US EPA

1392523 

Technical Report 

Toxicity of various chemical agents to sheep 

Case, AA 

1974 

PESTAB/74/1367 

Amer 

3 

PESTAB Pesticides are among the chemicals responsible for poisonings in sheep and cattle. Sheep are particularly susceptible to copper and its compounds and may be found dead from copper or arsenic poisoning without having appeared sick. Gastroenteritis as well as other symptoms may be present with both types of intoxication. Instances of mercury poisoning have been reported due to feeding of treated seed grains. Lead is more toxic to lambs than to adults and is much less toxic than thallium, which may be lethal at 24 mg/kg and cannot be counteracted. Fluorine in the form of sodium fluoroacetate could lead to acute intoxication of sheep if it were to contaminate the ration or become available in some other way. Chlorate intoxication has occurred as a result of grazing animals several days after application of these herbicides and treatment was unrewarding. Carbofuran is a highly toxic insecticide to which sheep are likely to be exposed. With this compound atropine has been found useful in therapy.