GENERAL DISEASES
Black Leg
Known as _Quarter Ill_, or the _Black Spauld_ of the English Shepherds,
or as one of the “Murrains” of this country. It affects young and
thrifty sheep, and is rarely found in old and poor stock. It is most
common in wet seasons, in the early spring or summer and fall, and when
the feed is very luxuriant. The sheep gorge themselves with the rich
vegetation, and the digestion being over-taxed, the system is
disorganized and the sheep suddenly droop and die. On examination, the
wool leaves the skin at the slightest touch, and the body is found to be
swollen and blackened in large patches, chiefly on the hind or fore
quarter. Air is infiltrated under the skin, and the carcass seems
already decomposed and full of black blood. On examining the flock, some
will be lame or limping, the eyes red, and the mouth and tongue inflamed
and blistered, and on passing the hand over the sides or quarters, they
will be found swollen, the wool readily coming off, and a crepitation be
heard from the confined air beneath. The urine is dark, the bowels
constipated and dung bloody. After a time the animal is unable to stand,
and falls upon the side; stretches out the limbs and in a few hours is
dead.
The disease is worse on moist, rich bottom lands, and is rare on dry
hills or gravelly soils. To prevent the disease, such soils and
localities should be avoided, and the sudden changes from poor to such
rich and succulent and abundant pasturage.
TREATMENT.—The disease is incurable, and diseased animals should be
killed at once, the bodies burned and the premises disinfected as given
under Abortion, page 122. The healthy animals should be moved to another
pasture and the infected pasture burned off the following winter, this
destroys the germs in that pasture.
Cattle may be rendered immune to Black Leg by vaccination. The vaccine
with directions for its use is given away to stock owners by the Chief
of the Bureau of Animal Industry, U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Washington, D. C.
Foot and Mouth Disease—Eczema Epizootica
DEFINITION.—An acute, contagious fever, characterized by the formation
of vesicles and ulcers, chiefly about the mouth and hoofs, etc. The
eruptions appear on the mucous membrane of the mouth, on the fetlock,
and in the cleft of the hoofs, and not unfrequently as a eruption on the
udder. The disorder chiefly prevails among cattle and sheep, but under
favoring circumstances, also attacks other domestic quadrupeds, and even
man.
CAUSES.—It appears as an epidemic, and spreads exclusively by contagion.
The precise nature of the germ is unknown, but it is chiefly limited to
the contents of the vesicles, the secretion of the ulcers, the saliva,
the blood and the natural secretions and excretions, of the diseased
animal; and these convey the disease. The predisposing causes are
exposure to cold, wet, currents of cold air, poor fodder, want of
cleanliness and good housing; and anything that tends to lower the
constitutional vitality. The activity of the virus is preserved for many
months. The poison may be conveyed by the clothes of herdsmen and other
persons, by manure, tools, fodder, by grass and ground previously
trodden by diseased animals, and milk to suckling calves, indeed by
almost anything. It finds its way into the system in various ways, not
depending on any wound for admission. The communication to man is by
drinking the milk of diseased cows. A second attack is rare.
SYMPTOMS.—After a period of incubation, lasting from three to six days,
the animal is seized with a shivering fit, and appears dull and
stupified. A vesicular eruption soon appears on the mouth, the hoofs,
and the teats. Suckling lambs, have a similar eruption on the mouth and
throat, with irritation of the whole alimentary canal, attended with
inability to suck, and exhausting diarrhea. The eyes are then observed
to be dim, watery, congested; the muzzle, ears and horns alternately hot
and cold; shivering ensues; rumination is diminished; the milk is less
in quantity, yellower and thicker than usual, and much deteriorated in
quality; the bag swollen, tender, hot; the back arched; the coat staring
and harsh; the pulse somewhat accelerated; the temperature moderately
elevated, reaching 102°, or even 104°; the eruption in the mouth is
first seen on the inner surface of the upper lip, the edge of the upper
jaw where there are no teeth, on the tip and edges of the tongue, and is
indicated by salivation, by pain and loss of power in taking and eating
food. The vesicles occur on the mucous membrane, singly or in patches,
first as little red spots, then as whitish-yellow, slightly turbid
blisters, about the size of a bean, at first transparent, but
subsequently filled with a puriform fluid. These vesicles burst in about
eighteen hours, discharge their fluid, leaving behind shallow ulcers,
which often run together and then form deep and ragged ulcers. The lips,
cheeks, tongue, and sometimes the Schneiderian membrane, are affected.
The eruption on the feet is first seen around the coronet and in the
interdigital space, especially of the hind legs; and the resulting
vesicles burst quickly, because of the animal’s movements. The animal
evidently suffers intense pain, is lame or unable to stand, and moves
reluctantly or cautiously; the hoofs swell; the vascular secreting
membranes become inflamed; the hoofs are cast; the bones may become
diseased; and serious mischief may ensue. The eruption on the udder
turns to vesicles, as in the mouth, and, when the fluid dries or
escapes, thin scales are formed. The teats are swollen and sore. In
exceptional cases, a vesicular eruption appears on the muzzle, the
mucous membrane of the nostrils, the conjuctivae of the eyes, and the
mucous membrane of the vagina.
