Kochia
General poisoning notes:
Kochia (Kochia scoparia) is both naturalized and cultivated as an outdoor ornamental in various parts of Canada. Ingestion has caused poisoning in cattle, horses, and sheep. Hepatogenous photosensitivity and liver damage often occur together, along with the outward signs of photosensitization. In addition, polioencephalomalacia, toxic hepatitis, and nephrosis can occur. Kochia has been examined as a forage crop because it is very drought-tolerant. Toxicity varies from one year to the next. Increased rainfall has raised the oxalate content of the plants. Oxalates are at least partly responsible for the complicated toxic affects of kochia ingestion (Galitzer and Oehme 1978, Dickie and Berryman 1979, Thilsted et al. 1989).
Nomenclature:
Scientific Name: Kochia scoparia (L.) Schrad.
Vernacular name(s): kochia
Scientific family name: Chenopodiaceae
Vernacular family name: goosefoot
Kochia scoparia (L.) Schrad.
Geographic Information
Alberta
British Columbia
Manitoba
Nova Scotia
Ontario
Quebec
Saskatchewan
British Columbia
Manitoba
Nova Scotia
Ontario
Quebec
Saskatchewan
Toxic parts:
Flowers, leaves, seeds.
Notes on Toxic plant chemicals:
Kochia has been found to contain total oxalates of up to 11.4% and maximum soluble oxalates of 4.7%. This level of soluble oxalates is sufficient to cause some of the signs of toxicity seen in poisoning. In addition, saponins and alkaloids have been described that may contribute to the complex symptoms of kochia ingestion (Dickie et al. 1989, Thilsted et al. 1989).
Toxic plant chemicals:
oxalate
Animals/Human Poisoning:
Note: When an animal is listed without additional information, the literature (as of 1993) contained no detailed explanation.
Cattle
General symptoms of poisoning:
anorexia
ataxia
blindness
breathing, labored
death
dehydration
depression
diarrhea
erythema
eye, discharge of
eyelids, swollen
eyes, rolling
head, movement of
icterus
incoordination
itchiness
lacrimation, severe
lethargy
liver, congestion of
lungs, congestion of
muscle spasms
muscle, weakness of
muzzle, crusty
nephrosis, severe
opisthotonos
polioencephalomalacia
recumbency, ventral
reflex excitability
salivation
skin, peeling of
teat necrosis of
urine, coffee-colored
Notes on poisoning:
In addition to photosensitization, symptoms can include ataxia, incoordination, muscular spasms, recumbency, and death. Because kochia causes hepatogenous photosensitization, disseminated jaundice is often seen along with enlarged fatty liver (Galitzer and Oehme 1978, Johnson 1983).
