‘Oleander Toxicity’ Caused Cow Deaths

The death of eight cows at a Devonshire farm in November 2011 was caused by “oleander toxicity,” the Department of Environmental Protection said this morning.

Belhaven Farm experienced the sudden deaths of eight cows between November 14 and 16, 2011. Quarantine was immediately instituted, and the matter was investigated. No other farms were affected.

The owner of the farm contacted veterinarian Dr. Dane Coombs, who performed necropsies on several of the animals, and determined that the deaths were due to oleander toxicity.

A Department of Environmental Protection spokesperson said, “As the deaths ceased just a quickly as they began, it became quite apparent that the causative agent was no longer active and the quarantine was lifted after approximately 10 days.

“The history, clinical signs, necropsy findings, findings on the farm and laboratory results are all consistent with a diagnosis of oleander toxicity. There is no evidence of negligence or malice in this case.

“While oleander is a plant found commonly in Bermuda, it is highly toxic if ingested. Ingestion of oleander clippings or trimming by large animals often results from well-meaning persons offering a ‘treat’ of mixed foliage, and as little as 10-20 leaves can be fatal to an average sized cow.

“Also, larger cows will bully smaller cows away from the feed trough and the larger animals ingest more feedstuffs, and that appears to have happened at Belhaven,” said the spokesperson.

“The Department of Environmental Protection thanks the farm owner and hands, and Dr. Coombs for the work and cooperation in this matter.”

#Animal #BelhavenFarm #Cows #InjuredAnimals #PlantsAndFlowers

Category: All, Environment