In favorable cases, the fever subsides about the fourth day, the
eruption declines, the appetite returns, and in seven to fourteen days
the animal recovers. But complications are not uncommon. And in
unfavorable cases the fever is high, the ulceration increases, the
animal suffers from exhaustion, wasting, discharge of stringy, bloody
mucous from the mouth, and of offensive matter from the nostrils; the
face is swollen, the breath foul, the respiration rapid and grunting;
the pulse small, weak, rapid; the blood becomes impure; the belly and
legs œdematous; the hoofs slough off; diarrhea supervenes, and death
follows about the ninth or tenth day.
PROGNOSIS.—This is unfavorable—The United States Government and the
Health Officers of the several States require all suspected cases of
Foot and Mouth Disease to be quarantined, and upon the full development
of the disease all animals infected to be killed. Human beings are
liable to become infected, great care should be exercised in handling
diseased animals or their carcases.
Liver Rot—Liver Fluke Disease
This is a very destructive disease and causes much loss to sheep raisers
each year.
It is caused by a small worm called the Distoma; which is swallowed by
the sheep in water or on grass and which makes its way to the liver,
where it lives. These worms only exist in low damp land, high dry
pastures are free from them.
SYMPTOMS.—The sheep becomes dull and listless, followed by loss of flesh
and strength, the wool comes off easily. The loss of strength continues
and death usually ensues.
TREATMENT.—Since the worms only exist for any length of time in low damp
land; and high dry pastures are usually free from them; the sheep should
be removed to the dry pastures. Rock salt should be given freely to the
infected sheep. There is no known cure for this disease.
CHAPTER II.—PART III.
DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
Encephalitis, Inflammation of the Brain
This disease may arise from internal causes, but more frequently from
sun-stroke, blows upon the head, too plentiful food, etc.
SYMPTOMS.—The animal ceases to eat; hangs its ears and head, which are
hot to the touch; walks along staggering, unconscious whither it goes;
the eyes are bright and red and projected from the head; the air it
expires is hot; the breathing short, rapid and accompanied with violent
beating of the flanks; it remains lying down, head stretched on the
ground, and, as the disease draws to a close, it ends in convulsions.
TREATMENT.—Give A.A., a dose of three or five drops every hour, during
the height of the disease, and then at longer intervals as the case
improves.
Apoplexy
In consequence of that plethora, which is the result of over-feeding in
fattening, sheep are quite liable to apoplexy, and when in this
condition they are driven rapidly some distance in warm weather, they
are quite liable to a fit of this disease.
SYMPTOMS.—Generally there are some symptoms which indicate that an
animal is about to have a fit of this very frequent complaint. These
are: Dullness; frequent standing still, or remaining behind the others,
the breathing is quickened; it seems sleepy and unaware of what is going
on around; the eyes appear as if they were blind; the pupils are
reddened and nostrils dilated; pulse is quick and hard; the membranes of
the nose and eyes are red; then, from standing fixed as it were in one
place, it staggers and falls; then is violently convulsed, and, unless
relieved, death speedily ensues.
TREATMENT.—The A.A., if given before the convulsion, a dose of three or
five drops, will often arrest its farther progress. If the fit has taken
place, give the medicine at once, and repeat the dose again after the
animal gets over it, should it survive the fit.
Louping Ill
This disease is more common in the spring of the year when it attacks
sheep and particularly lambs.
It begins with twitching and tremblings; sometimes even convulsions. The
animal falls and may even leap into the air. This is later followed by
paralysis of part of the body, and the head being drawn to one side.
This disease is due to bacteria which are transmitted to the sheep by
the grass tick. No cure is known. Diseased sheep should be killed and
the rest of the flock dipped for Scab, as on page 211.
Trotters—Nibblers
This is a disease somewhat like louping ill but appears to be
heriditary.
SYMPTOMS.—The sheep trembles when touched and walks with a peculiar
gait, raising the feet high (Trotters). Later there appears to be an
itching, since the animal rubs and bites its hind quarters (Nibblers).
This is followed by wasting, paralysis and death.
TREATMENT.—There is no known cure and diseased animals should be
slaughtered and not bred from.
Epilepsy—Fits
In sheep, this disorder frequently occurs on a fine, cold morning in
spring, early summer and autumn, within an hour or two of daybreak. On
rising from its bed, the animal stares, staggers, falls, struggles
convulsively for a few minutes, kicks, rolls its eyes, grinds its teeth,
foams at the mouth, and sometimes involuntarily voids dung and urine.
After a few minutes, or perhaps half an hour, the fit subsides, the
animal rises, seems semi-conscious, presently begins to eat, and appears
to be in good health. These fits may occur daily, and then will soon
become fatal; or, by occasional repetition, they may wear away the
creature’s flesh and strength.
