The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1924-08-15
BY DIR. HOWARD WEIGH
veterinarian, Montana State College


ROM this time on to early Sep
II TENDER is the dangerous time
H. for lupine poisoning of sheep on
the Montana range. Some poisoning
has already been reported and it is
possible that the latter part of Aug
ust will see an increase in the num-
Der of cases.
There are many species of lupines
found in Montana and neighboring
states and many, if not all, are re-
sponsible for injury to stock. The
lupines vary in height from ten inch
es to three feet. The stems grow in
clusters from a perennial root or
branch freely. In many species the
entire plant is covered with fine
hairs, giving it grayish appearance.
The leaves are compound, the leaf
lets attaching to the leaf stock at its
extreme tip. The flowers are borne
in long lose spikes on the ends of the
branches. They are shaped like those
of the pea and are colored in varying
shades of blue and white. These
flowers appear in midsummer, most
~ in June and July, and are followed
by short, hairy pods, containing usu-
ally three to six seeds. The pods,
and especially the seeds contain most
of the poison, the leaves and stems
being relatively harmless.
Lupines are plentiful throughout
the entire west. They thrive under
variety of conditions but are espec-
tally abundant on dry hillsides. Lit
tie attempt is made to eradicate them
unless it is desired to crop the land,
when cultivation promptly destroys
them.
Sheep mainly, but occasionally
horses and cattle are poisoned by eat
ing the seeds and seed pods of var
ious specie of lupine that are found
all over Montana. Many cases have
a band of sheep have died in a few
hours after grazing through a patch
of lupines when the seeds were still
in the pods. Owing to the fact that
many stockmen feed lupine hay with
no bad results they believe this plant
to be harmless. This is because the
seeds usually fall out before the lu-
pines are cut, or are so ripe that in
handling the hay the pods are shat
tered and the seeds fall out. Lupine
hay cut early with seeds still in the
pods will be found poisonous to all
stock.
The most noticeable symptom of
lupine poisoning is a great frenzy.
Sheep rush about in all directions
as if crazy, running blindly into fenc-
es and all other objects. The move
ments become more violent, the ami |
oil fo1I or ro1i N
ground and dying in commissions in |
from ont to three hours from the |
time the first symptoms were OBJ
served.
Sheep frequently will bloat badly |
upon lupines but this is not neces-
sarily an indication of poisoning. The |
is apparently from eating too
much and will occur, under similar :
with alfalfa, clover or any
,ther leguminous plants. Treatment
or bloating from lupines is the same
rs in any other case of bloat.
1t is believed that many horses suf-
er from lupine poisoning in chronic
,orm, the condition being known as
upinosis, in which gradual emacia-
ion, weakness, lack of endurance,
and finally death, follow in order.
Such condition has been produced /
by feeding seeds and
pods of lupine to horses. Whether or
lot horses are so poisoned to any
great extent in the state is still open
% question. Many chronic diseases
such as swamp fever, infestation with
he various intestinal worms, in par
ocular the sclerostome worm, and
other diseases resemble the lupin-
isis so closely that it is impossible