Livestock deaths linked to milkweed A histopathology study conducted by the University of Arizona Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory indicates that two cows and five pregnant ewes in the Snowflake area died in September from milkweed poisoning. The animals belonged to Pat Wallin, who is employed by Dr. Milton DeSpain at the Cedar Ridge Veterinary Center in Snowflake. Wallin says the milkweed was in baled hay from the Catalyst Paper Mill farms. Her husband discovered the dead cows and sheep when he went out to feed them in the morning on Sept. 11. The Wallins decided to have a necropsy performed to determine the cause of death. Wallin said the animals were kept in clean pens and fed only hay from the paper mill farms and pellets. A veterinarian took tissue samples from the dead animals as well as hay samples and sent them to the University of Arizona laboratory Sept. 16. They saved the remaining hay bales. Mike Reidhead, manager of the paper mill farms, said, "We heard the rumors and we've been looking into it. We've had the hay tested ,and we can't find it [milkweed] in the hay." Reidhead said hay from the paper mill farm was sent to a laboratory for testing and it came back negative for milkweed. "It's all I feed, and I haven't lost any animals yet," Reidhead said. He raises both cattle and horses....