Early embryonic death in lambs induced by Veratrum californicum

Both field and laboratory observations have suggested the possibility of embryonic death from 14th day ingestion of Veratrum californicum by pregnant sheep. An experiment was conducted to tabulate the incidence of embryonic death from 14th day ingestion of high doses of plant material. Six of eight ewes so dosed were non-pregnant at term (75%), compared to none in controls, and were, therefore, believed to have experienced embryonic death from the plant ingestion. Results suggest that ingestion of plant material could account for many open ewes at lambing time in ranching operations where Veratrum has been ingested in early gestation.