Due to a series of unfortunate events, as well as a sabbatical I am taking, there will be no share openings until Feb 1 2007. I will contact people on the waiting list mid January to let them know the status. Please feel free to contact me, and if you would like to be on the waiting list , please let me know.
I do anticipate openings at that time.
Monday, November 06, 2006
October 2
We have had a major disaster.
Yesterday afternoon Caleb comes running in extremely upset. I had 2 cow, 2 calves 9 goats, and a sheep who were either dead or slobbering and down. ONLY in one pasture. I have gotten hay over the summer from this farm, 2 types, a fescue orchard mix, and a mostly orchard mix. Had 3 bales of the mostly orchard, one in barnyard, 1 unfed, and night before last put one in with the Shetland, goat, and black mali pasture. Called Vet, he came out, and told me to get the hay out. He stomach pumped 2 cows, a calf, and 3 goats. Was able to isolate some freshly eaten stuff out of one cow, but the rest was gross mush. Vet called the plant expert, and the guy just happened to be in c’ville for a meeting and came out about 45 later, while we were checking the hay. Pulled the hay bale out, and tore it all up. We came up with a couple things, and when Stuart got here he said hardy oleander, that we had a very mild winter last year and that though unusual there had been several horses lost to it this year up his way. It grows much better in orchard grass fields than fescue as the fescue crowds it out.
So I had to dispose of a bunch of dead animals. One cow was lost, and the one that survived so far they said would most likely abort. She is not eating now and looks horrible. (update…she is doing OK now, and has showed no signs yet of aborting) Lost my only 2nd generation black mali heifer calf, and a Holstein bottle calf. The calf he pumped is the one on the cow that lived, but her milk looks gone now, so I will have to bring him-who-is wild in and feed him out somehow. The sheep died, and 5 goats, 2 are in critical, 2 are up and about. Tore up the last bale in the yard and didn’t see anything, but since it was the same batch we are going to trash it. He said don’t use for bedding or we could loose ducks or geese if they somehow got it.
Sooo, we had some Hay that has a VERY SMALL amount of hardy oleander in it. Tragic. I am still shaky here/
UPDATE: As of today, we have lost 19 goats, 1 cow, 3 calves, and 1 sheep. According to all the resources I can find, 14 days is when the toxin should be though the system, and the last outliers of death will happen. That will be Sunday October 15.
NOTE:
Thankfully, this is ONLY in the one pasture, and we did not put the bale in the dairy cows pastures. That would have been an unrecoverable disaster. We had no dairy cows exposed to it, We have a different source for hay and the people we bought it from have been very concerned and diligent in checking pastures and allowing the plant guy to review the land.
One thing the plant guy told me to keep in mind is for people to be careful NOT to purchase ANY plant that looks like the oleander from places that sell tropicals, especially those that set up in parking lots with tents. One of the items of trivia I learned was that in Sri Lanka Oleander seeds are a preferred method of suicide, an average of 2000 people a year use them to kill themselves. It is a very toxic plant!
Symptoms of Poisoning
Unfortunately, the first symptom noticed may often be a dead goat. Some symptoms include: frothing at the mouth,
vomiting, staggering, trembling, crying for help, rapid or labored breathing, convulsions and sudden
death. If you observe any of these symptoms and suspect poisoning, first try to figure out what poisoned
the goat. Then, remove the goat from the suspected source of poison. Call a veterinarian as soon as
possible. If possible, remove the poison from the goat. You can place 2 tablespoons of salt on the back
of the goat's tongue to induce vomiting. You can also administer charcoal tablets and rehydration fluids
along with some mineral oil. The charcoal will bind some of the toxins, the fluids will prevent
dehydration and the oil will coat the gastrointestinal tract and prevent foaming.
Poisoning and reactions to Oleander plants are evident quickly, requiring immediate medical care in suspected or known poisonings of both humans and animals (Goetz 1998). Induced vomiting and gastric lavage are protective measures to reduce absorption of the toxic compounds. Charcoal may also be administered to help absorb any remaining toxins (Inchem 2005). Further medical attention may be required and will depend on the severity of the poisoning and symptoms.
Drying of plant materials does not eliminate the toxins. It is also hazardous for animals such as sheep, horses, cattle, and other grazing animals, with as little as 100 g being enough to kill an adult horse (Knight 1999). Plant clippings are especially dangerous to horses, as they are sweet. Symptoms of a poisoned horse include severe diarrhoea and abnormal heartbeat. There are a wide range of toxins and secondary compounds within Oleander, and care should be taken around this plant due to its toxic nature. Different names for Oleander are used around the world in different locations (see top of page), so when encountering a plant by any of these names care and caution should be used. Many of Oleander's relatives have similar leaves and also contain toxic compounds
Scientific Name: Nerium oleander
Common Name: Oleander
Species MostOften Affected:
horses, cattle, sheep, dogs, humans, goats
Poisonous Parts:
all, leaves, stems
Primary Poisons:
nerioside, oleandroside, saponins, cardiac glycosides
We have had a major disaster.
