VMLL 1015 - Poisonous Plants: Plants Affecting the Urinary and Hemic-Lymphatic Systems

In the first half of this course, you will become familiar with the important oxalate-containing plants that cause kidney disease in animals. Oak poisoning is also discussed. After completing this section, you will be able to:

• Recognize common plants that contain significant quantities of oxalates.
• Understand how plant oxalates produce disease in animals.
• Understand the pathogenesis of oak poisoning in animals.

The second half of this course deals with plants such as onions, sweet clover, red maple and bracken fern. They have a direct effect upon the blood causing anemia. The plants and the mechanism by which they are toxic to animals are discussed. After completing this section, you will be able to:

• Understand the pathogenesis of onion poisoning.
• Recognize sweet clover and the reason it causes blood clotting deficiency in animals that consume it.
• Recognize Heinz body anemia in horses and its most likely etiology.
• Appreciate the toxicology of bracken fern.

Noncredit courses do not produce academic credit nor appear on a Colorado State University academic transcript.

Instructors

Dr. Tony Knight
Anthony.Knight@colostate.edu

Dr. Knight has taught plant toxicology in the professional veterinary medical curriculum for over 20 years and has recently published a book with CD on the subject. (A Guide to Plant Poisoning of Animals in North America. Published by Teton New Media). He has utilized his field experience in working with livestock owners who have had plant poisoning problems to embellish the plant toxicology course taught to veterinary students at Colorado Sate University.

He is frequently invited to speak to veterinarians, livestock producers, and Cooperative Extension personnel on the importance of toxic plants in the western United States. To help answer frequent questions on the subject of plant poisoning, Dr Knight also has a popular web page on toxic plants.