The Veterinarian

C >> Chas. J. Korinek >> The Veterinarian

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SYMPTOMS: A sheep, when first infected with Liver Fluke, generally
thrives as the parasites tend to stimulate the process of digestion,
being located as they are in the liver, but eventually rumination
becomes irregular, the sheep becomes anemic, weak and the visible mucous
membranes of the mouth, nose and eyes become pale, bloodless, taking on
a yellowish color as the disease progresses. Swellings will also appear
under the jaw along the neck and under the lung cavity. The process of
breathing becomes feeble and temperature irregular. Pregnant ewes will
generally abort and nursing ewes' milk will become so deprived of its
nourishing properties that the lambs become emaciated, although not
necessarily affected with the Liver Fluke.

PREVENTION: Move to non-infected pastures, supply the animals grazing on
low marshy pastures with a liberal amount of salt, also introduce frogs,
toads, carp, etc., into the marshy ponds, as they destroy the parasite
in its first stages of development, feeding on their intermediate host,
the snail.

MEDICAL TREATMENT: This is of little value. After an animal once becomes
infected with the parasite, it never makes a complete recovery, although
Calomel administered in ten grain doses every two or three weeks appears
to have a very good effect in some cases, if fed freely on nitrogenous
food and permitted to drink well of pure running water.

LUNG FEVER

(Pneumonia--Congestion of the Lungs--Pulmonary Apoplexy)

Acute congestion and inflammation of the spongy tissues of the lungs is
frequently seen in sheep, the same as in other animals.

CAUSE: Sheep that are over driven are subject to Lung Congestion in
acute or chronic form and sometimes Pulmonary Apoplexy, and especially
when in a plethoric condition are predisposed to inflammation of the
lungs. The exciting cause is very much the same as in different diseases
of the air passage and it is not uncommon for the inflammation to extend
from these parts of the lungs. However, there are a number of causes in
addition to those already mentioned. It frequently results when sheep
are accustomed to warm, comfortable quarters and are changed to cold,
drafty pens, or shipping some distance in open stock cars during cold
weather. In fact, any sudden chilling of the body is a common cause of
lung disorders. Giving fat sheep too much exercise when they are not
accustomed to it is a very frequent cause of Congestion and Inflammation
of the Lungs. This may occur when they are chased by dogs, etc., or when
driven to a distant market at too rapid a gait. Exercise during the hot
summer months is apt to cause congestion of the lung substance, as well
as heat stroke. Dipping sheep during cold weather may chill the body and
result in this disease.

SYMPTOMS: If due to severe exercise, the animal appears greatly
exhausted and the Congestion of the Lungs is marked. Death may occur in
this stage of the disease. Inflammation of the Lungs usually begins with
a chill and is followed by a high fever. The sheep stand most of the
time and may eat nothing, or very little. The breathing is hurried at
first, but when the lungs become badly involved, it is also labored. The
character of the pulse beats varies, depending on the extent of the
inflammation and the stage of the disease. In most cases the pulse is
full and quick during the early stages of the disease. A very weak pulse
is present in severe and fatal cases of Pneumonia. The visible mucous
membranes have a red colored appearance and there may be a slight
discharge from the nostrils. The expression of the face is anxious and
distressed in severe cases and rigors and chilling of the body occur.
The respiratory sounds are more or less normal. The cough at first is
deep and dry; later it becomes loose and moist. It may be accompanied by
a hemorrhage during this stage of the disease. Other respiratory sounds
are revealed by placing the ear to the side of the chest walls and
listening to the sound of the lungs. This cannot be practiced in long
wooled sheep with satisfaction, as the chest walls are so thick that the
lung sounds are deadened, or the noise made by the animal hides the
respiratory murmurs in the very early stages of Inflammation of the
Lungs. A crepitating or crackling sound can be heard in the diseased
parts and louder sounds than normal in the healthy areas. Later when the
engorgement of the lung substance occurs and the air cells become filled
with an inflammatory serum, the respiratory sounds are deadened, but on
returning to the normal, a rattling sound occurs. These symptoms help
greatly in determining the animal's condition and in watching the
progress of the disease. The chances for the recovery depend on the
extent and the acuteness of the inflammation. Careless handling,
exercising, etc., lessen the chances for a favorable termination in the
disease, but good care helps more to bring about recovery than the
medical treatment. The recovery is more unfavorable in fat than in lean
sheep, as the inflammation is usually more severe in the former. The
course is from seven to twenty-one days and it may become chronic if
the irritation is kept up. In such cases, unthriftiness is a prominent
sign.

