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We wish to report the possible poisoning of a single goat by the observed consumption of chipped and mulched horse chestnut tree material.
The horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum ) is a broad-crowned deciduous tree, which, although not native to Britain, is now well established and a common sight throughout the country. In the past few years it has become increasingly threatened by two diseases: 'bleeding canker', caused by the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pathovar aesculi , and infestation with the horse chestnut leaf miner moth (Cameraria ohridella ) ( Fig 1 ). As a result of these dual insults, more trees are being cut down, weak branches are being broken off, or trees are being pruned extensively. The result of this is the potential for such material to become increasingly available to livestock in the vicinity.
The toxic principle of horse chestnut is a saponic glycoside termed aesculin (6,7-dihydroxycoumarin 6-glucoside), although it may also contain other alkaloids ( Cooper and Johnson 1998 ). These authors state that the young leaves and flowers of the tree are usually considered the most toxic parts, although the bark is said to contain more aesculin. Poisoning in ruminants in the UK is rarely suspected, despite the trees being widely distributed in ruminant grazing areas. Anecdotal reports of suspected toxicity in the literature are, again, sparse. Anticipated clinical signs in ruminants include depression, stiff and incoordinated gait, tremor, recumbency and convulsions ( Radostits and others 2007...