Chapter X: Diseases of Farm Animals (2)

After the testicle is removed, then enlarge the first incision (cut) that was made through the skin so as to give plenty drainage. This incision should be about eight inches long for horses. By having a large incision the upper part can heal first, and there will be good drainage until the scrotum entirely heals. If possible turn the castrated horse out to pasture after the operation, and it will exercise sufficiently to keep the parts from swelling. Do not keep the animal in a dirty stable after it is castrated, as there is so much danger from infection in the dirty horse stable. If the horse is broken it can be put to light work a week after the castration.

Bulls do not need to be thrown to be castrated. The incision is made over each testicle, and the operation carried out in the same way as with the horse. Bulls are not so susceptible to infection as the horse.

=CATARRH.=--Commonly known as a cold, catarrh is recognized as an inflamed state of the upper portions of the air passages, with more or less discharge from the mucous membranes. The eyes often sympathize with this deranged condition, with a watery state as the result. The causes of catarrh or colds in animals are very much the same as those causing the same disturbance in human beings; as with people, so with animals, the malady should be remedied as quickly as possible. Bad air is one of the most frequently observed causes; consequently pure cold air with proper blankets to keep the body warm is considered the best treatment for simple catarrh when unaccompanied with other troubles.

One of the common symptoms is dullness and loss of appetite. The hair stands out and looks rough, a slight cough may be noticed and sometimes a rattling is heard in the head. For cattle a mild dose of physic, consisting of one-half pound Epsom salts and 4 tablespoonfuls of sweet spirits of niter mixed in a pint of lukewarm water and given as a drench, is about all that is necessary. If the cold hangs on, mix together one-half pound of nitrate of potash or saltpeter and one-half pound of gentian root and give a teaspoonful of this three times a day until the animal is better. Of course good food should go along with this treatment. The horse should be fed soft food like bran mashes and be kept quiet in a well-ventilated stable. If the cold hangs on with him, mix one-half pound of saltpeter or nitrate of potash, one-half pound of sulphur, and one-half pound of ground gentian root and give a teaspoonful morning, noon and night.

=CATTLE SCAB.=--See Scab in Cattle.

=CEREBRO-SPINAL MENINGITIS.=--A disease fatal in violent attacks and not well understood as to cause. It is believed to be non-contagious, although frequently extensive outbreaks occur, suggesting that it may be contagious. The symptoms are not well defined, due, perhaps, to the fact that other diseases are included under the general name. Horses of all ages of both sexes are affected, and temperament and physical condition have nothing to do with susceptibility to the disease. Likewise mules are affected and the mortality among them is equally as great as among horses. The most acceptable belief as to cause centers around a bacterial organism that works in the membranes of the brain. However, some writers attribute the disease to ergot, smuts and molds supposed to be taken with the food. Moldy corn and moldy hay are believed to be associated with the disease. The symptoms are staggering gait, partial or total inability to swallow, various muscular contractions and delirium.

Treatment is seldom effected, especially in violent cases. Mild forms frequently respond to cathartics, blisters on the neck, spine and throat. These give some relief. Small doses of aconite are also believed to be helpful. Some writers place choking, distemper, grass staggers, and blind staggers along with this brain disorder.

=CHARBON.=--See Anthrax.

=CHEST FOUNDER.=--See Navicular Disease.

=CHICKEN CHOLERA.=--Chicken or fowl cholera is a germ disease, and contagious. It attacks poultry of all kinds. Diarrhœa is a prominent symptom of the disease. Bad food or improper food may aggravate the trouble, but the germ introduced into the system either in food or drink, is at the bottom of it. At first the droppings will take on a whitish color. Diarrhœa will then result. The discharges will then become thin and watery, to be at times frothy and greenish in appearance. Fowls thus attacked soon lose their appetites and become stupid and take on a sickly appearance. The head drops toward the body, the eyelids fall, and the fowls stand around as if doped. Some recover, but, unless checked, the flock will be materially injured.

Of course dead fowls must be burned at once and lime and other disinfectants used to keep the disease from spreading. The well birds must be kept apart from the infected quarters. Care must be exercised that infection be not carried either by visitors or attendants from the sick to the healthy quarters. A common remedy consists of 1 part of sulphate of iron to 50 parts of water for drinking purposes. Another common remedy is to mix a tablespoonful of sulphate of iron, 2 tablespoonfuls of dried blood, and 2 tablespoonfuls of tincture of opium with a pint of water. This is given in the food in doses of 1 or 2 tablespoonfuls of this mixture three or four times a day to each sick bird.

=CHOKING.=--Horses frequently choke from too rapid eating of oats, and cattle are very commonly troubled on attempting to swallow apples, turnips, or small pieces of ear corn. In either of these cases much distress is occasioned and serious danger. In treating the horse, the best treatment is to give it a little oil, after which rub the hand up and down the gullet to scatter the accumulated oats. Sometimes it is necessary to make an incision in the gullet through which the material is removed. Better have a veterinarian do this. When food lodges in the gullet of cattle, suffocation soon follows if it is serious and in the upper part of the gullet. When such objects have lodged near the stomach end there is less immediate danger. Of course the first treatment is to try to force the object down by using the hand, if at all possible. If this cannot be done a probang should be used. The probang should be very limber, so as to bend easily, and it should be used with great caution. Cattle often are killed by the accidental puncture of the gullet as the probang is pressed down toward the mouth of the stomach. Consequently no unyielding article like a broom handle or even a buggy whip should be used. If a regular probang is not available, a rope a little less than one inch in diameter can be inserted and gently worked down the gullet. Before using the rope, grease it well and make a knob at the end to be inserted. This knob can be made of cotton strings or muslin cloth.

=COFFIN JOINT LAMENESS.=--See Navicular Disease.

=COLDS.=--See Catarrh.

=COLIC.=--Colic is an inflammation of the bowels characterized by a spasmodic contraction of the intestinal walls. It is a very common disease in horses, and occasionally cattle and lambs are affected with it. Both the small and large intestines may be afflicted or only one of them. There are many causes, but feed and water are the controlling factors. An animal just stopped from hard work and given a large quantity of cold water, especially after eating, may be quickly troubled. And the animal hot from work, on drinking very cold water, often gets colic. Then, too, a change of food, or a change from dry feed to green food or eating some root crop when the animal is not used to it, may bring on the disease.

Then, again, some horses and cattle are more given to colic than others. Some individuals are never troubled, and others are almost constantly under its influence. If much inflammation sets in, a very serious case is on your hands. Two kinds of colic are known--the spasmodic, a contraction, commonly known as cramps of the bowels; and wind or flatulent colic or bloating. Some authorities add a third, and call it worm colic.

=Spasmodic Colic.=--This kind of colic is first noticed when the horse begins to paw with his forefeet, cringes, bends his head around as if looking at his side, lays on the ground and rolls as if in pain; then he stands quietly for a while and repeats these performances again. During the time between the spasms the animal is more at ease and frequently eats a little. When the spasms come on again the shifting about and the rolling are repeated. If the cramps are severe the animal breaks out with sweat. The pulse is accelerated when the spasms are on, ranging from 60 to 65 beats a minute. If inflammation has set in, the pulse instead of rising and falling remains more constant and is high all the time.

A common attitude with colic. When seized with pains the horse paws, scrapes the ground with his front feet, stamps and strikes the belly with the hind ones, lays back his ears and looks around to his flank.]

When the spasms are on, pressing the bowels seems to relieve the pain and please the animal, but if inflammation is present the pressure seems to increase the pain. The best treatment is to relieve the pain with an opiate, and next to obtain a free action of the bowels by a purge. Many prescriptions have been suggested, among which is the following: 4 tablespoonfuls of sweet spirits of niter, 4 tablespoonfuls of laudanum, 1 tablespoonful of ginger and 1 tablespoonful of common soda. These are added to a pint of warm water and given as a drench.

=Flatulent Colic.=--This form of colic, though not so acute, is much more constant than the preceding form. The body is swollen in the region of the bowels, the gas extending quite generally through the region. There is also a tendency to inflammation. The pulse will be noticed as more rapid, and at the same time more feeble, the breathing will be more pronounced, and the animal less steady on its feet. In treating the patient it is advisable to unload the rectum with greased hand and arm, and the admission of warm water with soap in it, is also likely to be beneficial. A little turpentine mixed with the soap and water is good. The intestine is to be cleaned out as far as the arm will reach, but a violent purge is unwise, as that only intensifies the inflammation. Naturally the first thing is to mildly open the bowels. For this give 15 or 20 tablespoonfuls of linseed oil and 5 or 10 tablespoonfuls of spirit of turpentine. If the case continues, it is advisable to call a veterinarian, and it may be necessary to use the trocar and canula. If the instrument is sterilized, no great risk attaches to the operation, while immediate relief is secured as the gas passes out through the tube, and the distention is visibly reduced. An excellent mixture for this kind of colic consists of 6 tablespoonfuls of chloral hydrate, 6 tablespoonfuls of laudanum, 3 tablespoonfuls of sulphuric ether, 2 tablespoonfuls of turpentine, and 10 tablespoonfuls of ginger. Of this give 2 or 3 tablespoonfuls in a half pint of warm water and repeat every half hour for 3 or 4 doses and then place the doses an hour apart until all danger has passed.

When there is a good deal of gas with considerable swelling an excellent drench is made of 2 tablespoonfuls of powdered aloes, 4 tablespoonfuls of spirits of ammonia and 4 tablespoonfuls of sulphuric ether. This should be mixed with a pint of water and given promptly. In case of considerable pain use this: 4 to 6 tablespoonfuls of hydrate of chloral and eight tablespoonfuls of sugar mixed in a pint of water and give as a drench.

=CONCRETIONS OR CALCULI OF URINARY ORGANS.=--The collection of solid mineral matter in the urine may become lodged in the kidney, the ureter (duct leading from the kidney), the bladder or urethra (the duct leading from the bladder). All animals are more or less subject to these conditions, and yet are not so affected as they are sometimes thought to be. Many a case of so-called kidney colic is in reality an affection of the digestive system. The cause for these mineral accumulations perhaps varies under different conditions, yet the most common circumstance under which they occur is during the time when animals are fed exclusively or largely upon dry feed such as exists in the winter time where silage is not fed. Wheat bran has been attributed as one of the most sourceful means of bringing on this trouble. When it is fed with succulent feeds and an abundance of water allowed these disorders do not occur.

