6 



appears lame and drags the afíected leg in a stiff and awkward 

 manner. Exercise may canse a little of the lameness to dis- 

 sappear. When carefully exainined, the m úseles of the affected 

 leg or quarter will be found to be swollen and tense. At first 

 the swelling is small and painful on pressure but the swelling 

 increases in size rapidly and the soreness dissappears. The 

 circulation of the blood is lessened and ihe swollen part 

 becomes colder than the surrounding tissues. If the diñase 

 swelling is firinly pressed by rubbing with the hand, it will be 

 found to contain gas beneath the skin as shown by a drum 

 like condition of the skin and a peculiar crepitating or 

 crackling spongy sound. The presence of gas beneath the 

 skin and the crackling sound when rubbed are characteristic 

 symptoms of blackleg. If this swelling is opened a bloody 

 frothy fluid filled with bubbles of gas escapes which has a 

 peculiar but not disagreeable odor. The fluid that escapes 

 from such a cut is filled with germs of blackleg. The swell- 

 ings described do not oceur below the knee or hock. In the 

 early stages of the disease the calf has soine fever, the tem- 

 perature rising to 104 or 106 o F. but as the disease progresses 

 the temperature falls and the mucus membranes of the eyes 

 and nose beconie darker in color. In many cases there is some 

 bloating due to indigestión but this is not important. The 

 bowellsareconstipated, only a small quantity of dark colored 

 dung being passed. Death usually follows in from six to 48 

 hours after the first sypmtoms are noticed. Very few recover, 

 not more than two or three per cent. 



TREATMENT. 

 There is no successful treatment for calves that are sick 

 with blackleg. The animal should be placed in theshade and 

 made as comfortable as possible. Give a purgative of from 

 one-fourth to one half pound of "salts" sulfate of soda or sul- 

 fate of magnesia, dissolved in water as a drench. 



AUTOPSY. 



Practically the only abnormal condition observed after 

 dcath is the swelling of the muscles of the affected part. When 



