Effects of dietary supplementation with ethoxyquin, magnesium oxide, methionine hydroxy analog, and B vitamins on tansy ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) toxicosis in beef cattle.
Dried tansy ragwort containing pyrrolizidine alkaloids was fed as 2.5% of a complete (control) diet to Hereford steers, with and without (basal) a mixture of additives. The additives provided a dietary supplement equivalent to 0.1% ethoxyquin, 1% methionine hydroxy analog, 2% MgO, 2.7 mg of vitamin B6/kg of diet, 50 micrograms of vitamin B12/kg of diet, 0.45 g of folic acid/kg of diet, and 0.2 g of cobalt/kg of diet. The additives did not alter tansy ragwort toxicity substantially, as assessed by liver histologic changes, sulfobromophthalein clearance rate, and serum gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase activity. After 281 days, 1 of 4 steers fed the basal diet was alive, whereas 3 of 4 steers in the basal plus additives group were alive, suggesting some protective activity. The chronic lethal dose of tansy ragwort in steers was 3.6% of initial body weight.