The symptoms do not differ a great deal from some forms of colic, due to stomach or intestinal disturbances, especially in the frequent attempts to empty the bladder. The animal usually shows more or less pain from the restless condition, looks around at the flank, dribbles his urine frequently, which is occasionally blood stained. There may be a complete obstruction of the passages, in which case no urine is voided.

By means of a catheter the greater portion of the urine can be drawn off. The operation is shown in the picture.]

=Treatment varies= with the location of the trouble, in which little can be accomplished when the gravel or stone is located in front of the bladder. If within the bladder, not obstructing its outlet, it is not likely to make its presence known. Agents should be given, however, to overcome the pain and to relieve the frequently existing spasm at point of obstruction, as far as possible, which may allow passage of stone. Give 4 tablespoonfuls of laudanum or chloral to a dose and repeat in two or three hours if any pain or trouble is still indicated. In inducing the animal to drink liberal quantities of water the condition may be somewhat relieved by making the urine more watery in character and possibly dissolving a portion, allowing the remainder to pass along its course. When the obstruction occurs within the urethra the removal should be made by incising through the tissues on to or near the obstruction, removing by forceps and suturing up the wound. A skilled operator is required for this, hence the veterinarian should be called.

=CONSTIPATION.=--An infrequent movement of the bowels with the dung hard and dry. The animal is said to be bound up or costive. Bad food, improper feeding, lack of exercise, all contribute to the trouble. Treatment is in the line of laxative and succulent food, such as wheat bran, green grass, silage and linseed oil meal. If the case is one requiring immediate action give any of the usual purgatives, but do not continue their use as a regular thing. If green grass is not possible, nor silage available, give one or two teaspoonfuls of the following mixture in the food three times a day: Equal parts of ground gentian root, powdered nux vomica, powdered ginger and sulphur.

=CORNS.=--Small swellings or tumors on the sensitive heel in the triangular space between the bars and the wall of the heel. These are found in the fore feet only, and almost always on the inside heel. They are caused most frequently by bad shoeing or from wearing the shoe for too long a time. These growths do not always cause lameness, although, as a rule, they do. They are, however, always sensitive to pressure and usually appear as tumors of a hard, corny character. Neglected corns are liable to fester and must then be laid bare by the knife and be poulticed. Neglect of this treatment results in the matter or pus finding its way up through the coronet. Thus quittor may result.

Give the foot a careful dressing by paring the heel, and bathe the corn with a weak carbolic acid solution. After doing this, place a fold of muslin over the corn and then over all a bran and linseed poultice. A complete rest from work, hard roads and shoes should now be given the animal until the corn has entirely disappeared. When the feet are again shod, leather should be used as a protection. Many corn salves are recommended, but unless the corn be removed and the pressure taken from the wound, there can be no cure, even though the tumor is pared away.

=CORNSTALK DISEASE.=--When cattle are allowed to run in stalk fields it frequently happens that a large per cent die from various causes. All these troubles are classed under the one term--cornstalk disease. In some western fields where there is a second growth of cane stalk late in the fall an early frost will at times develop in the stalk a deadly poison (hydrocyanic acid), which kills the animal in a very few minutes after eating it. This poison has not been found in the cornstalk.

In the last year or two some of our state experiment stations have been investigating several molds which seem to affect not only cattle but horses as well. These molds grow quite abundantly upon cornstalks, alfalfa, and other forage crops. The death of a great number of animals has been traced directly to the feeding of such affected fodder, hay, or corn. These molds, however, must have a certain amount of moisture for their growth, and it has been shown that when the feeds have been properly harvested and sheltered no trouble has resulted. Only in materials exposed to the weather, allowing the development of these lower forms of plant life, has serious trouble been found.

In the treatment of these troubles nothing reliable can be given, as the disease usually comes on without any warning and the animal dies suddenly. Much of the trouble can be avoided by allowing the animals only a limited amount of the feed or in the stalk field a few hours only each day. It is necessary that plenty of pure water should be given frequently and enough of other roughage to keep the animals from gorging themselves on the fodder.

=COW POX.=--An infectious disease passed from one cow to another. It affects herds in all parts of the world and is similar to smallpox in the human being, only it is not so fatal. When first affected the cow is feverish, slacks somewhat in the milk flow, and presents little red pimple-like spots around the teats. In a day or two these become enlarged and become blisters, containing within a watery fluid, which, if not broken, dry up themselves and form scabs, leaving the teat in time perfectly natural. Ordinarily, special treatment is not given. There is no objection, however, to providing a simple tonic composed of one-quarter pound saltpeter, one-quarter pound sulphur, and one-quarter pound ground gentian root. Give a teaspoonful of this night and morning in a mash. The teats should be bathed, just before milking, with any common disinfecting solution. If the sores are slow in healing, sweet oil, to which is added a little carbolic acid, will soon correct the trouble.

=CRACKED HOOFS.=--See Sand Cracks.

=CRIBBING.=--A habit of biting the manger or other objects, often sucking in the air at the same time. This bad habit is frequently called wind sucking. It is the result of a habit formed when young. There is really no cure when the habit is once formed, but different measures may be employed to lessen the fault. A broad strap firmly placed around the neck brings the desired effect with some individuals.

=CRIB SUCKERS.=--This bad habit usually begins in colt days. It may arise from a sore tooth. The colt, to relieve the feeling, bites the manger, and in so doing acquires the habit. When hanging on to the manger, air is sucked in and this frequently brings on colic. The best treatment is to break up the habit. Examine the mouth first to see if anything is wrong with the teeth. Muzzle while standing in the stable. The old cribbers never give up the habit.

