A rare case of Verbesina poisoning in sheep

by Chanel Lombard

IIn February 2023 the Vredendal State

Veterinarian office was contacted by a farmer of the Sandveld region who had lost 50 pregnant sheep and two duikers overnight after moving them to a new camp. Upon inspection, post-mortems of the sheep were done and fluid was found in their chest cavities. The camp was a fallow potato field with sandy soil. There was little natural vegetation for grazing and the animals did not receive any supplementary feed. The only thing that grew abundantly in the camp was Verbesina encelioides. The plants had been grazed extensively and were found in the rumens of the dead sheep.

Verbesina encelioides, also known as golden crownbeard or wilde sonneblom, is a common, exotic, invasive weed of disturbed areas, like roadsides and previously cultivated land. It is very toxic, especially for sheep, but is rarely eaten by livestock. In this case, since there was not much else available, it was eaten.

Clinical signs of toxicity include sudden death, engorgement of the lungs with blood and fluid in the thoracic cavity.

The sheep were moved to a clean camp and given dried lucerne. Except for two that died while being moved, no more deaths occurred. AP

isiXhosa translation

Imeko engaqhelekanga yethyefu i “Verbesina” ezigusheni

NgoFebhuwari walonyaka ka 2023, umfama okwingingqi ye “Sandveld” uye waqhakamshelana ne-ofisi ese Vredendal neyiyeyooGqirha boNyango Lwemfuyo kuRhulumente, nothe wabe kanti uphulukene neegusha ezingama 50 ngobusuku nebesezifakile kunye nemikhonjane emibini. Oku kwenzeke emva kokuba ezithyalele kwinkampu entsha. Xa bekusenziwa uhlolo, iziphumo ezingunobangela wokufa kwezi gusha, kuye kwafunyaniswa kukho ubuthyufu-thufu kuqhoqhoqho. Le nkampu ibilifusi lentsimi yeetapile kumhlaba oyisanti. Ibincinci kakhuu ingca yokuba ingadliwa zezi gusha yaye khange zibenako nokunye ukutya ebezinokuxhathisa ngako. Esona sityalo siye sakhula kakhulu kule nkampu ibe yi “Verbesina encelioides”. Kubonakala ukuba ezi gusha zisidle kakhulu esi sityalo sade sabonakala sikulusu lwezi gusha zifileyo. i”Verbesina encelioides”, neyaziwa njenge “golden crownbeard” okanye i “wilde sonneblom”, sisityalo esiqhelekileyo, asiqhelekanga kwezinye iindawo, lukhula oluvele luvele kwiindawo ezingalinywanga njenga secaleni komgaqo nakumasimi ebeke asetyenziswa. Asiqhelekanga kakhulu, ingakumbi ezigusheni, kodwa asifane sidliwe yimfuyo. Kule meko, kuba besesingasininzanga, ziye zasidla. Iimpawu ezibonakala ngako oku kunqaba, ziquka ukuvele zife, ukutsarhwa nokugutyungelwa kwemiphunga ligazi nobuthyufu-thyufu esifubeni.

Ezo gusha zifuduselwe kwenye inkampu zaze zanikwa i lusini eyomileyo. Ngaphandle kwezo zimbini nezithe zafa zisafuduswa, akukhange kufunyanwe eziphinde zafa emva koko.

For more information, contact Chanel Lombard: