108 False Foot and Mouth Disease 



contagious foot and mouth disease but differs from foot and mouth disease 

 in the following points. 



I Ergot poisoning seldom effects hogs and sheep while they are 

 quite susceptible to contagious foot and mouth disease. 



II Within a period of 10 days after an outbreak of foot and mouth 

 disease a high per cent of the herd will be effected while with ergot 

 poisoning quite a per cent of the cattle usually escape the disease. 



III The sloughing of sores is more extensive in ergot poisoning 

 than in the contagious foot and mouth disease. 



IV It would be rare to find ergot on the food of animals suffering 

 with the contagious foot and mouth disease. 



SYMPTOMS 



Ergot makes its appearance in two separate forms. I Internally. 

 II Externally. 



When the internal form is present it somewhat resembles forage 

 poisoning. The animals become dizzy, reel, froth at the mouth, show 

 colicky pains, may abort the calf, become paralyzed and die or recover 

 within a period of hours. 



In the external form the parts of the body farthest from the heart 

 as the ears, legs, tail etc. become effected because the circulation is poor. 

 In such cases the skin becomes dry and cracks appear. These cracks 

 grow in size until they become great sloughing sores. They may assume 

 the shape of patches or they may encircle the effected portion of the body. 

 These sores may become extensive enough to cause the loss of a foot, ear 

 or tail. An animal effected with the external form usually recovers after 

 a period of weeks if the food is changed. 



TREATMENT 



Give 2 to 4 tablespoonfuls of tannic acid in water as soon as possible 

 after the disease appears. In the internal form give a good physic to 

 prevent the system from absorbing more of the poison. 11/^ to 2 pounds 

 of epsom salts for each 1000 pounds of live weight should be giiven. 

 Change the feed to clover, alfalfa, oil meal, bran, etc. not effected with 

 ergot. 



In the external form change the feed and give daily from 7 to 9 

 days 1 dram (1 teaspoonful) of Potassium Iodine 2 times daily in 1 pint 

 of water. 



If improvement does not take place omit several days and repeat the 