=CRAMP COLIC.=--See Colic.

While common to all varieties of the horse, curbs are most frequently seen in the lighter breeds and especially in roadsters and trotting horses.]

=CURB.=--A sprain or injury to the ligament situated on the back part of the hock joint. Anything that puts too much stress on this part, such as holding back heavy loads going down hill, or backing up too heavy loads, or the hind legs slipping too far under the horse’s body, may cause curb disease. It is also caused by kicks or by the whiffletree striking against the back of the hock joint.

There will be swelling and heat in the part and lameness. In some cases there will be swelling, but no lameness. If the swelling is hot and tender to the touch, mix half an ounce acetate of lead and two ounces tincture of arnica with one quart of water. Shake up and apply a little to the swollen part three times a day and continue until the heat and swelling disappear. If there should be any swelling after the heat and lameness have disappeared, mix 1 teaspoonful of biniodide of mercury with 4 tablespoonfuls of lard. Rub on a little with the fingers, let it remain on for 24 hours, then wash off with warm water and soap and repeat the blister in three weeks if needed. In cases where there is swelling, but no heat or lameness, the lotion would be of no use, but the above blister should be used as directed. In old or long standing cases of curb, if the animal is not lame, it is best to let it alone, as medicines would be of no service.

=DIABETES; PROFUSE STALING.=--In man there are two forms of this trouble seen rather frequently, but among domestic animals only the insipid form is common. It is often simply a sign of some other disease, but not infrequently occurs under similar circumstances; such as certain forms of indigestion, the result of eating musty or damaged feed. The most characteristic symptom, of course, is the frequent urination of liberal quantities of urine. Associated with this is usually an unabating thirst. The animal loses flesh rapidly, the flanks are tucked up, the coat is dull, languid and staring, and great weakness is shown. If not relieved, the animal may die from exhaustion. In the second form of diabetes, the distinguishing feature is the presence of sugar in the urine.

If in a working animal it should be laid off from work. Search should be made for the cause of trouble. If any of the food appears suspicious it should be substituted with wholesome food. To relieve the ardent thirst and assist recovery, a teaspoonful of the crystals of iodine should be given in a ball of linseed or other pasty material. It may be desirable to repeat this in three or four days. Also give in the drinking water 4 tablespoonfuls of bicarbonate of soda three times daily.

=DIARRHOEA.=--See Dysentery.

=DIFFICULT PARTURITION.=--See Obstetrics.

=DIPPING LIVE STOCK.=--There are only two satisfactory methods of treating animals with a dip. The first is hand treating, where the number of animals are few and easy to handle. In hand treating the animal the dip is applied with scrubbing brushes, sponges, etc., and all parts of the body liable to infection should then be thoroughly and vigorously rubbed. If hand treating is properly performed it is an excellent method. The second method consists of immersing the diseased animals in the dipping solution. There are two forms of vats in use for this purpose. The cage vat is designed for comparatively few cattle. As its name implies, it consists of a cage in which the animal is placed and then lowered into a vat containing the dip. Where a large number of animals are to be dipped, the swimming vat is very popular. The animals are forced to pass through the vat, which contains sufficient dip to completely immerse them when they plunge into the solution.

The coal-tar dips are made from some of the products of the distillation of coal tar. When mixed with water they form a milky emulsion, having a strong odor of coal tar. The coal-tar preparations, in addition to being used as parasiticides, have become very popular disinfectants in hospitals. These preparations are used with good success on all open wounds, where a disinfectant is required. In poll evil and fistulous withers they are extremely valuable, owing to the fact that in addition to their power as a germicide they have been perfectly safe to place in the hands of persons not accustomed to handling drugs, because of their non-poisonous nature. They have been found quite efficient when used in three per cent solution.

=DISHORNING.=--Some cattle breeds are hornless. Most, however, are not. Removing the horns is done quickly and is more humane than to permit them to remain, by which death frequently follows to stock and even to people. The dishorning machine is intended for animals whose horns are not removed when young. The simplest method of dishorning is to use a stick of caustic potash. Apply it to the small horn button when a calf is a few days old. Moistening this and rubbing the potash over the skin will permanently destroy the horn tissue and no horns will result.

=DISTEMPER.=--See Strangles.

=DROPSY.=--A condition in which the fluid portion of the blood escapes from the blood vessels and collects in the body cavities or under the skin. Any sluggish condition of the blood occasioned by disease or faulty nutrition may induce this collection in various parts of the body. Dropsy is, therefore, not a disease, but a symptom of some other disease. This being the case, treatment depends upon the original disease, upon the nature of which depends in turn the possibility of permanent or temporary cure.

A mild attack of dropsy is indicated when the legs of a horse swell up, due to lack of exercise and poor circulation as occasioned by standing in the stable. The first thing, of course, is to start better blood circulation. Hand rubbing is good; bathing with hot water acts similarly. Any medicine that stimulates the action of the kidneys will prove helpful. Saltpeter is excellent for this. Use once a day for three or four days in succession, and give 4 tablespoonfuls at a dose. In connection with this treatment supply the animal with succulent or laxative food, that the bowels may be kept free and open. Any of the tonic condition powders will help.