TREATMENT.—A few doses of A.A., on the day of attack, followed by a dose
of A.A., each morning, and of J.K., each night, are the proper remedies.
A change of pasture and shelter should be provided.
Rabies—Hydrophobia—Madness
When a mad dog has entered a fold, it is often difficult to determine
which sheep have been bitten and which remain untouched. Careful
examination, one by one, should be made; still uncertainty remains. The
symptoms appear from two to ten or twelve weeks after attack, and are
similar to those which appear in other animals. The sheep annoy and
chase each other, cease to feed, lose flesh, are restless, and manifest
strong and unnatural sexual desire. Ewes become stupified and paralyzed,
and die, often without a struggle. Lambs have convulsive fits,
terminated by death. Rams and wethers, butt their heads against the
ground, palings, banks and one another; running full tilt, with great
violence and frequency, so as to tear the skin from their foreheads.
They usually die in from 3 to 6 days.
TREATMENT.—A.A., should be given every day, to all the flock, for a few
days, then once a week for several weeks. If an animal develops the
symptoms it should be killed at once, since there is no known cure.
However few animals or persons bitten by supposedly mad dogs ever
develop the disease.
Dizziness, Staggers, Sturdy, Turn-Sick, Gid.
This is a very dangerous and not infrequent disease. Its immediate cause
is the presence of a small worm, inclosed in a hydatid or sack of fluid,
and located either within the substances of the brain, or beneath the
bones of the cranium. These hydatids vary in size, number and position,
being found on the right or left side, indicated by the animal turning
to the right or left, or in the centre of the median line, in which case
it may turn to either side, or not at all, the animal carrying the head
down. When the hydatid occupies the back of the head, the animal holds
the head high, and runs straight forward, throwing itself on any object
it meets.
SYMPTOMS.—As above indicated, the symptoms consist of various forms of
turning, whirling around or standing still, etc. At first, when the
hydatids are small, there may be but little or nothing to indicate their
presence; but as they grow larger, they press upon the bone, and even
enlarge or remove a great portion of it. One side of the head may be
enormously enlarged, or the bone become quite thin, so that the
situation of the cyst may be thus known, and sometimes a small hole may
be discerned. The sacks are more frequently on the left side.
The first effects are: dullness, loss of spirits; they chew the cud
slowly and carelessly; they keep aloof from the other sheep; they
stagger when walking; stand before a pool of water looking into it, and
sometimes tumble in and are drowned; sometimes when eating they appear
as if frightened, and run over the field as if pursued; the head is held
higher or lower, or carried on one side; the body, in moving, inclines
to the same side; the sheep appear to wander about, and gradually lose
flesh and strength; then they begin to turn round and round to one side;
seem quite unconscious of everything around them; the round and round
movements increase until they are almost constant, and the animal at
length dies.
TREATMENT.—Puncturing through the skull into these cysts, when their
presence is known by the swelling, is sometimes successful if the
precise point is known and no other exists. Give A.A., a dose of two or
five drops every night at first, and then at longer intervals. Few sheep
treated survive and unless the animal is very valuable for breeding, it
is better to slaughter as soon as the disease begins to appear. Although
this disease is very hard to handle after it gets started, it can be
easily prevented. The worm which gets into the brain is the larvæ of the
tape worm of the dog, which the sheep gets from eating grass soiled by
the dogs feces. The dog in turn gets this worm from the sheep by eating
the brains which contain the larvæ. The remedy therefore is simple.
Don’t feed uncooked sheeps brains to dogs.
CHAPTER III.—PART III.
DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF RESPIRATION
Cold, Catarrh
The nose and air-passages are lined with a delicate membrane, whose
office it is to secrete a thin mucous which lubricates the parts. Under
the influence of a chill, suppressed perspiration, etc., this membrane
becomes irritated, inflamed, and the discharge arrested, or it is
thickened, increased, or variously modified.
The symptoms usually are, the sheep is not so lively as usual; he eats
little or no food; he coughs and sneezes; a watery discharge flows from
one or both nostrils, and also from the eyes, which are red and swelled.
In the more severe form, there is a chill, warm skin, quick pulse,
frequent and somewhat difficult breathing, sore throat, pain in the
throat when pinched, frequent cough, rough coat, bound bowels, red eyes,
and red and dry nose; tears flow freely, and little or no food is
eaten—all symptoms indicating a catarrhal fever. As the animal improves,
the discharge from the nose becomes white or yellowish, and more
profuse.
TREATMENT.—When the disease commences with a chill, or any considerable
degree of fever is present, give fifteen drops of the A.A., and repeat
it several times, at intervals of one or two hours. Then alternate the
E.E., with the A.A., at intervals of two or three hours, until the
disease is broken up.
Cough
This is usually a symptom of some primary disorder on the cure of which
it will disappear. It may, however, be a passing irritation. A
persistent cough is suggestive of serious ailment, and, without delay,
give the E.E., and you may save the animal.
Laryngitis
Laryngitis, or inflammation of the lining membrane of the windpipe, is
due to cold, changeable weather, etc. It is distinguished from
bronchitis (see next section) by a characteristic _ring_ in the cough.
The open mouth, with outstretched head, indicates difficulty of
breathing and a sense of suffocation. This frequently ensues from
thickening of the membrane and closure of the _rima glottidis_, or
entrance to the windpipe. A.A., a dose two or three times per day, is
the treatment.
Bronchitis, or Inflammation of the Bronchial Tubes
This disease is usually the result of exposure to cold and wet, or
sudden changes of temperature; it is almost always preceded by a common
cold, which has been neglected or overlooked.
SYMPTOMS.—Cough, which becomes by degrees more painful, frequent and
husky; the countenance becomes anxious and distressed; the breathing is
quick, heaving and obstructed, in consequence of tough, tenacious
phlegm; unwillingness to move; the breath is hot; the cough is increased
by moving about, occurs in fits, and is wheezing in character; no food
is eaten; the animal wastes; skin becomes dry, and is bound to the ribs;
the coat stares and looks unthrifty. The animal may die from extension
of the disease to the substance of the lungs.
TREATMENT.—The earlier stages of this disease, or catarrh, should be
treated at once, as directed under that head. Then a dose or two of the
Remedy for that disease removes all danger.
Remove the animal to a warm but well ventilated stable, and feed on warm
mashes and gruel.
Give first, at intervals of two hours, two or three doses of the A.A.,
twenty drops at a dose. This will allay the heat and fever to some
extent. Then alternate, at intervals of three hours, the E.E., with the
A.A., the same doses, and continue this treatment until restored, only
that the medicine need not be given so frequently after improvement has
progressed.
Pneumonia—Inflammation of the Lungs
This disease may be caused by exposure to cold and wet; too severe
weather; sudden changes of weather; cold nights and mornings and hot
middays, are apt to induce it.
SYMPTOMS.—Want of appetite; loss of the cud; dull, staring eyes; ears
are hung down; the head is held up; the mouth open; breathing quick,
labored and difficult, with heaving of the flanks; grating of the teeth;
inside of the nose and white of the eyes much reddened; a discharge, at
first thin and watery, afterwards mattery and offensive, flows from the
nostrils; frequent painful cough, attended with rattling in the throat.
These symptoms gradually become more and more severe, until the animal
dies.
TREATMENT.—The A.A., will generally be found sufficient. Give a dose of
five drops every two hours. Should the disease not yield in a day or
two, the E.E., in doses of five drops, may be alternated with the A.A.,
every three hours.
CHAPTER IV.—PART III.
DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF DIGESTION
Tympanitis—Hoove—Blown—Maw Bound
This disorder—is of two kinds; one due to the evolution of gas from the
food taken, the other to the impaction of the food. In one case the gas
produces enormous inflation of the rumen, or first of the four stomachs
possessed by sheep, in the other, distention.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DISTENTION FROM GAS AND FOOD
──────────────────────────────────┬──────────────────────────────────
DISTENTION FROM GAS │ DISTENTION FROM IMPACTED FOOD
──────────────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────
The left flank, on pressure, feels│The left flank, on pressure, feels
soft, elastic and yielding to the │solid; does not yield readily to
fingers. On percussion, sound │the fingers. On percussion, or on
hollow and drum-like. │being struck, sound dull.
Frequent belching; the wind which │No belching or eructation of wind.
escapes has an offensive smell. │
Respiration quick, short and │Respiration not much interfered
puffing. │with.
Position standing; head stretched │Position lying down, and is with
forward, unable to move; moans, │difficulty induced to move;
and appears in great distress; │looking dull and listless.
eyes red and staring. │
TREATMENT.—This is the same whether the distention is from gas or
impacted food. F.F. may be given, a dose every quarter or half hour. We
give the method of puncturing, which, however, need never be resorted to
if the F.F. be administered.
_Puncturing._—Relief is sometimes very urgently required, and this is
best afforded either by plunging a trocar into the left side, or by
passing a probang down the œsophagus into the paunch. If the trocar is
used, let the canula on the instrument be ten or twelve inches long, so
as to prevent the paunch from slipping away from the canula and causing
delay, and perhaps further danger. _Chloride of Lime_ is valuable after
the animal is somewhat relieved by the use of the trocar; about two
drachms should be mixed with a quart of water. In case of immediate
relief being imperative, and a trocar not being at hand, a long, sharp
pointed pen-knife may be used for puncturing. The place for puncturing
is midway between the hip and ribs, where the distended rumen is
prominent; the direction is inward and downward. The puncture will be
followed by an outrush of gas, fluid, and even portions of food. A
quill, or some other tube, must be ready to be inserted in the hole
immediately after the knife is withdrawn, otherwise the wound will
close. If nothing tubular be at hand, a smooth piece of stick must be
put in, or anything else that will serve the purpose of keeping open the
wound till the gas has escaped. The danger of this operation is not from
the wound itself, but from the escape of the contents of the paunch into
the abdomen, which would cause peritonitis, or from piercing the spleen
or kidney. The operation can only be regarded as a rough one, to be
adopted in case of great emergency.
