreak of food-borne illness associated with methomyl-contaminated salt.

Context: On January 5, 1999, the California Department of Health Services was notified of the repeated occurrence (December 21, 1998, and January 2, 1999) of gastrointestinal tract illness among patrons at a Thai restaurant in central California.

Objective: To identify the source of the outbreak.

Design: Case-control study; microbiological and toxicological laboratory testing of samples of food, stool, and vomitus.

Screening and mass spectral confirmation of beta-lactam antibiotic residues in milk using LC-MS/MS.

Milk is typically screened for beta-lactam antibiotics by nonspecific methods. Although these methods are rapid and sensitive, they are not quantitative and can yield false positive findings. A sensitive and specific method for the quantitation and mass spectral confirmation of five beta-lactam and two cephalosporin antibiotics commonly or potentially used in the dairy industry is described using high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry.

Botulism in the horse.

Botulism should be considered in cases where weakness, paralysis, or intolerance to exercise might be seen in the horse. Dysphagia may also be present, although it is not a consistent finding. Potential sources include carrion in hay, moldy or otherwise rotted vegetation or forage, birds carrying material from animal burial or other similar sites, and contaminated carcasses on-site.

Diagnosis and approach to poisoning in the horse.

Poisoning in the horse can present a highly complex case. The practitioner, owner, toxicologist, and pathologist play important roles, and all contribute information that may be important to the case. Once all the information is available, all the evidence is collected (historical, clinical, pathologic, and analytic), and proper sampling of specimens has occurred, a complete summary of the findings can be provided to the client.

Diphacinone and zinc phosphide toxicity in a flock of Peafowl.

Toxicity probably due to a combination of diphacinone and zinc phosphide was diagnosed in a flock of peafowl, in which 35 birds in a flock of 80 died over a span of 10 days without any apparent clinical signs. Chickens and guinea fowl, 30 each on the same premises, were not affected. Plastic tubes containing diphacinone and zinc phosphide were used on the premises to control ground squirrels.

Diagnostic toxicology for the food animal practitioner.

In most competent veterinary diagnostic laboratories, analytic findings are interpreted by a veterinary toxicologist to determine the significance of the finding in light of historical, clinical, and pathologic findings. A veterinary toxicologist also provides consultation about possible toxic rule-outs for a case, treatment of affected animals, and prevention of additional cases. Once all of the information is available, a complete summary of the findings can be provided to the client.

Comparison of two heavy metal chelators for treatment of lead toxicosis in cockatiels.

Objective: To compare efficacy and safety of meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) and Ca EDTA for treatment of experimentally induced lead toxicosis in cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus).

Animals: 137 (69 females, 68 males) healthy cockatiels between 6 months and 8 years old.

Procedure: Lead toxicosis was induced by placing lead shot in the gastrointestinal tract.

Type C botulism in dairy cattle from feed contaminated with a dead cat.

Four hundred twenty-seven of 441 adult Holstein dairy cattle from a 1,200-cow dairy died over a 1-week period during early spring 1998. Affected animals were from 4 late lactation pens, one of which included the bull string. Signs included weakness, recumbency, watery diarrhea, and death.

Multiresidue screen for cardiotoxins by two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography.

A two-dimensional thin-layer chromatographic method was developed for the qualitative determination of the cardiotoxins oleandrin, gitoxin, digitoxin, gitoxigenin, and grayanotoxins I, II, and III in gastrointestinal contents (stomach, rumen, colon, and cecum contents), feces, and plant material. The cardiotoxins were extracted with dichloromethane. The extract was cleaned up by charcoal and reverse phase solid-phase extraction columns.

Selenium elimination in pigs after an outbreak of selenium toxicosis.

In May 1996, 150 grower pigs in 5 California counties were exposed to selenium-contaminated feed distributed by a single feed company. Feed samples from 20 herds had a mean selenium concentration of 121.7 ppm dry weight (range, 22.

Blue-green algae toxicosis in cattle.

Twenty-four of 175 heifers died after ingesting water from a stock pond containing blue-green algae (genus Microcystis) in southern Colorado. Affected cattle were found dead or had signs of nervousness, and were recumbent, weak, anorectic, and hypersensitive to noise when first examined. All cattle died within 3 days after the onset of signs.

Comparison of disease in calves dosed orally with oak or commercial tannic acid.

Commercial tannic acid has been used as a substitute for leaves and acorns in studies of oak toxicosis in some species. The toxicity of a commercial tannic acid given orally to calves was determined, and the clinical signs, laboratory findings, and pyrogallol production were compared with those found in calves dosed orally with oak leaves. The oak-fed calves developed the clinical signs and lesions characteristic of renal failure.

Sweet clover poisoning in dairy cattle in California.

Eight of 600 Holstein heifers and cows died after ingestion of sweet clover silage (Melilotus sp) that contained excessive concentrations of dicumarol caused by mold infestation. The cattle developed subcutaneous hemorrhages and bled from the vagina, became weak, were unable to move, and died. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of sweet clover poisoning in cattle from California and is discussed in light of previous findings in the Midwest and Canada.

Comparison of nicotinic receptor binding and biotransformation of coniine in the rat and chick.

Coniine, an alkaloid from Conium maculatum (poison hemlock), is a known teratogen in many domestic species with maternal ingestion resulting in arthrogryposis of the offspring. We have previously shown that rats are not susceptible and rabbits only weakly susceptible to coniine-induced arthrogryposis. However, the chick embryo does provide a reproducible laboratory animal model of coniine-induced teratogenesis.

Primary photosensitization related to ingestion of alfalfa silage by cattle.

A herd of 650 Holstein cows was examined for skin disease. Approximately 400 of the lactating adults were affected, but heifers, calves, and nonlactating cows were clinically normal. The condition was characteristic of primary photosensitization.

Diagnosis of oleander poisoning in livestock.

Since mid-1989, 37 cases of oleander poisoning in livestock have been diagnosed at the California Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory System. The most frequent source for oleander exposure was plant clippings. Sudden death was the most common presenting complaint.

Diagnostic and forensic toxicology.

In most competent veterinary diagnostic laboratories, analytical findings are interpreted by the veterinary toxicologist to determine the significance of the finding in view of historic, clinical, and pathologic findings. A veterinary toxicologist also will provide consultation about possible toxic rule-outs for a case, treatment of affected animals, and prevention of additional cases. Once all of the information is available, a complete summary of the findings can be provided to the client.