Mystery writers know that to keep readers engaged, there is often more than one suspect, and the reader must process a series of clues to solve the crime.

In many ways, solving the cause of an animal’s death involves the veterinarian working through a series of clues — some of which are the circumstances around the death and other answers that can be obtained through a necropsy exam post-mortem.

This was the topic of discussion on a recent Kansas State University Beef Cattle Institute Cattle Chat podcast in which the veterinarians were speculating about the cause of death for a bull that died near a pond.

“Don’t automatically assume the pond was the reason for the bull’s death,” K-State veterinary toxicologist Scott Fritz said. “When a death like this happens, it is important to get a veterinarian involved. Sometimes when doing a necropsy, we will find things we weren’t expecting to see.”

Having said that, Fritz said a logical first check would be the pond water.

“Toxic blue-green algae are bacteria that are often confused with the duckweed plant as both can cover the surface of the pond,” Fritz said. “When those toxic blooms are released, it looks like someone dumped paint on the surface of the pond. It can appear as green, blue, orange, red –– an array of colors.”

If producers suspect they have a pond with toxic algae, Fritz recommended they collect a water sample and send it to a diagnostic lab because it can only be confirmed by viewing the pond water under a microscope.

When collecting the sample, he suggests using a clean bottle and placing it an inch or two below the surface, including the pond scum in that sample.

“A rudimentary test is if you set that sample on a flat surface for about 30 minutes, the water will have a green ring at the top and the rest of the water is clear; that is a pretty good indication that it is likely toxic algae,” Fritz said.

When collecting the sample, Fritz said to be aware that the algae can irritate a person’s skin or be aerosolized and cause some shortness of breath.

Regarding the bull’s death, if the pond isn’t showing signs of algae, another potential cause of death is a lightning strike, K-State veterinarian Bob Larson said.

“Cattle that die by lightning are often found near a pond, a tree or standing next to a fence and they’ve been electrocuted,” Larson said. “With that diagnosis, we also look to see if there was a storm in the area at the suspected time of death, particularly when the necropsy doesn’t lead us to another reason for their death.”

To hear the full discussion, listen to Cattle Chat on your preferred streaming platform.