Accidental Poisoning by Toxic Plants in Pets: A Project to Diagnose and Manage Them

Toxic plants represent the second cause of poisoning in ruminants after pesticides. Poisoning can occur while grazing but also in the barn due to contamination of hay or silage, and it is a frequent yet underestimated event because it is difficult to recognize.

A multidisciplinary working group composed of experts, veterinarians, and botanists from ASL TO3, Ipla, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, and Parchi Alpi Cozie has been working together since 2022, thanks to funding from Fondazione CRT, on monitoring toxic plants in pastures or mown meadows for the identification and management of cases of poisoning from plants in farm animals.

The research area focused on includes grazing areas within the jurisdiction of ASLTO3 (districts of Pomaretto, Pinerolo, Avigliana, Susa), which also include multiple grazing areas within protected areas and Natura 2000 sites managed by the Ente di gestione dei Parchi Alpi Cozie, totaling about 100,000 cattle and 32,000 sheep and goats raised.

The project involved field surveys, identification of plants potentially toxic to animals, and selection of target species for which descriptive sheets were prepared for macroscopic recognition, indicating their distribution in the territory, made available to industry operators (farmers, technicians, and veterinarians...). A leaflet with instructions for identifying symptoms of animal poisoning, procedures to follow, contacts, and references was also created and distributed to these operators. In some cases of suspected poisonings and pastures contaminated by toxic herbs, on-site inspections were carried out, and management advice was provided to farmers.
Data collected during monitoring activities were processed and entered into Regional Natural Databases. The project also includes the creation of a webgis tool for consultation and integration of additional data.

Our environments host numerous potentially toxic plants, which are commonly found in most permanent meadows and pastures. They can be native or of alien origin and invade the territory following changes in pasture management, excessive exploitation, soil issues, or climate changes as happened in 2022, during an exceptionally dry period, with Sorgum halepense in lowland and valley areas or Colchicum autumnalis in higher pastures.

Animals usually recognize and avoid poisonous plants. They get intoxicated when forced to graze for prolonged periods in the same area or in areas where they would not naturally graze, or by ingesting contaminated forage that overrides the animal's selective nature.

Among the identified toxic plants are Veratrum album, sometimes mistaken for Gentiana lutea, distinguishable by their alternate leaves with parallel veins and white inflorescences, and ranunculaceae of the genus Aconitum and Delphinium.

The toxic principles (glycosides and alkaloids, essential oils, resins, organic acids, tannins...) can be distributed throughout the plant or accumulate in the leaves, flowers, fruits, or seeds, being dangerous for direct ingestion as they persist even after drying and storage.

The best defense against livestock poisoning lies in precise knowledge of plants and timely identification. To this end, the project includes the development of a new diagnostic test methodology based on LAMP (Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification) techniques for rapid and cost-effective identification of a range of toxic plants in pastures, forage, and rumen contents.