Hydrocyanic Acid (HCN) Poisoning

Most outbreak of hydrocyanic acid (HCN) poisoning in animals is caused by ingestion of plants, which contain cyanogenic glucosides. The commonly found plants are sorghum, sudan grass, jhonson grass, sugar cane and linseed cake or meal. Wilted, frost-bitten and young plants are likely more poisonous than the normal, mature plants. HCN poisoning is always acute and affected animals rarely survive for more than 1-2 hours.

Poisoning symptoms

Signs include dyspnea, anxiety, restlessness, stumbling gait, tremor, moaning, recumbancy and terminal clonic convulsions with opisthotonus. The blood of the affected animal becomes bright red. In prolonged course it become dark red colour. A smell of bitter almonds in the rumen material is illustrated as characteristic of HCN poisoning. A level of HCN of 0.63 ug/ml in muscle justifies a diagnosis of poisoning.

Treatment

Treatment of intravenous injection of a mixture of sodium nitrite and sodium thiosulfate will give good recovery.

Dose: - 5g sodium nitrite, 15g sodium thiosulfate in 200ml water for cattle, 1g sodium nitrite, 3g sodium thiosulfate in 50ml water for sheep.

In all cases sodium thiosulfate should be given orally to fix the HCN in rumen at the dose of 30g/cattle, 6g/sheep and repeated hourly interval till the sign disappear.