TREATMENT: The preventive treatment in Pneumonia must not be overlooked.
Briefly, it consists in avoiding such conditions as may predispose the
animal to the disease or act in any way as an exciting cause. Careful
nursing is a very important part of the treatment. The sheep should be
given a comfortable, well ventilated shed and kept as quiet as possible.
If the bowels become constipated, give two or three ounces of Castor Oil
and feed sloppy food. As one attack predisposes the sheep to a second,
it should be protected from severe cold, or the other extreme, heat, for
a month after making a complete recovery.

The following prescription will be found very beneficial: Iodide of
Ammonia, one-half ounce; Chlorate of Potassi, one ounce; Pulv. Nux
Vomica, one ounce. Make into twenty-four powders and give one powder
every four hours well back on the tongue. Continue this treatment until
the animal has recovered.

[Illustration: Photograph of two sheep.]
CHAMPION COTSWOLD EWES.
Owned by F. A. Koser, Rickreall, Ore.

LUNG WORMS, LAMB DISEASE

(Verminous Bronchitis)

CAUSE: Due to a white thread-like worm (Strongylus Filaria) varying in
length from one to three inches. These worms affect and live in the
trachea (windpipe) and bronchial tubes. Infected animals, in coughing,
expel fertilized eggs which develop on the grass and stagnant water. The
larvae are again taken up either in the drinking water or in eating
grass or hay gathered on low marshy soil. Warm wet weather favors their
development.

SYMPTOMS: This worm is liable to attack a number of animals at the same
time. The weakest sheep and young lambs are the first to show signs by
coughing forcibly, distressing, hacking and convulsive in character. A
stringy mucus is sometimes expelled during the spasm of coughing. This
mucus contains worms which can be detected, or their ova observed under
a magnifying glass. In the latter stages of the disease, they cough
severely at night. These attacks have a sub-acute character and prove
very exhausting. The parasite by becoming entwined in balls severely
affects the animal's breathing which is always remarkably labored in the
latter stages of the disease. The animal refuses to eat, becomes
emaciated, anemic, mucous membranes of the eyes, mouth and nose become
very pale and the sheep die in convulsions from suffocation.

PREVENTIVE TREATMENT: Avoid grazing your sheep on low marshy soil,
especially during warm wet weather. Young lambs and weak ewes are
especially susceptible to this disease.

MEDICAL TREATMENT: The writer has tried various treatments as fumigation
with different substances and injection of remedies into the windpipe by
the use of a hypodermic syringe, etc., but none have proven very
successful, from a practical standpoint. I would recommend placing the
affected animals in a tightly closed barn or shed, in the center of
which place a pan of red hot coals and cover with Sulphur.

A person should remain in the barn or shed as long as he possibly can
and after the fumes become so irritating that he cannot endure them any
longer, he should immediately make his exit. The sheep should be
compelled to stay a minute or two longer and then quickly open the doors
and windows. Repeat this treatment once or twice a week. Feed affected
animals well. Give them fresh water to drink and protect them from
exposure. This treatment, as above described, has given very good
results, providing the parasites were not too numerous.

SCAB

(Mange)

CAUSE: The mange mite (Psoroptes Communis). This parasite is equipped
with stylets which pierce the skin at the seat where the mange mite
penetrates the skin, and produces small red spots followed by a blister
filled with serum, which ruptures, the serum drying and forming a small
scab. It is in this way that innumerable mange mites cause the piling up
of scabs thus producing a very scaly condition. As Mange advances, the
scaly patches eventually pile up until they attain the thickness of
one-half inch, unless these scabs have been severely rubbed.

SYMPTOMS: Very easily detected, as a bunch of sheep that have been
recently infected will be uneasy or restless, rubbing, against fences,
posts, brush, etc., causing bunches of wool to loosen. The itching seems
to be more intense at night and during warm weather. The affected
animals will even make attempts to bite themselves, due to the agony
produced by the mange mite. If the skin is examined by the aid of a
magnifying glass, the mange mite can be easily noticed, or by scraping
the skin with a knife and placing the scabs on a dark paper and exposed
to the warmth of the sun, the mange mite moving about can readily be
seen with the naked eye. Mangy sheep become very poor and eventually
die.

PREVENTION: This is important, for although the disease is treated with
very good results, the mange mite annoy the sheep until they become very
weak and emaciated and the loss of wool is enormous due to the affected
animal continually rubbing against fences, brush, etc.

TREATMENT: Consists of using various dips, as Lime and Sulphur, which is
recommended by the United States Bureau of Animal Industry. This is very
effective and inexpensive. Scabby sheep should be dipped a week or ten
days after shearing; two dippings are necessary at the interval of ten
days. After dipping, move to non-infected range or pastures.

