ABSTRACT

The difficulty when dealing with a suspected poisoning lies in having to consider the vast number of potential toxins while being faced with the urgency to start specific treatment. Goats, like other ruminants, are potentially susceptible to poisoning if they eat excessive amounts of oxalate containing plants. Goats can develop nitrate poisoning via a number of differing routes and from different sources. Both acute and chronic copper poisoning can occur in goats, but they do appear to be inherently more resistant to the effects of increased copper intake than sheep. Poisoning episodes most typically occur after a free access urea-containing product is introduced suddenly or following a period of unavailability, or because of uneven mixing into a ration. Non-specific signs of abdominal pain, mucoid diarrhoea and profound depression are evident in acute toxicity. The genus Rhododendron includes rhododendrons, azaleas and pieris, all of which are wild or ornamental shrubs found worldwide.