=DYSTOKIA.=--See Obstetrics.

=ECZEMA.=--An inflammatory, non-contagious disease of the skin in which eruptions may occur in the form of vesicles, pustules, crusts, scales, or simple redness. Its principal victims are animals fed rich food, the penalty being associated with some gastric or intestinal disturbance. Treatment is both external and internal. The former should be in the nature of washes for cleanliness and healing. Tar soap is recommended. A wash made of 4 tablespoonfuls of carbonate of potassium dissolved in a quart of water is also excellent. After a good rub with this, wash off with warm water.

If itching causes any distress, prepare a wash consisting of 2 tablespoonfuls of acetate of lead, 8 tablespoonfuls of tincture of opium and a quart of water. Where scales have formed and the skin is thick and scurvy, rub in a little with the fingers some biniodide of mercury and vaseline. Use 2 teaspoonfuls of the mercury and 8 tablespoonfuls of the vaseline. One application will do the work. If the case is bad, several parts being affected, treat only one part at a time with the mercury salve. Be certain to have the animal tied so that he cannot get his mouth to the treated region.

For internal treatment let the physic come first. For horses, mix 4 tablespoonfuls of aloes, 4 tablespoonfuls of ginger and 4 tablespoonfuls of soda carbonate dissolved in a pint of boiling water. Let cool to proper temperature and give as a drench. For cattle, give a pound of Epsom salts and 4 tablespoonfuls of ginger in water as a drench. Following the physic should come a good blood tonic. To prepare this, mix 16 tablespoonfuls each of nitrate of potassium and sulphate of iron. Give in doses of 1½ tablespoonfuls daily in a bran mash until all is used.

=DYSENTERY.=--An inflammation of the lining membrane of the large intestine near the rectum, accompanied with straining, discharge of blood, and fever. Poisonous and irritating food causes it, stagnant and foul water favors its development, but any exposure to cold or excessive heat or overwork may bring it on. In cattle the acute form is attended with shivering, arching of the back and tenderness about the loins. The animal grunts, yawns, grinds its teeth, and, at short intervals, discharges from its bowels a thin, ill-smelling dung mixed with blood and pus. The thirst is excessive, the animal is dull and stupid, and loses flesh rapidly. After the disease has gone on a few days, the hide becomes rough and unhealthy, the teeth loose, the dung bloody and fetid, the eyes sink in the head and dropsical swellings appear about the lower jaws and legs, and usually the creature dies exhausted. For acute dysentery, when seen early, give horses a drench consisting of 15 tablespoonfuls of castor oil, 8 tablespoonfuls of laudanum, and 1 pint of linseed oil. The rectum and lower bowel should be washed out with large injections of simple warm water. For chronic forms 10 grains of calomel, a teaspoonful of opium, and 4 tablespoons each of gentian and chalk are advised. These are to be mixed and given either as a ball or as a drench once a day. Six tablespoonfuls of laudanum in a pint of boiled starch every two hours until the straining ceases, is also very good. When cattle are affected, remove from grass or other succulent food, put on a dry diet and give a pint of linseed oil every day until recovery. If the action of the bowels does not cease promptly, give 2 tablespoonfuls of powdered alum and 2 tablespoonfuls of powdered ginger in a quart of milk once or twice a day until the discharge moderates. An excellent medicine is 10 tablespoonfuls of castor oil and 4 tablespoonfuls of laudanum mixed with linseed gruel and given as a drench.

=ENTERITIS.=--See Inflammation of the Bowels.

=EPILEPSY.=--See Fits.

=EPIZOOTIC.=--See Influenza.

=ERGOTISM.=--A parasitic fungus that grows on different species of grass and produces in one stage of its development black or purple enlarged spurs causes ergotism. The disastrous effect of ergot seems to appear in the late fall and winter, when hay or straw infected with ergot are continuously fed. The animals will be troubled with irritation of the bowels and a sloughing off of the extremities. Frequently the animals lose parts of their tails or ears or hoofs. In others, gangrenous sores appear. In the early stages of the poisoning the symptoms are not clearly marked. The best treatment is secured by an entire change of food, so as to remove the cause, and then to follow with good laxative food. Of course, medicinal treatment will not be satisfactory if an important part of the animal like the hoof were to be destroyed. So much expense would be connected with keeping the animal until a new hoof had been formed that it is better at the beginning to destroy the animal unless very valuable. Where sores only manifest themselves such treatment as given an ordinary wound will be efficacious, provided food absolutely free of ergot is supplied.

=ERYSIPELAS.=--An inflammation of the skin and tissues beneath. Owing to a blood poison, it is characterized by a swelling and hardness of the affected parts which has a tendency to spread and form abscesses. In horses and cattle, erysipelas is nearly always the result of wounds and generally of those in the legs of animals weakened by hard work and poor food, or else in young animals whose blood is vitiated by the poison of glanders or some other animal contamination. The disturbance is noticed on the third or fourth day after the injury in the immediate neighborhood of the wound. The skin is swollen, smooth, hot, tender, and painful. The swelling gradually extends around it, sometimes deep into the muscles. The surface is hard and tense, but often when the finger is firmly pressed upon it and withdrawn a depression is left. In severe cases chills occur, the pulse is weak and quick, the breathing hurried, the bowels constipated and the urine scanty and highly colored. There is considerable thirst, but no appetite. A brisk purge is the first step in treating. Follow the purge with tincture of chloride of iron, 4 teaspoonfuls in a pint of water. Give this every three or four hours. At the same time give internally 4 tablespoonfuls of hyposulphite of soda in a pint of water three times a day. Externally bathe the wound with the following mixture: Tincture of chloride of iron, 4 tablespoonfuls, and alcohol one pint. Another good ointment is sugar of lead 4 tablespoonfuls in a pint of water. This should be applied with a wet cloth to the diseased parts.

