MANUAL FOR STABLE SERGEANTS. 147 



Parasitic Diseases of the Skin. - 



446. Lice. — The presence of lice is often an indication of insurH- 

 cient grooming and bad stable management. 



Symptoms. — Intense itching; loss of hair; sometimes eruptions on 

 the skin. A careful examination will re^-eal the parasites (lice). 



Treatment. — Isolate the patient. Wash the entire body with a 

 solution of a^eolin (2 ounces) and water (3 quarts). Repeat the 

 washings every six days until three applications have been made. 

 ^Mien circumstances permit, the animal should be clipped before 

 treatment is begun. Burn the hair. 



Disinfect stall, equipment, blankets, and grooming utensils. 



Tobacco tea, made by boilino- 6 ounces tobacco stems for twenty 

 minutes in 1 gallon of water, is an excellent preparation for the 

 destruction of lice. With it, however, only one-half of the body 

 should be washed at a time, otherwise the animal may suffer from 

 nicotine poisoning. Twenty-four hours should elapse between the 

 washings. 



447. Mange (scabies). — A contagious disease of the skin. May 

 be transmitted to man. 



Causes. — A very small animal parasite, the mange mite, of which 

 there are three varieties: 



(a) The burrowing mite, which bores itself into the skin. It is 

 usually found about the head and neck, but occasionally also on 

 other parts of the body. 



(h) The sucking mite, which gets its nourishment by sucking the 

 juices from the skin. Found at the roots of the mane and tail. 



(c) The scale-eating mite, found on the extremities. 



Symptoms. — Violent, unceasing, intolerable itching of the affected 

 parts, the patient rubbing, scratching, and biting continuously. 

 The hair falls out and the skin becomes thickened, wrinkled, and 

 coA-ered with scabs; or, it may become torn and raw by the never- 

 ending rubbing and scratching. 



Treatment. — This must be prompt and energetic. Isolate the 

 animal, clip the coat and burn the hair. Wash the diseased parts and 

 soften the scabs with warm water, soap, and scrubbing brush, dry, 

 and wash daily with creolin, A\ ounces to water, 3 quarts; or apply 

 creoZm and oil (1-20) twice a day and wash thoroughly every other 

 day with warm water and soap. Continue the treatment until the 

 parts are healed. Tobacco tea, made as directed in paragraph 446 is 

 also a useful remedy in the treatment of mange. 



