Plant Poisoning In Livestock
It has come to our notice that some dairy farmers, in the past few weeks, have lost their livestock in some unclear & mysterious circumstances and we wish to state as follows;
THAT, some plants are naturally poisonous to animals while others can become toxic as a result of periods of prolonged drought.
The latter is as a result of the ability of these plants to concentrate high quantities of nitrates during the drought and especially so when they are young. These plants range from food crops, fodder crops and weeds.
When livestock, especially ruminants feed on such plants, the nitrates are converted into nitrites in the rumen. Some of these nitrites get absorbed into the blood stream through the ruminal wall. Nitrites are highly toxic to the blood and denies oxygen to the affected animal leading to sudden death.
Prevention:
Prevent the animals from accessing the potentially toxic plants. If you suspect nitrate or nitrite poisoning, seek immediate veterinary advice. For our farmers in Nandi please Contact 0722385360
Read more: https://bit.ly/2vdpySs