=FARCY.=--See Glanders.

=FEVER.=--Any rise in temperature above the normal. It is, as a rule, a symptom of the body’s reaction to some form of infection. It is, therefore, not a disease in itself, but an indication of some disorder occasioned by infection or poison. To treat fever is not so necessary as to remove the cause that brought about the disturbance in the first place. It follows from this that fever is not a cause, but a result. Germs come first, and fever is only a sign that tells of their presence. Another thing brought to light in reference to fever is this: Germs are less active, their vital energy is weakened and their power lessened when the heat in the body is increased. Consequently they are less active in their destructive tendencies as the temperature rises. Fever is, therefore, a provision of self-defense, and the body’s plan of bringing its forces together to battle against the germ foes that have invaded it.

Just what degree of temperature is to be considered is difficult to establish. Many things enter into the problem, like exercise, age, food, and mode of living. In general, however, any special rise above the normal, whatever that may be, is the signal of danger and infection. A rise of a degree or two indicates a mild disturbance, hence a mild fever; an elevation of two or three degrees indicates a slight fever; of four or five, of considerable fever; and if six or seven, of high fever. When the elevation reaches 108 degrees, the limit of life has just about been reached. In some diseases there is a regular alternative between morning and evening temperatures. In others, the course is continuous, with slight variations, while in others the course is intermittent. In this last named it varies at different portions of the day, but reaches a normal at a certain time each day.

The pulse-rate usually bears a certain relation to the height of the disease. Consequently the pulse should be taken in connection with the fever height indicated by the thermometer. A fast pulse and a high fever in general is more serious than a high fever with a pulse only slightly above the normal number of beats. There are exceptions to this however, as, for instance, in cerebro-spinal meningitis. In the early stages of fever, the development cannot at the moment always be decided. In many cases little treatment, if any, will be necessary. The caution should be observed, nevertheless, of ascertaining the cause of the disturbance, if possible. In any case, simple cathartics can be given, good air provided, nourishing feed supplied, and time allowed for careful observation of the system and of the actions and movements of the animal.

=FISTULAE.=--A chronic discharge from some tubelike channel, with no tendency to heal. Fistulæ are most common in horses. They may be located on the withers (fistulous withers), on the side of the face (tooth fistulæ), on the breast bone (sternal fistulæ), or on the lower jaw (salivary fistulæ). Fistulous withers are caused from some external injury (the animal rolling on a rock, ill-fitting collars, the saddle pressing on the withers, or from being struck by a club). Tooth fistulæ are caused by a decayed tooth. The pus in trying to get out of the body takes the easiest course and eats through the bones of the face and escapes, causing a chronic discharge. A sternal or breast fistula is caused by some sharp object being run into the breast and striking the breast bone, injuring it and causing decay and pus formation. A salivary fistula is caused by an injury to the tube which carries the saliva from the gland to the mouth.

=Symptoms of Fistulous Withers.=--At first a large swelling appears on one or both sides of the withers. In about a week this enlargement becomes soft, and the fluid contained in it can be distinctly felt. If left to itself the swelling gets larger and softer, and in a month or so breaks and discharges the contents. The fluid that comes from the swelling is first thin and streaked with blood; later it contains yellow-appearing masses. The last material is the pus. The sack that formed at the time the fistula was caused is a hard, firm membrane. This keeps the wound from healing. For this reason the discharge becomes chronic. The wound may heal and there will be no pus discharged for a month, then the old opening will be broken and the pus will flow out again until the sack is emptied. This healing of the wound and then breaking again may be kept up for years, unless the disease is properly treated. As a general rule, the affected animal runs down in flesh.

Sometimes only the skin and tissue immediately under it become affected. In such cases little trouble need be anticipated; but if the cause is not removed, the deeper structures, muscles and bones, may become diseased.]

Treatment for fistulous withers consists of opening the swelling and inserting muslin strips that have been dipped into terchloride of antimony. Insert one and remove, inserting another and leave in the opening for three or four hours. Repeat this operation every four or five days for a month. In addition rub on the outside of the swelling once every two weeks a mixture made of 2 teaspoonfuls of cantharides and 4 tablespoonfuls of lard. The tooth fistula usually calls for the removal of the tooth and thorough disinfection of the opening from the face through to the mouth. With a sternal fistula the diseased bone may need to be scraped and then antiseptic washes used daily. The salivary fistula is more difficult to treat. Better have the veterinarian to examine, and an operation may be necessary.

=FITS.=--Some horses are subject to fits, and with them it is incurable. These should not be driven, because, when the attack comes on, injury may result to the animal itself and to the occupants in the carriage. The cause of the difficulty may be overfeeding, bad circulation or indigestion. When an attack occurs the best treatment is to throw cold water over the head. If this attack is repeated you had better consult a veterinarian.

=FLATULENT COLIC.=--See Colic.

