Neurologic disease putatively associated with ingestion of Solanum viarum in goats

A 6 to 10 months) and adult male and female goats, was placed on a property in central Florida between the beginning of April and the end of June.The farm consisted of 28 acres of unimproved woodlands and approximately 2 acres of cleared land.Livestock had not grazed the property for approximately 8 months before placement of the goats.There was no history of neurologic disease among cattle kept on the same range during the preceding 15 years.Six months after placement of the goats, an adult doe was noticed to have ataxia and head tremors.During a period of several weeks, the goat' s condition progressively worsened until it became recumbent, unable to rise, and was euthanatized.Subsequently, during a period of 2 to 3 months, 5 more goats, all suckling or weanling kids (ages, 4 to 9 months), developed similar clinical signs.All affected goats initially developed fine head tremors and, during a period of weeks, became increasingly ataxic to the point of recumbency and either died or were euthanatized.Approximately 8 months after placement of the goats on the property, 7 pregnant does were removed from the main herd and placed in a small fenced pasture for supplemental feeding during the final stages of gestation.Two of the kids born to those does developed head tremors at 1 and 2 months of age.Goats were able to browse over the full range of the property.In addition, they received a commercial pelleted feed a formulated for lactating does, a mineral supplement for cattle, and free-choice coastal bermuda hay during the winter months.