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Alpaca plant poisonings: nitrate–nitrite and possible cyanide
Author(s) -
McKenzie RA,
Gordon AN,
Burren BG,
Gibson JA,
Gardner MP
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
australian veterinary journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.382
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1751-0813
pISSN - 0005-0423
DOI - 10.1111/j.1751-0813.2009.00400.x
Subject(s) - cyanide , nitrate , nitrite , avena , dry matter , chemistry , hay , zoology , toxicology , agronomy , biology , inorganic chemistry , organic chemistry
Nitrate–nitrite poisoning killed four adult alpacas and induced the abortion of a full‐term fetus after access to oaten hay ( Avena sativa ) containing 3.2% KNO 3 equivalent in dry matter. Necropsy findings were cyanosis, dark‐coloured blood, and pulmonary congestion and oedema. Aqueous humour from two adults contained 25 mg NO 3 /L and that from the fetus contained 10 mg NO 3 /L. Cyanide poisoning possibly killed two adult wether alpacas that ate a garden‐cultivated variety of Osteospermum ecklonis (South African daisy, bietou) with a cyanide potential of 6800 mg HCN/kg dry matter.