56 Ohservations on Parasites and. Parasitic Diseases 



Mischief results more often from liasty dipping, and the neglect 

 of proper precautions subseqv;ent thereto, than from absorption of 

 the poisonous compound. When sheep are placed in the bath, 

 and are necessarily held in an unnatural and restrained position to 

 prevent their splashing the mixture about, the greatest care should 

 be taken that their heads are not thrust under the fluid. Without 

 due caution, it often happens that the animal, while struggling 

 to overcome the restraint to which it is subjected, involuntarily 

 and almost momentarily swallows a portion of the fluid. Hence, 

 there are many instances where death results from asphyxia very 

 shortly after the sheep are set at liberty ; a portion of the fluid 

 having entered the larynx. Such animals usually retire a short 

 distance, lie down, have a distressing cough, breathe heavily, and 

 quickly die. Occasionally, also, it is found that several of the 

 sheep die a day or two subsequently to their having been dipped, 

 from the local effects of the fluid upon their throat and fauces. 

 In these cases, the corrosive action of the arsenical solution 

 forbids all hope of cure. In a far greater number of instances, 

 however, the poisonous draught enters the stomach, and destroys 

 the animal by its action on the svstem. 



A more frequent cause of death, however, is that of imperfectly 

 squeezing the superfluous fluid from their fleeces, and allowing 

 the animals to go almost at once on to a piece of pasture land, 

 where they not only stand and drip, but often lie down, and thus 

 leave a considerable portion of the arsenical mixture on the grass. 

 Nor will the sheep refuse to eat such grass, but rather show 

 a preference for it while it is wet, more especially in very hot 

 and dry weather. In such a way as this, scores of sheep are 

 often poisoned. 



Sheep have also been poisoned now and then from sucking 

 their own or each other's fleeces while still wet from the bath. 

 This, likewise, occurs generally in hot and dry weather, when 

 they have not been supplied with water, although unable to 

 obtain any perhaps for many days before, in consequence of the 

 particular position of the fields in which they had been kept. 



Very fatal results have also followed from the sheep being 

 overtaken by a drenching rain within a few hours of being 

 dipped. In this way the dipping compound has been washed 

 out of their fleeces and poisoned the entire herbage on which 

 they were feeding. All these things may be easily guarded 

 against by proper luanagement. Their prevention is so obvious 

 that it need not be specially mentioned in a paper of this kind ; 

 it being sufficient for our present purpose that we draw attention, 

 in a concise manner, to the several causes which are likely to lead 

 to a loss of sheep from dipping. 



