How to Handle Poison and Snake bite in Farm Animals
Animals do not normally eat poisonous plants. A lack of other feed may cause animals to eat such plants. They may eat unfamiliar poisonous plants if they are moved to a new area where there are different poisonous plants.
Poisons such as warfarin (rat poison) and strychnine can be the causes of poisoning of animals. Arsenic dips may still be used in some areas and can lead to poisoning.
Sometimes animals are purposely poisoned by people and Snake bite is also a common form of dangerous poisoning.
Signs of poisoning in animals
Learn MoreA poisoned animal may die suddenly or will show the following signs:
· Excessive salivation.
· The mouth is open and the tongue hangs out.
· Diarrhoea and vomiting.
· Difficulty in breathing.
Causes of poisoning in animals
There are many causes of poisoning in animals:
· There are very many poisonous plants. You should talk to your community and discover what poisonous plants are in your area.
· Seeds for planting may have been treated with chemicals. If animals or humans eat these they can die..
· Strychnine is a poison which can be used to kill wild dogs and wolves. It will also poison other animals
· Weed killers used in agriculture may be poisonous.
· Chemicals used to kill insects on plants or used for dipping against external parasites.
· Old paints, kerosene, diesel and other fuels and oils.
· Poison used to kill rats and mice.
· Animals can be poisoned by salt if they are not able to drink a lot of water.
Sometimes people deliberately poison animals.
Treating poisoned animals
You can not do much in a case of poisoning. You should ask for veterinary help as soon as possible. Try to discover what caused the poisoning and stop other animals from being poisoned.
· Charcoal mixed with water and given as a drench is a good treatment for poisoning. Give 1 g m for every 20 kg of body weight.
· Kaolin (china clay), a white powder, can be mixed with water and given as a drench. Give 10 gm to a small animal and 200 gm to a horse or camel.
Snake bites
There are numerous snakes which are poisonous to animals and man. Animals are mainly bitten in the face and legs.
Usually we discover the animal was bitten by a snake when it is too late to do anything. If you are with an animal when it is bitten, you should examine the animal and move the hair or wool to find the two small, but deep, wounds made by the fangs of the snake.
You should use a tourniquet to stop the poison from a bite on the leg going through the body. Release the tourniquet every 20 minutes to allow the blood to flow. You should send for veterinary help immediately as it will be necessary to give the animal an injection against the snake poison.
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