poisonous2pets

Hello Everyone, when I went to the World Dog Games some lovely ladies told me about a tree which is considered extremely poisonous to animals, especially livestock. It is called Erythrophleum chlorostachyum otherwise commonly known as the Northern Ironwood. I thought it would be good to talk about this tree as although there is no documentary evidence to suggest that this plant is toxic to dogs and cats, it is extremely toxic to livestock, so I would assume if a pet came into contact with this plant, some serious problems could ensue. As usual I will divide the information into categories for easy reference.

Erythrophleum chlorosyachyum

Common Name: Northern Ironwood.

Animals usually affected: Buffalo, Camels, Cattle, Deer, Donkeys, Goats, Horses and sheep.

Toxicity Rating: Extremely high, death can occur in 24 to 48 hours.

Signs of Toxicity:

Eyes: Sunken, pale staring eyes,
Gastrointestinal: Severe colic, abdominal pain and loss of appetite
Musculoskeletal: Recumbency
Cardiovascular: Cardiac hemorrhage
General: Bloody faeces

Description: The Northern Ironwood is a shrub or tree, which can grow to approximately 15 metres in height. Its bark is rough in texture and is tessellated or tile like in appearance. Its leaves are rounded, glossy and are dark to mid-green in colour. The flowers come in a range of colours from white to yellow to green and are usually seen around July to November. The fruit is a seed contained within a pod.

Geographic location and distribution: Commonly seen in a number of habitats but is usually situated around Northern Australia.

Poisoning Occurs: By ingestion. Animals most at risk are those who have previously had no exposure to the plant e.g. young animals. Ironwood leaves can also be found in contaminated hay products.

Poisonous Parts: The leaves are extremely toxic. 10grams of leaves can kill an adult horse or cattle. One or two leaves will kill a sheep or goat.

Toxic Principles: Alkaloids, Cardiac Alkaloids, Erythrophleum

Ironwood poisoning is extremely difficult to treat as death occurs quickly with little warning, therefore vigilance is important when settling livestock or when introducing new animals to paddocks where ironwood is prevalent.

Thanks again ladies for telling me about this plant. Next time I will talk about Christmas and the potential hazards for pets around the silly season.

Bye for now.

References:

Lemcke, B. (2006). Ironwood Poisoning. Retrieved on the 8th of November, 2009 from www.nt.gov.au/d/Content/File/p/Anim_Dis/646.pdf