SECTION XI. 



DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE 

 SYSTEM. 



Disorders of the digestive system probably cause 

 more losses than from all other sources combined. 

 Errors in feeding, parasites, poisons, and preda- 

 tory animals all take their toll of life in large 

 numbers, but all fall far behind those ailments 

 originating in the alimentation in the extent of 

 loss occasioned the sheep industry. 



1. Stomatitis. 



See Section on Diseases of the Lamb (page 137) ; 

 also Foot Rot (page 97), and Foot-and-Mouth 

 Disease (page 90). 



2. Choke. 



Obstruction of the esophagus. 



This a rare condition found in sheep, but when 

 it does occasionally occur from the lodgment of a 

 sharp pointed piece of root in the esophagus, great 

 excitement reigns among the sheep herders. They 

 seem to think an animal breathes through its gul- 

 let, and a few moments' delay will cause suffoca- 

 tion, and death. 



Symptoms: The manifestations of this ailment 

 are very pronounced. Labored breathing; sudden 

 loss of appetite and rumination; bloating; normal 

 temperature, and attempts to swallow, all differ- 

 entiate the clinical picture from acute poisoning 

 for which it may be mistaken at the onset. 



Ill 



