Journal of Veterinary and Applied Sciences

Abstract
Ruminants have been reported to be comparatively more vulnerable to cyanide poisoning than monogastrics, due to the higher acidity and unique microbial characteristics of their gut environment. Although toxicosis and the pathophysiology of cyanide poisoning in ruminants is well known and widely reported, the specifics of its pathologies in the West African Dwarf (WAD) goat has not been properly documented. This article described the pathological changes in a WAD goat suspected of cyanide poisoning following the consumption of raw cassava root tubers and leaves. The carcass of a one-year old male WAD buck was presented at the Post Mortem Unit of the Department of Veterinary Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State for examination. The animal had a history of returning from the grazing fields frothing from the mouth and with a bloated abdomen and a staggering gait, before sudden death. Physical examination revealed no evidence of snake bite, trauma or swollen lymph nodes. Post mortem findings showed congestion of the lungs, liver, kidneys and the intestines. The pericardium, abdominal mesenteries and the liver capsule were all cloudy and thickened. The stomach contents included large quantities of chewed cassava root tubers and leaves. There were petechial and ecchymotic haemorrhages on the walls of the heart. Histopathology showed generalized congestion and diffuse necrosis of these organs. These pathological findings mimicked those associated with hypoxemia, which concurs with earlier reports that cyanide poisoned blood is unable to release its oxygen content to tissues, despite being saturated with oxygen.

Keywords: Cyanide poisoning; Cassava root tubers and leaves; West African Dwarf (WAD) goat, Pathological findings; Case Report.

How to cite this article:
Unamba-Oparah IC (2024). Gross and microscopic lesions of cyanide poisoning in a West African Dwarf goat
following consumption of raw cassava root tubers and leaves: A case report. Journal of Veterinary and Applied
Sciences, 14(2): 736 – 743.

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