TICK

(Louse Fly)

CAUSE: The tick that infects sheep has a very small head sunken into its
round body. The head possesses a flexible trunk or snout that penetrates
the skin. Through this trunk, the ticks derive their nourishment by
sucking the blood from the body of the sheep. The tick is also provided
with three pairs of legs. The female lays her young in the form of a
spun egg (cocoon) which is oblong in shape and brown in color. This egg
is cemented to the wool of sheep where young ticks are hatched in about
four to six weeks.

SYMPTOMS: Long wooled sheep are more susceptible to this tick as their
wool provides shelter for both the tick and its eggs. After shearing the
sheep the ticks have a tendency to leave the body and to migrate to the
legs or to unshorn lambs where their snouts or trunks pierce the skin
which appears to become infected, producing a swelling and inflammation.
The infected sheep run, scratch and bite themselves. When these ticks
become developed in large quantities, they produce a paleness of the
mucous membranes of the eyes, mouth and nose, as the ticks suck large
quantities of blood, which produces an anemic condition. The sheep
become poor, weak and unthrifty.

TREATMENT: Satisfactorily treated by dipping infected sheep in Coal Tar
dips or Emulsions of Crude Petroleum. Shearing the sheep has a good
effect, but care must be exercised as the ticks then rapidly migrate to
the lambs.

DISEASES OF POULTRY

Causes, Symptoms and Treatments

[Illustration: Photograph of several chickens.]
White Plymouth Rocks, Raycroft Farm, Adrian, Mich.

CHAPTER V

AIR SAC MITE

CAUSE: Produced by a parasite called Cylodites Nudus, which bears a
close resemblance to the parasite causing mange or scabies in the
domesticated animal. Owing to the peculiar construction of their
breathing organs fowls are more susceptible to parasites than animals.
In addition to affecting the lungs, the Air Sac Mite may extend its
operations to the intestines, kidneys, liver and bones.

SYMPTOMS: Unthriftiness is first noticed, but after the parasites become
numerous, the fowl shows signs of difficult breathing, perhaps
terminating in bronchial pneumonia. In some cases death occurs without
apparent cause. The bird will be inactive, becomes separated from the
rest of the flock, comb pale, head drawn close to the body, wings hang
pendulous, lose flesh, breathing becomes hard, coughing, sneezing and a
rattling from the mucus in the windpipe is heard. Death is produced from
suffocation.

TREATMENT: Separate the sick from the healthy fowls. Disinfect coops and
runways of both sick and healthy birds with Crude Carbolic Acid,
undiluted. Also fumigate the fowls in their coops with steam from hot
water and Pine Tar. This may be done by placing the water and Tar in a
pan and then inserting a hot stone or brick in the solution. This
perhaps is the simplest method of fumigation. Also mix Sulphur in their
feed regularly.

APOPLEXY

(Hemorrhage of the Brain)

Due to the rupture of a blood vessel of the brain and pressure from the
escaping blood.

CAUSE: Mechanical injuries, straining when laying eggs (hens are
frequently found dead on the nest from this cause), overfeeding,
stimulating food, etc., all tend to produce apoplexy.

SYMPTOMS: Appear very suddenly, bird is seen to walk unsteadily, falls,
or perhaps is found dead.

TREATMENT: In mild attacks, apply cold water or ice to fowl's head until
thoroughly cooled. Give one-half grain of Calomel, feed soft food,
compel the bird to exercise. Owing to the loss of blood a tonic will be
necessary. Pulv. Gentian Root, Pulv. Saltpeter, Capsicum and Ferri
Sulphate (Pulv.) equal parts one ounce. Mix and place one teaspoonful in
feed for every twenty-five fowls. This tonic purifies and builds up the
blood, just what is needed in this particular condition.

BALDNESS

(Favus)

CAUSE: Due to fungi.

SYMPTOMS: The first noticeable sign is the whitish appearance of the
comb due to gray spots about the size of a pin head. As the disease
progresses, this condition spreads to other parts of the body; the
feathers look rough and dry and break easily. The fowl grows weaker,
refuses to eat and if not properly treated, dies.

TREATMENT: Remove the scabs by separating the feathers and using a
brush. Apply Sulphur Ointment. Repeat this treatment after two or three
days. Great care must be taken to prevent the fowl from chilling or
taking cold.

BEAK AND THROAT OBSTRUCTION

CAUSE: Lodgment in the beak or food canal of a foreign substance, such
as a kernel of corn, sunflower seed, bone, etc.

SYMPTOMS: Fowl jerks its head suddenly and frequently attempts to
swallow. If a close examination is made the foreign body can be felt
from the outside.