When distention has ceased and matters have to some extent resumed their
ordinary course, the animal should remain some hours without food or
water. The food afterwards should be sparing and suitable.
J.K., should be administered two or three times daily until the animal
is fully recovered.
Colic—Gripes
This disease is not common in sheep; but lambs over-fed with milk, or
with relishing herbs, or pastured in rank or acrid grass, are subject to
it (see following section on enteritis).
TREATMENT.—F.F., a dose every half hour until relieved.
Enteritis, Inflammation of the Bowels
This disease is manifested by the following symptoms: Violent and
constant pain in the bowels, producing at first uneasiness, and then
rolling about on the ground; the sheep almost constantly getting up and
lying down again; it sometimes lies on its back, the ground is pawed,
the belly struck with the hind feet, etc. These symptoms of pain are
attended with confined bowels, quick pulse, cold legs and nose; the
belly is tender when pressed upon.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN COLIC AND ENTERITIS
──────────────────────────────────┬──────────────────────────────────
COLIC │ ENTERITIS
──────────────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────────
The attack is sudden. │The disorder generally comes on
│gradually.
The pain is intermittent. │The pain is incessant and
│increases.
The pain is relieved by friction │The pain is aggravated by friction
and motion. │and movement.
Debility is not a characteristic │Debility is very characteristic.
till near the end of the disorder.│
TREATMENT.—The A.A., is the appropriate remedy for this disease, and may
be given, five drops every one, two or three hours, according to the
urgency of the disease.
In cases of extreme distress it may be alternated with the F.F., at
intervals of a half hour or hour, until relieved. But usually the first
named Remedy will be quite sufficient.
Diarrhea
Purging is most common in spring, and is then occasioned by fresh grass,
to which the flock are unaccustomed; lambs are subject to a severe and
often fatal form of this complaint, caused by the irritation of grass
eaten for the first time. In some instances it may be occasioned by cold
or by a peculiar irritation of the mother’s milk.
SYMPTOMS.—The disease is manifested by discharge of various colors, and
sometimes very profuse. It is accompanied with loss of appetite and
wasting of flesh.
TREATMENT.—If the discharge is merely the effort of nature to rid the
system of some hurtful substance, it will require no interference. But
if it is excessive or wasting, three or five drops of the F.F., given
morning and night, will usually be sufficient to arrest the disease.
Flukes, or Rottenness
This term is applied to the condition caused by the presence of fluke
worms in the liver or bile ducts, where they sometimes exist in large
numbers, causing great swelling of the liver.
CAUSE.—The disease is chiefly developed in low districts, and after damp
seasons. The worms are taken in with the food and developed in the
liver.
SYMPTOMS.—Depression, sadness, inertness, loss of appetite; watery, red,
yellowish, purulent eyes; yellowish tint of all parts not covered with
hair; fœtid smell of nose and mouth; hard skin; dull, erect hair;
irregularity of excrement, which is white, watery and fœtid.
TREATMENT.—The principal remedies are A.A., at first, and then, after a
day, alternate C.C., with the A.A., a dose once in three or four hours.
Constipation
This is rarely of grave consequence, and when it exists, is usually a
symptom of some other disease. When present, a dose of twenty drops of
the J.K., given morning and night, will soon set all right again. If
there is suspicion of some inflammatory condition lurking in the system,
the A.A., in like doses, will have the like effect.
Dropsy
Is known as the accumulation of water or serous fluid in the abdomen. It
is usually the result of inflammation of the peritoneum or lining
membrane of the abdomen. It may be known by the large and pendulous
condition of the belly, and by percussing or striking one part of the
belly, while the other hand is held against another part, when, if water
is present, the fluctuation is easily perceived. It is caused by any
exposure or food that will produce the original inflammation.
TREATMENT.—Give five drops of the H.H., three times per day.
Founder
Sheep are occasionally foundered from similar causes which produce it in
other animals. It is manifested by the following symptoms: It walks
slowly; head depressed; has no sprightliness; poor appetite, but great
thirst. After a time this slowness of walking becomes a rigidity, so
that it requires great effort for the animal to lie down or get up
again. The appetite diminishes and thirst increases. In the more
advanced stages, the eyelids are swollen, the eyes more or less
inflamed, and the feet extremely hot; still farther advanced, there is
no appetite, feet are burning and hot, the animal is in so much pain
from movement that it will only walk to satisfy its raging thirst. It
drags itself along often on its knees rather than walk. It moans and
groans, there is severe fever, short breathing, and severe beating of
the flanks.
TREATMENT.—B.B., three drops, three times per day, or morning and night
if the case is not urgent. If there is heat or fever, the A.A., may be
given as an intermediate remedy.
