New York outbreaks. Causes: wounds by sharp pebbles, streptococci,
pure cultures, inoculations. Symptoms: swelling on lower limbs,
abscesses, implicating tendons, bones, joints, and under hoof.
Prevention: avoid septic or frosted mud, irritants, etc., disinfect
surface, keep dry and clean, open abscesses, use disinfectants,
separate infected.
This affection was seen in several herds in Oneida Co., N. Y., in the
Spring of 1897. The geological formation of the region was a calcareous
rock with a surface soil thickly impregnated with pebbles and small flat
shaly masses. Sheep suffered in Western New York.
_Causes._ In Oneida, the subjects were dairy cows, which in the early
spring, when the frost went out of the ground, had to wade through
chilly soft mud reaching to the knees or above, and mixed with small
stones with sharp edges, and with semiliquid manurial products. The
abrasions made by these stones furnished convenient infection atria for
septic microbes in the manure. In the pus obtained from the ulcers were
found in abundance the bacillus coli commune, and a long streptococcus
representing on an average from 20 to 40 cocci in a chain. Dr. Moore
made pure cultures of these and produced the same symptoms in a cow by
injecting the streptococcus subcutaneously in the back of the pastern,
and in another animal by simply abrading the surface and rubbing on the
streptococcus culture. As the inflammation, suppuration, and resulting
ulcers implicated not only the skin but also the subcutaneous connective
tissue, the affection had many of the characters of erysipelas.
_Symptoms._ The affection commenced by swelling in the region of the
fetlock, pastern, metacarpus or metatarsus, and exceptionally, the
forearm or tibial region, and advanced to a tense swelling, which pitted
on pressure, and the formation of centres of suppuration, which burst
and discharged. If the exposure to the septic mud were continued the
sores ulcerated and extended both in the skin and subcutaneous
connective tissue, but when the dry weather came and the mud
disappeared, the tendency was to spontaneous recovery. In some instances
ulceration extended beneath the hoof threatening its evulsion, and in
other cases it extended deeply to the tendons and ligaments.
_Treatment._ The main object should be prevention, to be secured by
protecting the stock against contact with septic mud, and especially
such as is near the freezing point and intermixed with such sharp stones
and pebbles as would wound the surface and open channels for infection.
When infection has taken place we should seek to limit it by lotions of
an antiseptic character. Bandages soaked in a solution of hyposulphite
of sodium, 1 dr. to the ounce will often succeed. A more potent
application is iodized phenol, prepared as follows: tincture of iodine 2
drs., carbolic acid crystals 4 drs., glycerine 1 oz., alcohol 1 oz.,
water 8 ozs. When applied on a bandage this may be diluted with water to
make 1 pint. For circumscribed application to forming sores the
undiluted iodized phenol, made of one part each of iodine and carbolic
acid crystals, may be applied twice a day with a glass rod. Other
favorite applications are a lotion of lead and laudanum; a saturated
solution of boric acid; ninety-five per cent. alcohol; a mixture of
creolin 1 part, iodoform 4 parts, and lanolin 10 parts; ichthyol and
collodion; ichthyol and vaseline; or iodol, iodoform, salicylic acid or
resorcin as dusting powders.
Internally, tincture of muriate of iron 3 drms. every three hours helps
to keep the affection in check.