Thread: 100 Dairy cows Pb poisioned at Southland clay club

I reckon it was the annual shoot day for the Blind Society - and the farmer forgot to remove his cows from the paddock.

Lead poisoning... Yeah I 'spose thats one way o looking at it

hahah we've had a few cows come down with a case of high velocity lead poisoning so far this season. although admitidly most of them couldnt stand let alone run away poor old buggers.

I'm afraid lead poisoning in cattle is real (sheep and dogs too).

Pathogenesis
Absorbed lead enters the blood and soft tissues and eventually redistributes to the bone. The degree of absorption and retention is influenced by dietary factors such as calcium or iron levels. In ruminants, particulate lead lodged in the reticulum slowly dissolves and releases significant quantities of lead. Lead has a profound effect on sulfhydryl-containing enzymes, the thiol content of erythrocytes, antioxidant defenses, and tissues rich in mitochondria, which is reflected in the clinical syndrome. In addition to the cerebellar haemorrhage and oedema associated with capillary damage, lead is also irritating, immunosuppressive, gametotoxic, teratogenic, nephrotoxic, and toxic to the hematopoietic system.

In cattle, surgery to remove particulate lead material from the reticulum after the ingestion of batteries is rarely successful.

See the full article at; Overview of Lead Poisoning: Lead Poisoning: Merck Veterinary Manual

Suspiciously, I found a heap of spelling errors in the article!? Maybe vets just can't spell or don't know about spell checkers.

Originally Posted by 303Guy

Suspiciously, I found a heap of spelling errors in the article!? Maybe vets just can't spell or don't know about spell checkers.

Wouldn't be surprised, have you ever read anything written by an engineer? Or seen the average doctor's handwriting?

Is this related to the sweeds that kill the cattle in Southland?

Originally Posted by Uplandstalker

Is this related to the sweeds that kill the cattle in Southland?

The vet report is not, but this thread started out as about it, well the lead within the swedes anyway :>)

Cow deaths linked to swedes | Stuff.co.nz , it does seem odd that other cows are dying on swedes that dont get shot over .

Originally Posted by Looseunit

Cow deaths linked to swedes | Stuff.co.nz , it does seem odd that other cows are dying on swedes that dont get shot over .

I can but concur with you about the odd coincidence. One farm has lost at least 20 after coming off the swedes and at least two farms have called meetings with the suppliers who claim acidosis from not transitioning. Further the vets have confirmed liver and kidney failure in the cows. The suspicion is that it is related to the h2 type of swede and also urea was applied. If excess urea is used the plant grows more leaf than bulb with a greater risk of nitrate poisoning.

Confusing, I agree and I sadly, suspect it will only "muddy the waters" yet again, despite the investigations carried out to date.

Some one on here mentioned nitrate poisoning before kiwi sapper,I'm not diving back thru the pages cause I got moos to check "While the rugby is on"

Originally Posted by Dundee

Some one on here mentioned nitrate poisoning before kiwi sapper,I'm not diving back thru the pages cause I got moos to check "While the rugby is on"

I think you'll find it was the second post in the thread
And kiwisapper is still a dick

Originally Posted by BRADS

I think you'll find it was the second post in the thread
And kiwisapper is still a dick

Early grazing of immature Fodder beet can lead to nitrate poisoning also a potential
issue for brassica crops. Fodder beet can produce a high proportion of its total dry
matter yield from its tops. Excessive grazing of these tops can lead to scouring caused
by the tops containing low levels of “Oxalates”. The use of calcium is recommended
when grazing Fodder beet. Many of the stock health issues are more of an issue when
your first start grazing you Fodder beet so care during this period is critical.

(from SPECIALTY SEEDS web page)

It sounds like the lead ingestion is coincidental. But what I read on the 'net indicates that cattle can and do die from ingesting lead. We humans can swallow the same lead and nothing happens. To get lead in our system we need to swallow lead salts and oxides or breath in the lead oxide and salt dust. Ask me how I know! Cattle and dogs have a different digestive system to us (dogs can digest bones - we can't even swallow bones). And for some strange reason cattle eat car batteries! Why on earth would they do that?

Originally Posted by 303Guy

And for some strange reason cattle eat car batteries! Why on earth would they do that?

They're not getting enough electrolytes from the sugarbeets perhaps .

Speaking to a guy who lives a couple of farms away last Friday. Only 10 cows died with a direct link to lead poisoning. Rumours of "insurance" are running rife through the rural grapevine.


The swede deaths are a different evil altogether. It appears to be happening on farms where cockies are grazing cattle on swedes that are well past their prime, something about the leaf has gone to seed, and the chemicals/toxins in the leaf have been translocated into the bulbs.

There's also situations where farmers have been left with significant amounts of winter crop left, so instead of wasting it, have bought some beef cattle from the local sales (typically animals off properties where they've been on baleage/hay/grass) and thrown them straight on the old winter feed to chew it out without "breaking" the cattle in properly. This is making cattle crook, and some are dying.

Cockies grazing fodder beet/sugar beet are not having the same issues.

bloody funny that josh -Ive just come on to ask you if there was any link between the two events .call it my professional paranoia ,but i found it intriguing that two major incidents could occur in the same region in such a short time ,both involving livestock grazing?contaminated areas. thanks for your excellent reporting and clarification.
must admit im a swede lover,but yes they nedd some polar chills up em to make em tasty!