Acute toxicity of various oral doses of dried Nerium oleander leaves in sheep.

The acute toxicity of dried Nerium oleander leaves to Najdi sheep is described in 12 sheep assigned as untreated controls, N. oleander-treated once at 1 and 0.25 g/kg body weight and N. oleander-treated daily at 0.06 g/kg body weight by drench. Single oral doses of 1 or 0.25 g of dried N. oleander leaves/kg body weight caused restlessness, chewing movements of the jaws, dyspnea, ruminal bloat, incoordination of movements, limb paresis, recumbency and death 4-24 hr after dosing. Lesions were widespread congestion or hemorrhage, pulmonary cyanosis and emphysema, hepatorenal fatty change and catarrhal abomasitis and enteritis. The daily oral doses of 0.06 g dried N. oleander leaves/kg body weight caused less severe signs and death occurred between days 3 and 14. In these animals, the main lesions were hepatonephropathy and gelatinization of the renal pelvis and mesentry and were accompanied by significant increases in serum AST and LDH activities, in bilirubin, cholesterol and urea concentrations and significant decreases in total protein and albumin levels, anemia and leucopenia.