Bovine arsenic toxicosis

Department of Veterinary Science, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USA.

A ranch in central South Dakota had a number of dead calves because of arsenic poisoning. The clinical picture included diarrhea, central nervous system signs, and death. Gross necropsy findings included adequate body fat, stomachs full of normal-appearing ingesta, and large amounts of greenish brown watery fluid in the intestine and colon. Microscopically there was severe lymphoid tissue necrosis in the mesenteric lymph nodes and gut-associated lymphoid tissue. Chemical analysis of kidneys showed no significant amounts of lead; however, kidney arsenic concentrations were 25 to 44 ppm. The source was a small pile of Paris Green (common name for cupric acetoarsenite) found in an old dump site in the pasture.