CHAPTER V.—PART III.
DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF GENERATION
Abortion
Abortion or premature birth may occur from three different causes:
1—ACCIDENTAL ABORTION.—Caused by a blow; strain; slipping on a wet
floor, etc.
2—ENZOOTIC ABORTION.—Due to some infectious disease of the mother.
3—CONTAGIOUS ABORTION.—A distinct disease which causes the death and
expulsion of the fetus or its expulsion in a feeble state prior to the
normal period.
SYMPTOMS OF THREATENED ABORTION.—In the first three months of pregnancy,
the appearance of a bloody, watery or mucous discharge from the vagina.
In the later months, uneasiness, swelling, heat and tenderness about the
udder; secretion of milk; and straining as if in labor.
TREATMENT OF THREATENED ABORTION.—Give fifteen drops of G.G., every six
hours, and the dose may be repeated two or three or more times should
the threatening symptoms continue after the first or even the second
dose has expended its action.
This interval should elapse between doses, as too rapid ones may even
defeat the object, by over-excitement of the system, while a single dose
often arrests an abortion if permitted to expand its action.
After a ewe has actually aborted, it is almost impossible to tell
whether it occurred from contagious abortion or from some other cause,
so the safe thing to do is to act as if it had been contagious abortion.
TREATMENT OF CONTAGIOUS ABORTION.—The fetus and membranes should be
burned. The premises occupied by the sick animal should be disinfected
as follows: Remove all bedding and dirt possible and spray all available
parts of barn with 3% formalin or 5% carbolic acid solution. Apply
whitewash containing 1 lb. chloride of lime to 3 gallons of whitewash,
scatter quicklime on floor and gutters.
The animal which has aborted should receive daily a vaginal irrigation
of two gallons of warm water containing 2% lysol until the vaginal
discharge stops. The external parts about the vagina, including the hips
and tail, should be washed thoroughly with soap and water and then with
the lysol solution as above, twice daily. This should also be done to
all exposed pregnant animals in the herd, being careful not to use the
same cloth, solution, bucket or attendant, for the well animals that was
used for the sick one. Give G.G., at intervals of six hours.
Inflammation of the Bearing
By this term is indicated a common affection of the ewe during the
lambing season, which is generally produced by injuries inflicted upon
the parts of generation in forcibly extracting the lamb from the mother.
TREATMENT.—The parts should be well washed with tepid water, and
VETERINARY OIL applied. A.A., should also be given internally, two or
three times a day; in some cases, alternated with I.I.
Garget—Inflammation of the Udder
Garget is a disease which prevails amongst ewes during the lambing
season. It arises generally from the action of cold and wet upon the
udder. Lying with the udder in contact with the cold, wet ground will
produce garget; also prevalence of wet and easterly winds.
The udder swells considerably, is excessively tender, and speedily
becomes hard and hot; the pulse rises; the appetite fails, and more or
less fever is present. The progress of the disorder is very rapid, and
often fatal; prompt treatment is consequently required.
TREATMENT.—The animal must be removed to a warm, sheltered situation,
free from wet and cold. The best remedy is the A.A. It is the more
demanded if the pulse is much disturbed and the patient feverish, and a
dose should be given three or four times a day. The lamb must be allowed
to suck, or the udder must be otherwise emptied of its contents. As the
fever abates, use the C.C., in alternation with the A.A.
CHAPTER VI.—PART III.
DISEASES OF LOCOMOTION AND SKIN
Rheumatism
Sheep, particularly aged sheep and lambs, are subject to rheumatism,
sometimes acute, sometimes chronic. They move stiffly, as if in pain,
look thin and miserable. The symptoms and treatment are the same as
those for the same disease in cattle (page 137). In old sheep, only
partial relief can be given; they should therefore be fed under shelter,
ready for slaughter; if left to graze, they may not feed at all. Lambs
should be sheltered and kept warm. B.B., is the proper and very useful
remedy, given daily.
Lameness
A sheep frequently manifests sudden lameness; when it does so, the foot
should be washed and examined. If there be a stone, thorn, or other
foreign substance in the cleft, it should be removed, and the wound
dressed with HUMPHREYS’ VETERINARY OIL. For other causes of lameness,
see sections on foot-rot, rheumatism, etc.
Foot-Rot
This disease usually results from foreign bodies, such as sand, gravel,
sticks, or dirt getting into the cleft of the foot, although it
sometimes appears to be contagious.
SYMPTOMS.—Lameness, swelling of the pastern, pain, etc.; matter then
forms, and unless it is let out, it will spread in all directions under
the foot and appear at the coronet; long, narrow ulcers remain, and
proud flesh springs up from the diseased places.