TREATMENT: For the removal of such obstructions, no special treatment is
needed further than to use care and avoid any injury to the beak or
throat. Feed nutritious food, as wheat bran mashes and vegetables and
see that they have a liberal quantity of good pure water at all times.

BLACKHEAD

(Infectious Entero Hepatitis of Turkeys)

CAUSE: Due to a protozoa taken into the system with the food or drinking
water. This parasite enters the caeca which becomes inflamed and
discolored and the liver is enlarged and studded with yellowish spots
about the size of a pea.

SYMPTOMS: Although this disease is termed Blackhead, the discoloration
of the head is not necessarily present in all cases; neither is this
condition confined to this particular disease. One of the first symptoms
is loss of appetite, followed in most cases by diarrhoea. The fowl
becomes weak and loses weight rapidly. Examination of the liver after
death will determine whether or not death has been caused by Infectious
Entero Hepatitis. The dead birds should be burned to prevent the spread
of the disease.

TREATMENT: Prevention is one of the most important factors as this
disease is very contagious and the protozoa once implanted in the turkey
runs is almost impossible to eradicate. Provide clean, well ventilated
coops and feed clean, wholesome food and good fresh water to drink.

MEDICAL TREATMENT: Give Bismuth Salicylate and Quinine Sulphate each one
grain two to three times a day. Also mix Hyposulphite of Soda in the
proportion of two to four grains to every fowl in their drinking water
twice daily. Disinfect coops and runs with Crude Carbolic Acid,
undiluted.

BODY LICE

CAUSE: Insanitary conditions. Communicated by direct contact.

SYMPTOMS: Young chicks become emaciated and die quickly. Older birds
withstand the parasite much longer, but in time show signs of uneasiness
by dusting themselves frequently. The comb and wattles become pale and
bloodless, the feathers rough, dry and brittle. The birds grow weak,
poor, and eventually die.

TREATMENT: Dust the birds with the following: Sulphur, one part;
Napthaline, one part; Tobacco Dust, twenty-eight parts and seventy parts
of middlings. Powder finely and mix well together and dust the birds
once daily. Also sprinkle freely in the dust baths.

BRONCHITIS

CAUSE: Exposure to dampness, cold drafts of air, inhaling irritating
gases, vapors or dust. The fowls should be carefully examined, as
bronchitis is occasionally caused by the presence of gapeworms.

SYMPTOMS: Loss of appetite, the bird moves about slowly, breathing with
difficulty and making a sort of whistling sound accompanied by a cough.
As the disease progresses, there will be a peculiar bubbling sound from
breathing due to an excessive accumulation of mucus in the windpipe. At
this stage of the disease the bird becomes very weak and if not properly
treated and cared for will rapidly lose strength, the feathers will
become rough, head and wings droop, and the bird dies.

TREATMENT: This disease is most satisfactorily treated by placing the
affected birds in warm, dry, well ventilated quarters, admitting
sunlight if possible, but excluding all drafts of air. Feed stale bread,
middlings, etc. Also place the fowls in a moderately air tight coop and
compel them to inhale steam from hot water and Turpentine. This is
readily done by placing the water and Turpentine in a pan and then
insert a hot stone or brick in the solution. Force them to inhale this
steam from twenty to thirty minutes twice a day. Also add Chlorate of
Potash to their drinking water, one teaspoonful to every twenty-five
aged fowls. To chicks add one-fourth teaspoonful to every twenty-five.
If the weather is favorable and the above treatment is followed,
bronchitis yields very favorably.

BUMBLE FOOT

(Corns-Deep Bruises-Abscesses)

CAUSE: Sharp-edged or narrow perches which bruise the feet or where the
perches are high, heavy fowls often injure their feet by alighting on
stones or other hard objects.

SYMPTOMS: The bird limps or hobbles about, moving with great difficulty.
Examination will show the foot to be hot and tender to the touch.

TREATMENT: Wash with clean, warm water and in some cases it is advisable
to apply Hot Flaxseed poultices. When soft spots or abscesses develop,
lance them with a clean, sharp knife. After abscesses and bruises are
opened, treat them antiseptically by washing with a solution of Carbolic
Acid, one teaspoonful to a pint of water. The foot should be bandaged to
keep out dust and dirt.

[Illustration: Photograph of chicken.]
PRIZE WINNING BUFF ORPINGTON COCK.

CATARRH

CAUSE: Exposure; poorly constructed coops which admit rain or drafts.
Weak birds are very susceptible to Catarrh.

