THE DISEASES OF CATTLE 



287 



entire jaw is frequently covered. It also works back 

 into the inner part of the jaw, attacking the bone itself 

 as well as the tongue, when it is called "wooden tongue." 



An animal in an advanced stage of the disease will 

 show a peculiar honeycombed appearance of the jaw 

 bones when the flesh is opened to the bone. In a few 

 cases animals affected with this disease recover without 

 treatment and probably about 75 per cent of the afflicted 

 can be cured if properly treated. The cause, progress 

 and peculiarities of this disease are little known to veter- 

 inarians, and there is much ignorance as to the facts 

 in regard to it. 



The most common method of treating big jaw has been 

 to cut away tumors where this is possible, even to 

 scraping the diseased bones. This, however, is sel- 

 dom a permanent cure and the disease soon reappears. 

 Recently veterinarians have discovered that a treatment 

 of iodide of potassium will in most cases effect a per- 

 manent cure. The iodide is given as a drench in doses 

 of from \ l /2 to 2 l / 2 drams dissolved in water, once a day. 

 The dose should vary with the size of the animal and 

 the effect of the medicine. In the course of a week or 

 ten days signs of iodism appears. The skin is scurfy, 

 there is weeping from the eyes, catarrh of the nose and 

 loss of appetite. When these symptoms appear the 

 doses should be stopped for a few days, and then re- 

 sumed. The remedy will generally effect a cure in four 

 or five weeks. If it does not it is a sign that the par- 

 ticular animal is not subject to the influence of the 

 drn<r and cannot be cured. 



The disease is not considered injurious to the meat 

 of the animal excepting in extreme cases and those of 

 long standing. However, all cattle buyers look care- 