=FLEAS.=--Fleas are always a nuisance and always disagreeable. They live in dry, filthy quarters and associate with dogs, hogs, and chickens. To keep fleas away or to destroy them when at hand, clean the quarters occupied by the animals, destroy the bedding and add lime and disinfectants. Dogs may be washed in a creolin solution of, say, 2 tablespoonfuls of creolin to each pint of water. To disinfect chicken, hog, and horse pens use in a hand spray any of the so-called sheep dips or other preparations manufactured for lice, itch, mange, or insect troubles.

=FLIES.=--These pests are a nuisance on every farm. While they do not directly cause death they greatly worry and irritate farm stock, especially in summer, and in this way greatly affect the results whether along dairy or beef lines. It would be impossible to estimate the misery these pests inflict on the stock of the country during a single year. Aside from the pain that flies inflict on domestic animals, they are carriers of disease, both to the human family and the beast family. A great many common infectious diseases are spread by flies, including such serious diseases as typhoid fever and tuberculosis. The only treatment is in way of prevention. As the breeding places are in filth and manure, it follows that if these be destroyed or removed, and not permitted to accumulate, the floods of flies will disappear. The fly remedies now on the market are excellent. When sprayed about the stable premises and on the animals the flies stay away until the application evaporates. Darkened stables are not attractive to flies, and by this means the nuisance and annoyance is minimized.

=FLUKES, LIVER.=--See Liver Flukes.

=FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE.=--This malady generally affects ruminants, but, although found most often in cattle, sheep, and goats, it may be transmitted to swine, and, in some instances, to horses, dogs, cats, birds, or human beings. In most cases where proper disinfection is made the animal recovers in about 15 days. The most dangerous thing about foot and mouth disease is the fact that it spreads so rapidly. The virus which transmits the disease may be carried by railroad cars, bedding, feeds, dairy products, dogs, cats, birds, or persons. A dog running through a pasture may be the means of infecting a whole herd.

The cause of the disease has not been satisfactorily determined, but it is definitely known that the virus which reproduces the disease comes from the ulcers and natural secretions and excretions of the body, such as milk, saliva, perspiration, feces, urine, and exhalation. The contagion is not harmful when dried. Infected animals lose the power of transmitting the disease when the ulcers of the mouth, feet, and udder have healed.

In from three to five days after infection the animal has a moderate fever. The appetite is lost and the mouth is kept closed. There is a dribbling of saliva, and in two or three days yellowish-white spots the size of a hemp seed appear on the gums, the lower surface of the tongue, lining of the mouth and on the lips. These eventually attain the size of a silver dollar. They run together, burst and form painful, foul-smelling ulcers. At this stage the saliva is more profuse and ropy and the animal makes characteristic smacking noises with the mouth.

Infected animals lose flesh rapidly, in some cases as much as 100 pounds in eight or ten days. The milk is thick, yellowish-white, has a bad taste, and is with difficulty made into cheese or butter. The reduction in milk yield during the sickness and for some time after recovery is 50 to 75 per cent.

Usually, a short time after an appearance of the disease in the mouth parts, there is a redness, heat and swelling of the skin at its junction with the hoof and especially between the toes and upon the soles of the foot. Similar ulcers to those on the mouth appear on the feet and soon burst. The animal becomes lame and moves stiffly and lies down a great deal. These ulcers ordinarily heal up in one or two weeks.

In some cases the animal dies suddenly, in others lingers a few hours with difficult breathing and discharge of blood from the nose, and finally dies of paralysis of the heart and lungs. In still other cases emaciation and reduction of milk flow is the only bad result. Sometimes ulcers form at the root of the horn and cause the horn to drop off.

Owing to the nature of the disease, its contagion and danger, treatment should be in line of prevention and in destruction of infected animals. While the disease yields to treatment, our best suggestions when the disease is suspected is in notification to the state officers and in securing the services of a veterinarian who will be able to advise what is best to do.

A disease usually associated with sheep. It is sometimes so serious that the entire hoof rots away.]

=FOOT PUNCTURE.=--See Wounds and Their Treatment.

=FOOT ROT IN SHEEP.=--A chronic inflammation of the foot, marked by ulceration, softening of the hoof, lameness, and the discharge of a sticky material which has a very fetid odor. It is a contagious disease, and is produced by a germ that lives in the soil and gains entrance to the feet through wounds and surfaces chafed by barbed grasses and stones, or by gritty clay, which becomes lodged between the toes and hardens there.

The first symptom is a slight lameness. If the affected foot be examined, that part just above the horny part of the cleft of the foot, either in front or behind, will be found inflamed, feverish, and moist. Erosions or ulcers soon appear, generally on the heel. These penetrate the foot and burrow beneath the horny parts, causing fistulous tracts from which exudes a foul-smelling pus possessing an odor sufficiently characteristic to indicate the disease in a flock, even without a close examination. In time, the foot becomes greatly overgrown and deformed, the hoofs increasing in length and curling upward. In bad cases, the suffering is so great the animal lies down most of the time, but when only the front feet are diseased, it will crawl around on its knees.

That the disease is contagious is shown by the fact that it generally starts in one foot and spreads to the others, and, at the same time, the feet of other sheep in the same flock become diseased in the same way, the outbreak covering a period of several months. In cases that recover spontaneously the foot is deformed and the joint is stiffened. It is only in virulent outbreaks where all the feet are diseased, or where some complication, such as maggots, is present, that deaths occur.

