The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Goats => Topic started by: earlybird on April 21, 2013, 07:36:17 am

Title: possible rhododendron poisoning
Post by: earlybird on April 21, 2013, 07:36:17 am
hello everyone, got up this morning to find my small herd had escaped they were found down the lane a little way from home  :relief: my worry is there was a rhodendron bush a little ways off from where they were i dont know if any of them have eaten any of it, what are the signs of poisoning and is there anything can give them to counteract it just in case, thankyou carol
Title: Re: possible rhododendron poisoning
Post by: Susannah on April 21, 2013, 08:19:44 am
Foaming at the mouth and vomiting. Act quickly. I hope they haven't eaten any as it seems really toxic stuff.
I lost two goats last year after they ate Pieris, a relative of rhododendron. The vet came pretty quickly but the kid died the next morning and his mum took two weeks to go, it was horrendous as I thought she was going to get better.  :fc: there were other tasty things for them to eat.
Title: Re: possible rhododendron poisoning
Post by: northernengine on April 22, 2013, 09:47:08 am
Oh you'll know when theyve eaten something bad! As mentioned above, copious greeny yellow vomit all over the goat and the walls (and you!), frothing at the mouth, general confusion and wobblyness. If its bad they may well go off their feet. You should see these signs within the first 6 hours or so, depending on size of goat and how much theyve eaten. How much food they already had in their stomach is also a factor... the fuller they were with 'good' food the less affect the Rhoddie toxins will have as it will be more diluted.
Make sure you have some activated carbon in stock, and some Milk of magnesia (pharmecy should have some).... if you cant find either.... I cant, seems no shop stocks it up here, the best remedy is strong, sweet cool tea. 7 or 8 bags, plenty of sugar, and luke warm.... let them drink it or if they wont, syringe or bottle feed it into their mouth. the tea has elements which are a strong antidote to the Rhoddie toxins, and you can mix in some plain veg oil and maybe some powedered ginger too. Its an awful looking concoction, but seems to help. The main thing though is the tea - it also helps keep them hydrated whicxh is essential.
Its a nerve wracking thing to go through (just did it - up 2 nights) but as long as they have fresh water at all times (put lots of bowls everywhere, incuding right where they are laid or stood) and you do your best to stop them eating what they vomit again, it should be ok. Trouble is it tastes good to them, so wipe it off their face whenever they are sick.
They will be off their food for a couple of days, but after a day or two should show signs of improvment. As always though, consult your local vet at the first sign of trouble - if they go off their feet a vet will often give a vitamin jab.
If you can get through the first 24hrs, youre probably going to be ok.
Cheers
Title: Re: possible rhododendron poisoning
Post by: earlybird on April 23, 2013, 02:10:46 pm
thanks everyone, everything seems ok now we did the strong tea, oil ginger and bicarb mix, tried drenching but too thick for gun so went down the shyringe route, could only find small ones used for vaccinations etc, took ages with that giving a mug full to each goat, luckily we did it in time, the billy and one young lady were a bit off for a few hours, thank god no vomiting, talked with owners of  land down lane, thankfully no bush there now, again thanks :goat:
Title: Re: possible rhododendron poisoning
Post by: wytsend on April 24, 2013, 06:43:27 am
I have also been told that    GRATED PARSNIP    is an antidote to rhodedendron poisoning
Title: Re: possible rhododendron poisoning
Post by: Clarebelle on April 24, 2013, 07:02:12 am
talked with owners of  land down lane, thankfully no bush there now, again thanks :goat:

Did the owners remove the bush? That was really nice of them, I can imagine alot of neighbours wouldnt be so nice about it.