TREATMENT.—Examine the foot carefully; remove all dirt or other foreign
matter; then foment the foot, night and morning with hot water for an
hour, and then apply a turnip or bran poultice; the hoof should be pared
down, and all the dead parts, or those likely to interfere with the
escape of matter, cut away; afterwards apply the VETERINARY OIL on a
piece of cloth, bandaged to the foot, to keep it in place and prevent
dirt or other matter getting into the sore. If the parts are healthy,
the tar and tallow application (equal parts) is very servicable. The
hoof will then begin to grow, during which care must be taken to prevent
dirt lodging in the wound and causing fresh irritation. A dose of the
I.I., every morning, and of J.K., every night, will aid the process.
Pock
This disease which attacks the same animal but once in life, and by
preference the young ones of the flock, is one which sometimes occasions
fearful ravages among sheep. It has its regular stages, like the
small-pox, and may be mild or malignant.
SYMPTOMS.—In the mild form, the animal is for two or three days sad and
dejected; then, on different parts, more particularly on the inner
surface of the fore-feet and around the mouth, small red spots appear,
whose center is occupied by a pimple, terminating in a white point. This
stage of eruption is attended with feverish shiverings, heat, especially
of the ears and nose; redness of the eyes and inner mouth; the animal is
melancholy; head down; feet close together; lameness, especially of hind
parts; no appetite or cud. The greater the number of pustules; the worse
the disease. The body is hot; breathing short; a clear mucous flows from
the mouth; the parts occupied with pimples, especially the head, swell
so that the animal cannot open its eyes or mouth; the fever continues;
the pustules enlarge, and are filled with fluid, first thin, and then
becoming thick, yellow and purulent. On the thirteenth day the pustules
begin to dry up, fever abates, pus hardens in the pustules, becomes
yellow, then darker, flatten, become scabs, and by degrees fall off,
leaving a dry scar behind. The drying stage lasts from five to seven
days.
Sometimes this disease assumes a malignant form, in which the pock are
very numerous, running together; the symptoms violent, irregular, and
the pock soon becomes dark-colored. The pustules run together, forming
extensive ulcers beneath the wool, frequently destroying the eyes and
entire pieces of the lips and face.
TREATMENT.—During the feverish stage, for the first five or six days,
give the A.A., five drops, four times per day. Then give the I.I., the
same dose morning and night, until the animal is well. This I.I., given
to the well sheep, will so act as to either prevent their having it at
all, or only in a very mild form. The sound and diseased, or suspected
sheep, should be separated, as the disease is very contagious, and
easily communicated.
If, however, the disease has appeared in a flock with some severity,
inoculation is best, quickest and safest. This may be done on the
forearm or other part, with matter from a fresh pock, merely dipping the
lancet in it and inserting it just beneath the skin, not so as to cause
the blood to flow, or it may wash it out. The advantage is, that all
have it lightly, and get over it in three weeks, otherwise the flock may
be six months having it; and not one per cent of inoculated animals will
die. During the disease they should not be kept too warm or be over-fed.
Gadfly
The gadfly of the sheep (_œstrus ovus_), allied to the gadfly of cattle
(_œstrus bovinus_), is the plague of the flocks in August and September,
as the other is of the herds; but it chooses a different place for the
deposition of its eggs. The locality selected is the alœ, or flaps of
the nostrils of the healthiest and finest sheep of the flock, while they
are sleeping in the pasture. There the eggs, warm and moist, are
speedily hatched. Thence the larvæ ascending the nasal cavity, travel to
the frontal sinuses, where they remain, living on the mucous secreted
there, until their metamorphosis. During their course upward they
irritate the delicate membrane with their hooklets; and when then return
from their hiding place for expulsion from the nostrils in the following
spring, the irritation is renewed. The irritation, and consequent
inflammation, pain and sense of dizziness, drive the sheep to
distraction. The animal stamps, throws up his head, sneezes violently,
and repeats the expulsive effort until the larvæ come away with a large
quantity of mucous. The number of larvæ is usually not large; but when
it is considerable, the inflammation may turn to gangrene and cause
death. After expulsion, the larvæ bury themselves in the ground, assume
the pupa state, in two or three months come out as gadflies, and again
torment the sheep.
The treatment of this affection by means of powders blown up the
nostrils, is often as irritating and injurious as the presence of the
larvæ. I.J., should be given internally. The inhalation of fumes of
sulphur will cause sneezing; and if the larvæ be not already dead, they
should be destroyed.
Fly
Sheep that are wounded by butting each other, or any other cause, that
have sores, that are dirty about the tail and quarters, are attacked by
a large blow-fly, which deposits its eggs in the wound or putrescence.
It is during the summer, in sultry weather and after rain that the fly
is the most troublesome. After a while the eggs are hatched, and the
maggots burrow in the flesh of the animal. Their presence is indicated
by local swelling, pain and dejection, and ultimate debility of the
animal. If the maggots are not promptly destroyed and the wound kept
clean, suppuration, deep ulcerations and death ensue. Mercurial
applications poison the sheep as well as the maggots. The best treatment
is to remove the maggots and keep the wounds clean, and apply HUMPHREYS’
VETERINARY OIL or a 2% lysol solution.
