Moldy Corn 425 



toward the tip, is attacked by mold which forms a 

 felt -like growth. The feeding of this corn to horses, 

 either as a grain ration or as corn -fodder, during the 

 fall and winter, frequently causes heavy losses from a 

 disease commonly known as "staggers," or "mad 

 staggers," because of the prominent symptoms. 



The symptoms are those of a brain disease. The 

 animal appears to be blind and only partially conscious; 

 there is often a tendency to turn in a circle to the right 

 or left, with a staggering or straddling gait. There is 

 usually trembling of the muscles. As the disease pro- 

 gresses, the animal becomes delirious and easily excited. 

 In many cases the patient will stand with the head or 

 breast against a wall or manger, and push. When badly 

 affected, animals often will eat apparently from force of 

 habit, not because they are hungry. In some cases they 

 die in a few hours after they are first noticed to be 

 ailing. Most of them die within a few days; a few live 

 a week, rarely longer. In a few instances the spinal cord 

 is diseased, while the brain remains nearly normal. In 

 these cases there is inability to control the muscles, or 

 the animal may be unusually sensitive, the least irrita- 

 tion of the skin, even touching the animal, often 

 causing it to kick violently. Care should be exercised 

 in handling a horse to avoid injury, as the animal is 

 irresponsible and often in a delirious frenzy. Mules 

 are rarely affected by this disease. 



In some cases bunches of horses do not begin to die 

 until a month after being turned into the stalk fields-, 

 and they may contract the disease in a week, or even 

 ten days, after the moldy corn has been withheld. 