Having as its cause a microbe, it is proper to take measures of prevention as well as cure. In purchasing sheep, it is highly advisable to keep them isolated for a week, as a test. All overgrown hoofs should be trimmed. Sores or wounds, from any cause, should be carefully disinfected daily. Low, boggy lands should not be used as pasture for sheep, and dirty, unsanitary pens should be made sanitary, as these all predispose to an outbreak of the disease.

As treatment, first isolate all affected animals. Mild cases are best treated by making the sheep stand for several minutes daily in a trough containing a disinfectant, or, better still, by arranging the trough of suitable length with fenced-up sides and a widened entrance, so the sheep can be easily started into the inclosure and made to wade through the disinfectant.

In bad cases and where the hoof is underrun with pus, the horn and all overgrowths must be cut away so as to expose the diseased parts to the action of the disinfectant. The foot should then be dried, dusted with finely powdered burnt alum, and bandaged to keep out the dirt. This antiseptic treatment of the feet must be kept up daily as long as the disease exists. Any of the following may be used: 1 pound chloride of lime to 12 quarts of water; 1 pound of pure carbolic acid to 4 gallons of water; a solution of creolin; a coal-tar disinfectant of the same strength; or any good sheep dip containing these substances in the proper amounts.

=FOUNDER.=--An inflammation of the sensitive or soft structures between the hoof and bones of the foot. The popular belief that founder is to any extent in the legs and chest is probably an error. The disease is in the feet, and those symptoms which make it appear as a stiffness in the legs and shoulder are but the natural results of soreness in the feet. The same statement might be made regarding those cases which are popularly described as “stove up in the shoulder.” Instead of the soreness being in the shoulder in these cases, it is generally in the feet, or at least below the knee.

It is somewhat difficult to explain how those influences or causes which are known to produce founder bring about that condition, but observation shows clearly that an irritation of the digestive tract, or in fact, any extensive irritation of any mucous surface, may produce an inflammation of the sensitive laminæ of the feet; that is, founder. Therefore founder may be produced by a change of feed or excessive feeding, a change of work or excessive work which results in exhaustion, large quantities of feed or water when warm or fatigued, sudden changes of temperature such as cooling too fast when sweating, and a long drive on hard roads, especially without shoes. Excessive purging or diarrhœa may also produce it. Founder also occasionally results from irritation of foaling, but this is not common.

There is no essential difference in the nature of the disease determined by the particular agent or condition which causes it. “Water founder,” and that produced by over-feeding, concussion, or extreme fatigue are, in so far as the character of the disease is concerned, one and the same thing.

In bad cases of founder the foot shrinks from the wasting of the sensitive substances. A typical foundered foot is pictured here.]

=Founder May Occur= in the fore or hind feet or in both; but generally the fore feet are those affected. A stiffness and disinclination to move are perhaps the first symptoms noticed. The position in which the animal stands is characteristic. The fore feet will be placed well forward, so that the weight will be borne by the heels, while the hind feet are brought well up under the body in order to take as much weight off the front feet as possible. This position gives a rather unsteady appearance to animal, and the hind feet are frequently shifted in order to maintain as steady a position as possible. From this fact founder is frequently mistaken by inexperienced persons for a disease of the kidneys. The body temperature is usually considered increased; that is, there is fever--as it is generally expressed--due to inflammation in the feet. As is usual in the first stages of inflammation, the pulse beat is increased in frequency and force. An increase of heat in the feet, with a manifestation of pain when the hoofs are tapped with a hammer, are, when taken with all the foregoing facts, sufficient evidence of founder. When founder occurs in one foot, however, as it sometimes does, the diagnosis may be more difficult for the inexperienced. When it occurs only in the hind feet the position which the animal takes will not be different from that taken with founder in only both fore feet but from different causes. The hind feet are brought well forward under the body, but for the purpose of throwing such little weight as is borne on them on the heels.

=The Feet Should Be Kept Moist.=--Remove the shoes and apply moisture to the feet. The latter may be done by standing the animal in water five or six inches deep each day, several hours at a time, or by the application of a poultice of wheat bran or some such material, or by wrapping the feet with cloths and keeping them thoroughly saturated with water. The animal should always be encouraged to lie down and take the weight off his feet, which is beneficial. When this occurs, a poultice of some sort must be used to apply moisture to the feet. It may be applied by the use of a sack large enough to envelop the foot and hold sufficient of the poultice to retain the moisture for some time. This application of moisture to the feet should be continued until the severity of the inflammation and the lameness have subsided.

Unless the founder be due to excessive purgation, a quart of raw linseed oil should be given as a purgative. During the first 48 hours from 30 to 40 drops of tincture of aconite may be given every three or four hours. Four tablespoonfuls of nitrate of potash (saltpeter) should also be given three times a day in the feed or on the tongue. If the lameness continues after the acute symptoms have subsided, a rest of several weeks on a soft pasture and the application of a blister around the top of the hoof are recommended. The following mixture has been useful as a blister: Red iodide of mercury, 1 part; lard, 4 parts; cerate of cantharides, 4 parts. Apply around the top of the hoof, except at the heels, and rub for 10 to 15 minutes. The animal should be tied so that it cannot get its mouth to the blistered part for several hours after the medicine has been applied.