In Practice 2: 31-31 (1980)
© 1980 British Veterinary Association

Is It Plant poisoning

There was a printer's error in the article "Is it plant poisoning?" on page 27 of the March issue of In Practice. The first paragraph under the heading "Laboratory investigation" should have read as follows:

Laboratory investigation of suspected plant poisoning is usually confined to examination of the ingesta with the object of identifying any plant material of a toxic species. (Since recent extensive plantings of western hemlock, Tsuga heterophylla, a tree with similar foliage to that of yew, mistakes of identification have been made. Other trees eg Cephalotaxus spp. Metasequoia spp. also have similar foliage). It is obviously important to make sure that the botanist is prepared to undertake this work before sending him any material. All specimens should be packed and labelled properly and as much information as possible should be sent to the laboratory. The records must be adequate to support litigation or a claim to an insurance company. If there is any suspicion of criminal action the police should be warned at once and they should be asked to witness all investigative procedures.