Cyanide is one of the most rapidly acting toxins affecting cattle, with poisoning typically occurring following ingestion of cyanogenic plants. Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus), is one such potentially toxic cyanogenic plant. This case report details fatalities in an Irish herd following the ingestion of laurel and aims to raise awareness of the potential risk that access to laurel hedges poses to farm animals. Over a twelve-day period, the death occurred of 36 dairy-cross weanlings; the majority (22 weanlings) died over a two-day period. Two days following entry to a field bounded by a laurel hedge, the weanlings displayed signs of lethargy and profuse green diarrhoea. In the majority of animals there was a limited response to treatment with antimicrobials, vitamin B complex and fluid therapy. Recumbency and death ensued. Cyanosis was noted terminally. Two weanlings were submitted for post mortem examination. Laurel leaves were identified in the rumen contents of one weanling. Post mortem findings and additional test results on cohort animals suggested a number of pathological processes may have been involved in the animals, possibly complicating/exacerbating the effects of laurel ingestion. However, cyanide was considered a factor in a least some of the casualties and arrangements were made to test for cyanide on blood samples from a random selection of seven cohort animals. Although collected one week after exposure to the laurel hedge, toxic cyanide levels were recorded in a sample from one animal, which subsequently died. The large fatality rate serves as a timely reminder to include plant poisoning as a differential diagnosis when dealing with large numbers of rapid fatalities. Failure to thoroughly examine rumen contents and collect a detailed history in this case, could easily have allowed death to be attributed to other causes and the involvement of cyanide toxicity to be missed. In cases of individual or group fatalities, history is invaluable and recent entry to new grazing areas or any potential diet change or access to garden plants should be thoroughly investigated.

中文翻译：

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怀疑与摄入月桂树有关的牛的氰化物毒性-病例报告

氰化物是影响牛的最迅速作用的毒素之一，中毒通常在摄入生氰植物后发生。月桂树（Prunus laurocerasus），是一种潜在的有毒生氰植物。该病例报告详细介绍了摄入月桂树后爱尔兰牧群的死亡情况，目的是提高人们对使用月桂树篱对农场动物造成的潜在风险的认识。在十二天的时间内，有36头乳牛断奶死亡。大多数（22个断奶）在两天内死亡。进入由月桂树篱包围的田地两天后，断奶的人表现出嗜睡和大量腹泻的迹象。在大多数动物中，对抗菌素，维生素B复合物和液体疗法的治疗反应有限。随之而来的是卧倒和死亡。最终发现紫。两只断奶仔猪被送去验尸。在一只断奶的瘤胃内容物中鉴定出月桂树的叶子。队列动物的验尸结果和其他测试结果表明，动物可能参与了许多病理过程，可能使月桂树摄食的作用复杂/加剧。但是，至少在某些人员伤亡中，氰化物被认为是一个因素，因此，我们从随机选择的7个同类动物中抽取血液样本进行氰化物测试。尽管在暴露于月桂树篱后一周内收集到，但在一只动物的样本中记录了有毒的氰化物水平，该动物随后死亡。大量的病死率可以及时提醒人们，在处理大量的快速死亡事件时，应将植物中毒作为鉴别诊断。在这种情况下，如果不能彻底检查瘤胃内容并收集详细的病史，很容易将死亡归因于其他原因，而忽略了氰化物毒性的影响。如果是个人或团体死亡，则病史是无价的，应彻底调查最近进入新的放牧区或任何潜在的饮食变化或获取园林植物的机会。