Yesterday afternoon Caleb comes running in extremely upset. I had 2 cow, 2 calves 9 goats, and a sheep who were either dead or slobbering and down. ONLY in one pasture. I have gotten hay over the summer from this farm, 2 types, a fescue orchard mix, and a mostly orchard mix. Had 3 bales of the mostly orchard, one in barnyard, 1 unfed, and night before last put one in with the Shetland, goat, and black mali pasture. Called Vet, he came out, and told me to get the hay out. He stomach pumped 2 cows, a calf, and 3 goats. Was able to isolate some freshly eaten stuff out of one cow, but the rest was gross mush. Vet called the plant expert, and the guy just happened to be in c’ville for a meeting and came out about 45 later, while we were checking the hay. Pulled the hay bale out, and tore it all up. We came up with a couple things, and when Stuart got here he said hardy oleander, that we had a very mild winter last year and that though unusual there had been several horses lost to it this year up his way. It grows much better in orchard grass fields than fescue as the fescue crowds it out.
So I had to dispose of a bunch of dead animals. One cow was lost, and the one that survived so far they said would most likely abort. She is not eating now and looks horrible. (update…she is doing OK now, and has showed no signs yet of aborting) Lost my only 2nd generation black mali heifer calf, and a Holstein bottle calf. The calf he pumped is the one on the cow that lived, but her milk looks gone now, so I will have to bring him-who-is wild in and feed him out somehow. The sheep died, and 5 goats, 2 are in critical, 2 are up and about. Tore up the last bale in the yard and didn’t see anything, but since it was the same batch we are going to trash it. He said don’t use for bedding or we could loose ducks or geese if they somehow got it.
Sooo, we had some Hay that has a VERY SMALL amount of hardy oleander in it. Tragic. I am still shaky here/
UPDATE: As of today, we have lost 19 goats, 1 cow, 3 calves, and 1 sheep. According to all the resources I can find, 14 days is when the toxin should be though the system, and the last outliers of death will happen. That will be Sunday October 15.
NOTE:
Thankfully, this is ONLY in the one pasture, and we did not put the bale in the dairy cows pastures. That would have been an unrecoverable disaster. We had no dairy cows exposed to it, We have a different source for hay and the people we bought it from have been very concerned and diligent in checking pastures and allowing the plant guy to review the land.
One thing the plant guy told me to keep in mind is for people to be careful NOT to purchase ANY plant that looks like the oleander from places that sell tropicals, especially those that set up in parking lots with tents. One of the items of trivia I learned was that in Sri Lanka Oleander seeds are a preferred method of suicide, an average of 2000 people a year use them to kill themselves. It is a very toxic plant!
Symptoms of Poisoning
Unfortunately, the first symptom noticed may often be a dead goat. Some symptoms include: frothing at the mouth,
vomiting, staggering, trembling, crying for help, rapid or labored breathing, convulsions and sudden
death. If you observe any of these symptoms and suspect poisoning, first try to figure out what poisoned
the goat. Then, remove the goat from the suspected source of poison. Call a veterinarian as soon as
possible. If possible, remove the poison from the goat. You can place 2 tablespoons of salt on the back
of the goat's tongue to induce vomiting. You can also administer charcoal tablets and rehydration fluids
along with some mineral oil. The charcoal will bind some of the toxins, the fluids will prevent
dehydration and the oil will coat the gastrointestinal tract and prevent foaming.
Poisoning and reactions to Oleander plants are evident quickly, requiring immediate medical care in suspected or known poisonings of both humans and animals (Goetz 1998). Induced vomiting and gastric lavage are protective measures to reduce absorption of the toxic compounds. Charcoal may also be administered to help absorb any remaining toxins (Inchem 2005). Further medical attention may be required and will depend on the severity of the poisoning and symptoms.
Drying of plant materials does not eliminate the toxins. It is also hazardous for animals such as sheep, horses, cattle, and other grazing animals, with as little as 100 g being enough to kill an adult horse (Knight 1999). Plant clippings are especially dangerous to horses, as they are sweet. Symptoms of a poisoned horse include severe diarrhoea and abnormal heartbeat. There are a wide range of toxins and secondary compounds within Oleander, and care should be taken around this plant due to its toxic nature. Different names for Oleander are used around the world in different locations (see top of page), so when encountering a plant by any of these names care and caution should be used. Many of Oleander's relatives have similar leaves and also contain toxic compounds
Scientific Name: Nerium oleander
Common Name: Oleander
Species MostOften Affected:
horses, cattle, sheep, dogs, humans, goats
Poisonous Parts:
all, leaves, stems
Primary Poisons:
nerioside, oleandroside, saponins, cardiac glycosides
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