266 A STUDY OF FARM ANIMALS 



hard to cure, and, when discovered in a herd, should be 

 treated vigorously and the treatment repeated frequently 

 enough to cure the trouble. For preventive measure cattle 

 and sheep may be walked through shallow troughs containing 

 a 5 per cent solution of copper sulfate, repeating the treat- 

 ment every two or three weeks. Yards and stables heavy in 

 manure and mud are great breeding grounds for foot rot. 



Hemorrhagic septicemia occurs with cattle, sheep and 

 swine. In swine it is a form of cholera. Little is known of 

 the origin of the disease. Animals that are sick show a strong 

 fever, swell about throat and brisket, and have difficulty in 

 breathing. If the intestines are affected, the animal may 

 act colicky, and the solid excrement may be bloody. After 

 death hemorrhage is found under the skin and in the in- 

 testine walls, with bloody spots about the membranes of the 

 heart and diaphragm in particular. The disease may be 

 acute, which is very fatal, or sub-acute, when from five to 

 fifteen per cent of the herd may die. This disease is most 

 common with cattle on swampy pastures or where the drink- 

 ing water is stagnant and unsanitary. Prevention is more 

 satisfactory than treatment, and so stock should be kept on 

 well-drained land and given good drinking water. Water 

 troughs and mangers should be frequently cleaned, and 

 disinfectants used liberally in the stable. 



Anthrax, or charbon, is a germ disease that affects many 

 kinds of animals, especially cattle, horses and sheep. It is 

 most abundant in warm, moist climates. Low-lying, moist 

 pastures may be infected with the disease for many years. 

 There are several forms of the disease. One acts like 

 apoplexy, in which the animal becomes suddenly sick, staggers, 

 falls, and dies in convulsions. The abdominal form is as- 

 sociated with swelling and pain in the abdomen, diarrhea, 

 etc. The thoracic form exhibits bloody discharge from the 

 nostrils, salivation, swelling of the throat and rapid breath- 

 ing. Swellings or carbuncles occur with each of these forms. 



