Rye Grass Staggers

Ryegrass staggers

If you have never heard of ryegrass staggers, it can come as a shock when some of your stock literally begin staggering around the paddock as if they are drunk. Hence the name ‘ryegrass staggers’

It was after, one of our little kid goats became sick this summer that I first heard of it. I had a long talk with our vet and this is what I learnt:

Ryegrass staggers is a neurological disease which mainly affects sheep, cattle, horses, ponies, deer and alpacas.

It is caused when animals start feeding on the new growth of perennial rye grass and ingest a toxin, that is produced by a fungus, which is found in large numbers in the new growth sheath and the seed heads of the ryegrass. This occurs in summer and autumn, especially in the North Island of New Zealand

The toxin once ingested, starts to affect the cells in part of their brain, called the cerebellum. This is located at the back of the skull, and Its function is to coordinate and regulate muscular activity.

What happens next ,is the alarming part, if you have not witnessed this particular phenomenon before.

The way, the animal reacts to ryegrass staggers, will depend upon the degree of toxicity. In mild cases the affected animal will become anxious when you approach them, the skin around their necks, shoulders and flank will tremble.

In more severe cases the animal will nod and jerk its head, and be swaying from side to side while standing still and when the animal begins to move it will actually, stagger like a drunk.

In really severe cases the animal develops a stiff legged walk with short jumping steps and they can also collapse with a spasm or fit that can last a few minutes.

Ryegrass staggers in itself is not fatal as a disease, it is the staggering or uncontrolled movements that can be fatal, causing falls into ditches or over bluffs.

Animals have been known to fall into creeks and swamps, only to drown because they cannot control their movements to get out. Also eating and drinking becomes difficult for the animal so they can actually starve or dehydrate in the hot weather.

If you see any animal behaving strangely and literally staggering about, move all stock from the affected paddock into either another paddock or in to the yard and feed the clean hay and clean water. Make sure the environment is safe and the animal in question cannot harm itself by falling over obstacles.

Consult with your vet if your are concerned, I am told if the animals are moved to another unaffected area and given clean feed and water the toxin will run its course and the animal will return to normal.

Related posts:

1. What is Bloat in Cattle ? Bloat in cattle is a serious life threatening condition. My...