CHAPTER VII.—PART III.
SCAB, TICKS AND DIPPING
Sheep are infested with two kinds of external parasites. (1) The sheep
tick, which is a wingless fly, less than a quarter of an inch long, and,
(2) the acarus which causes scab; of these there are several different
species, but since the symptoms are much the same and the treatment
exactly the same in all cases it is hardly worth while to differentiate
between them.
Dipping
Dipping is now the accepted form of treatment for external parasites of
any kind.
There are three objects sought for in dipping; (1) the removal of
external parasites; (2) improving the condition of the skin; (3)
increasing growth in the wool; of course the first is the most
important.
Dips may be divided into two classes according to their origin viz.,
proprietary dips and non-proprietary dips.
A proprietary dip is one which is put up in packages and sold as a dip
and usually requires little handling to be ready for use.
A non-proprietary dip is one which the farmer makes up himself from
articles which he buys as crude drugs. This is usually cheaper, but
requires more handling in preparing it for use.
To-day, most, if not all proprietary dips on the market have been
approved by the Dep’t of Agriculture, and are about as effective as the
non-proprietary dips. The principal question is whether to pay a little
more and save the labor of preparing the dip, or pay less and do the
work yourself.
All dips come under one of five classes, according to the basic elements
used; (1) Tobacco and Sulphur; (2) Lime and Sulphur; (3) Coal tar; (4)
Carbolic acid; and (5) Arsenic.
The tobacco and sulphur dip is very much used and is highly recommended
by the Dep’t of Agriculture. It is prepared as follows: For every 100
gallons of dip required, use 21 pounds of tobacco leaves and 16 pounds
of flowers of sulphur. Soak the leaves in cold or luke-warm water for 24
hours in a covered vessel. Bring the water to a boil and then remove
from the fire. Allow to draw for not less than one hour or preferably
over night. Then strain and press out all the tobacco juice. Mix the
flowers of sulphur in water so as to make a thin paste, and pour this
into the tobacco solution, stirring to keep the sulphur from settling;
add water if necessary to make 100 gallons. Heat to about 100 degrees F.
for use, but be careful not to heat above 110 as the nicotine would
evaporate.
The tobacco and sulphur dip is one of the best known. It is cheap,
effective and does not injure the wool. However it does not keep and
must be freshly prepared for every dipping.
The lime and sulphur dip is also a very good one and is the dip usually
recommended, or even sometimes required by the Dep’t of Agriculture.
It is prepared as follows: For 100 gallons of dip take 8 pounds of
unslaked lime and 24 pounds of flowers of sulphur. Place the lime in a
kettle and add enough water to make a paste; sift in the sulphur,
stirring so as to mix thoroughly. Then add 25 to 30 gallons of boiling
water, and boil for at least two hours, stirring both mixture and
sediment frequently. Boiling should be continued until the sulphur has
disappeared from the surface of the liquid; add water as necessary. Then
pour liquid and sediment into a barrel with a bunghole about 4 inches
from the bottom, and allow to settle for two or three hours, and run off
into dipping vat, and add water to make 100 gallons.
This is one of the cheapest and most effective dips, but does sometimes
injure the wool if it is long.
The coal tar dips are of two classes, known as creosote dips and cresol
dips. They are sometimes home made, but more often are proprietary. Of
these dips, the creosote dips are probably the best, for although both
are effective in destroying ticks and scabs, the creosote leaves the
wool in a clean, soft and pliable condition, while the cresol dip is
liable to leave it dry and harsh.
The carbolic and arsenical dips are losing favor with sheep raisers oh
account of their poisonous character and they are not highly recommended
by the Dep’t of Agriculture.
Sheep should always be dipped twice. The first dipping kills the mites,
but usually does not get the eggs, so they should be dipped again, about
ten days after the first dipping.
Sheep should remain in the dip for one minute, to destroy ticks, and two
minutes for scab, and the head should be plunged beneath the dip just
before leaving the tank, except where using carbolic or arsenical dips.
If sheep become infested with ticks or scab, they should be dipped
irrespective of the season of the year. Otherwise it is usual to dip
them shortly after shearing.
For large flocks of sheep, an elaborate dipping plant, with permanent
vat, cooking and heating apparatus, and herding and draining pens is
necessary, but for a few sheep on a general farm, a large tub will do
and the sheep can be lifted in and out of it onto a draining board which
will carry the drippings back into the vat.
* * * * *
“40”
Induces Repose, and Natural, Refreshing
SLEEP
Insomnia, Sleeplessness, Wakefulness, Restlessness and Nervousness.
Dr. Humphreys’ Number “40” Induces Repose, and Natural, Refreshing
Sleep.
No Narcotic, No Opiate, No Dope, No habit forming Drugs, Strictly
Homeopathic.
Number “Forty” at all Drug Stores, 30c., or sent prepaid on receipt of
price.
=Humphreys’ Homeopathic Medicine Co.=
=Corner William and Ann Streets=
=NEW YORK=