Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Poisoning by Brunfelsia uniflora causes convulsions in sheep
By Mello, Gustavo W et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc·2018·Universidade Estadual do Piauí·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Poisoning by Brunfelsia uniflora in sheep and donkeys.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A group of sheep and donkeys showed nervous symptoms after eating leaves from the Brunfelsia uniflora plant during the rainy season. Two sheep and one donkey that consumed a higher dose of the plant developed severe convulsions and diarrhea, with one sheep needing to be euthanized. Fortunately, the other sheep and the donkey recovered. The study found that the plant is particularly toxic when it blooms at the start of the rainy season, but animals that ate leaves later in the season did not show any symptoms.
People also search for: sheep poisoning symptoms · donkey diarrhea treatment · Brunfelsia uniflora toxicity · why is my donkey convulsing · sheep plant poisoning recovery
Abstract
Farmers in the State of Piauí in northeastern Brazil reported nervous signs in ruminants and donkeys after ingestion of Brunfelsia uniflora at the start of the rainy season when the plant is flowering. Leaves of the plant, collected at the start or at the end of the rainy season, were administered in single doses of 5-20 g/kg body weight to 8 sheep and 3 donkeys. Two sheep and 1 donkey that ingested 10 g/kg of the plant in November at the start of the rainy season, when the plant was flowering, developed severe convulsions and diarrhea. One sheep was euthanized and autopsied, and no significant lesions were found. The other sheep and the donkey recovered. Four sheep and one donkey that ingested 10 or 20 g/kg of leaves collected in April, at the end of the rainy season, did not show clinical signs. One donkey that ingested 5 g/kg of leaves collected in November developed diarrhea and recovered. These results demonstrate the toxicity of B. uniflora for livestock and suggest that the plant is toxic at these doses only during the start of the rainy season.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29405901/