SYMPTOMS: The bird is dull, moves about slowly, coughing or sneezing;
appetite is poor, the mucous membrane of the air passage becomes
inflamed and the breathing difficult, especially through the nose. The
discharge from the nostrils at first watery, becomes mucus-like and
thick and sticky, closing the nose, causing the bird to breathe wholly
through the mouth with a wheezing sound.

TREATMENT: The cause of Catarrh shows the necessity of clean and
comfortable quarters for the fowls. Keep the birds strong and vigorous
by feeding clean, nourishing food.

MEDICAL TREATMENT: To each fowl administer in their drinking water or
feed: Chlorate of Potash, one grain, twice daily.

CHICKEN POX

(Sore Head--Warts)

CAUSE: These diseases are due to low forms of parasites or fungi and
occur most frequently in wet weather especially if the coops are leaky
and allow the rain to fall on the droppings, causing mold or fungi. Poor
ventilation and lack of light also promotes the growth of fungi.

SYMPTOMS: The disease is usually confined to the head and affects
principally young chickens, pigeons and turkeys, but rarely ducks and
geese. The infection appears in the form of yellowish warts or nodules
about the nose, eyelids, comb, wattles, under the wings, or any
unfeathered place. The warts vary in size from that of a pin head to the
size of a pea and they discharge a fluid which at first is thin and
watery but as the disease progresses, it becomes thick and sticky,
yellow in color and fetid in smell. At this stage the appetite is poor,
the feathers appear rough, and where the eyelids are affected, as in
most cases, the bird cannot see, fails to eat, becomes emaciated, loses
weight and strength rapidly and if not properly treated, dies.

TREATMENT: This disease is very contagious, therefore the coops and runs
should be disinfected with Crude Carbolic Acid, undiluted. In the
drinking water add Hyposulphite of Soda in the proportion of one to two
grains to each fowl (one-half grain to chicks). Wash the nodules or
warts about the head with Carbolic Acid solution, one teaspoonful to a
quart of water. Feed easily digested food, such as vegetables or warm
bran mashes.

CONGESTION OF THE LIVER

CAUSE: Lack of exercise, overfeeding, tainted or moldy food, infection,
or impure blood.

SYMPTOMS: Birds suffering from this disease seldom show signs of
sickness and it is well to dissect the fowl after death to ascertain the
exact cause. If death is caused by Congestion of the Liver, the organ
will be greatly enlarged and easily torn.

TREATMENT: If the fowls are fat and sluggish, compel them to exercise by
driving them about. Also give fifteen to twenty grains of Epsom Salts to
each affected fowl. Feed laxative foods that are easily digested, as
vegetables and wheat bran mashes. They are cooling and relieve
congestion.

CONGESTION OF THE LUNGS

(Pulmonary Congestion)

CAUSE: Exposure; the bird chills, causing contraction of the blood
vessels near the surface of the body, thereby forcing a large quantity
of blood to the internal organs; the small blood vessels in the lungs
become distended with blood and rupture.

SYMPTOMS: Rapid and difficult breathing; the bird appears stupid and
sleepy and docs not care to move about; appetite poor, wings drooping,
plumage ruffled, a thick mucus, colored with blood, escapes from the
mouth, comb and wattles show a dark-red color from lack of oxygen in the
blood. This disease is of very short duration, the bird dying within a
few hours. It is very common among young chicks and turkeys that are
permitted to run out in the early spring rains.

TREATMENT: Medical treatment is of no value, as the disease progresses
so rapidly that the bird dies shortly after the first symptoms appear.
Sanitary surroundings, good light, pure air and exercise are essential.
Do not allow the birds to stand out in the cold or rains, especially
during the molting season. Keep your poultry strong and vigorous by
feeding clean, nourishing food and give them pure water to drink.

CONSTIPATION

(Intestinal Obstruction)

CAUSE: Irritation of the membranes lining the intestines, caused by dry
feed, glass or gravel; may also be due to parasitic worms. Obstruction
may occur in any part of the intestines although the external opening is
the part most frequently affected.

SYMPTOMS: Bird appears dull and stupid, walks with difficulty and
attempts frequently to expel the obstructing material. The appetite is
poor and the feathers rough. By examination and manipulation the
obstruction may be located. Dried masses of excrement by adhering to the
feathers sometimes block the outer opening of the intestines.

TREATMENT: Remove the waste matter clinging to the feathers with warm
water or by clipping the feathers off. If the Cloaca is obstructed, give
injections of Sweet Oil or Olive Oil with a small bulb syringe. Also
give one to two grains of Calomel and feed clean food and soft mashes
containing Pulv. Gentian Root, one grain to each fowl twice daily. This
stimulates the worm-like movement of the bowels and assists in expelling
their contents.

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