Guide to Plant Poisoning of Animals in North America Book

Knight (veterinary medicine) and Walter (biology, both Colorado State U.) offer veterinarians, livestock owners, and students a guide arranged by the biological systems affected; for example sudden death, the digestive system, skin and liver, and congenital defects and reproductive failure. Within each chapter are sections on the poisons that might be at work, and descriptions and color photographs of plants that might be their source. A glossary without pronunciation guides and an alphabetical list of plants by their common names are provided. Annotation © 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

There are 12 chapters in this book. Each chapter deals definitively with type of problem (sudden death, neurologic effects, liver effects, urinary effects, etc). each chapter contains 5 discrete sections: 1. Key considerations regarding plant type and toxic agent involved 2. Specific clinical signs produced by toxin 3. Specific treatment approaches, if any 4. Prevention – this section addresses specific plants involved, their geographic range, growth characteristics, poisonous elements and growth stages, preventive measures and identification by matching color illustration. 5. Exhaustive reference section containing all sources, both scientific and general, that are presently in print. This is the only resource that approaches these problems in the way that the clinician must. The typical poisoning presents as a fact 9 dead animal), or a symptom (severe drooling), and tracing the cause is not always easy. The trick is to relate the problem to possible toxins and to relate that information to specific plant types. The organization of this book follows the logic that the clinician uses while other resources approach it from a purely botanical point of view and are basic science oriented.