What to Do About Cottonseed Cake Poisoning in Deer? Detailed Prevention and Treatment Methods

Cottonseed cake poisoning refers to a chronic toxic disease caused by long-term feeding of large amounts of cottonseed cake, in which the toxic gossypol accumulates in the body, especially in the liver. Its clinical features are digestive disorders, hepatitis, gastroenteritis and acidosis.

[Cause]: The main toxic components in cottonseed and cottonseed cake are gossypol and cottonseed toxin. Long-term or large-amount feeding of undetoxified cottonseed cake or improper preparation can cause poisoning.

[Symptoms]: Affected deer show listlessness, reduced or absent appetite, reduced or stopped rumination, weakened or absent rumen motility, first constipation then diarrhea, increased intestinal sounds, diarrhea occurs, and the feces contain mucus or blood; body temperature is not elevated, breathing is rapid, and pulse is rapid. Urination is frequent and often painful, with bloody urine or hemoglobinuria. Edema often appears in the submandibular space, neck, lower chest and abdomen, and limbs, and some affected deer show symptoms of oral and nasal bleeding.

As the condition further develops, affected deer develop visual disturbances, and even blindness. Muscle weakness, staggering when walking, or falling to the ground with spasms. Heartbeat is rapid, pulse is weak and thready, breathing is difficult, and a yellow-white or pale red fine foamy nasal discharge flows from both nostrils. Auscultation of the chest reveals extensive moist rales. Ultimately, the animal dies of exhaustion.

[Prevention]: First, boil the cottonseed cake and keep it boiling for more than 3-4 hours, discard the floating matter on top, and feed after cooling; it can also be soaked for 1 day and night in 1% calcium hydroxide or 2% slaked lime water or 0.1% ferrous sulfate or 2.5% sodium bicarbonate, then rinsed 1-2 times with clean water before feeding; the feeding amount of cottonseed cake must be controlled, not exceeding 1.5 kg for meat deer and 2-3 kg for dairy deer; the feeding amount should be appropriately reduced for pregnant deer, and feeding should be stopped half a month before parturition; for fawns, feed as little as possible or not at all; in feed formulation, do not feed cottonseed cake alone for a long time, and it must be combined with green hay or other high-quality green succulent feed; under no circumstances should moldy or spoiled cottonseed cake be used as feed.

[Treatment]: When poisoning is found, immediately stop feeding cottonseed cake, withhold feed for 2-3 days, then feed green succulent forage and provide sufficient drinking water. Western medicine treatment is adopted.

1. In the early stage of poisoning, repeatedly lavage the stomach with 0.05-0.1% potassium permanganate solution or 3% sodium bicarbonate solution, then administer an oil-based laxative by drenching, and inject pilocarpine 0.2-0.3 g subcutaneously. After clearing the gastrointestinal tract, sulfaguanidine 20 g, tannalbin 9 g, and activated carbon 40 g can be added to 200-500 ml of water and given orally at one time to help reduce inflammation.

2. To protect the liver and detoxify, strengthen the heart and promote diuresis, and stop exudation, 50% glucose 100-300 ml, 20% caffeine sodium benzoate solution 8-10 ml, and 10% calcium chloride 40-80 ml can be injected intravenously at one time, 1-2 times daily.

3. Traditional Chinese medicine treatment adopts the methods of detoxification and toxin elimination: (1) Yinchen 20 g, licorice and talc 40 g each, mung bean 200 g, decocted in water, and administered by drenching multiple times a day. (2) Mirabilite 100-300 g, added to 1000-3000 ml of water, and administered by drenching at one time.