190 VETEKINARY HYGIENE 



Klimop, Cynoctomum Capense, is another poisonous 

 South African plant which also produces symptoms closely 

 resembling tetanus, finally followed by paralysis. The 

 disease has been fully described,* and one is struck by 

 the extraordinary clonic muscular spasms and convulsions. 

 The muscular contractions are so great that in the early 

 stage the animal may be unable to get the heel to the 

 ground, and may have to progress on the fetlock ; finally 

 it is unable to walk or rise, and general convulsions begin. 

 The convulsive stage may last seven days, and the paralytic 

 stage even longer. Dr. Hutcheon has seen the symptoms 

 set in in half an hour after ingesting the poison. 



' Loco ' disease, seen in California, is caused by the 

 ' loco ' or ' rattle weed,' Astragalus lentiginosus. 



This is a leguminous plant similar to Lucern in appear- 

 ance ; it produces bladdery pods in which the seeds rattle 

 when ripe. No animal eats it willingly until compelled by 

 drought. Both cattle and horses are affected by it, but it 

 takes more to poison cattle. 



The symptoms are mainly nervous, in the first stage 

 hallucinations, if the horse is taken up to a very low rail 

 he jumps it as if it were four feet high. Later he is seized 

 with mania, rears, runs into anything, the eyeballs are 

 turned up so that only the sclerotic shows. The least 

 excitement brings on these convulsive fits, and especially 

 water, so that the animal may fall and drown in a depth of 

 two feet. Finally it dies worn out by constant nervous 

 excitement, and often showing towards the end violent 

 pain. Death may occur in three days or three weeks, or in 

 rare cases recovery may take place. A somewhat similar 

 disease is found in Colorado and New Mexico. t 



A leguminous plant in South Africa, Lessertia annularis, 

 is poisonous to sheep and goats : the animal is unable to 

 co-ordinate the movements of its limbs, the head wags 

 helplessly backwards and forwards, and in severe cases the 



* D. Huteheon, F.E.C.V.S., Agric. Journal Cape of Good Hope, 

 Yol. xxiv., No. 4. 



t U.S. Agricultural Eeport, 1886. 



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