340 VETERINARY HYGIENE 



million. It need hardly be stated that the number is actually much 

 smaller than this. 



Fluke disease has a very wide distribution and is the cause of 

 considerable financial loss, not only from actual deaths but from 

 depreciation in value of such as survive. It is a disease of low- 

 lying, wet and undrained pastures, or such as are liable to floods, 

 and is most prevalent following a wet season. The cercaria are 

 unable to live on dry ground. Sheep are to be seen showing 

 obvious symptoms in the autumn, winter and spring. Well-fed 

 sheep usually escape any serious infestation and weakly bad thrivers 

 are the first to be affected. The disease is much more serious 

 among sheep than among cattle. Sheep grazing on salt marshes 

 do not become affected. 



PREVENTIVE MEASURES should follow the same lines as for 

 other worm diseases. Drainage of the land is of prime importance, 

 and the application of a top dressing of salt or iron sulphate is 

 recommended. Overstocking should be avoided and feeding should 

 be liberal, and of supplemental food the oil seed by-products are 

 especially recommended. If fluke-infested rabbits abound on the 

 farm they should as far as possible be destroyed. 



The provision of a clean water supply is a necessity, and Fillers 

 recommends adding six drachms of salt to every gallon of water 

 supplied for drinking. Rock salt distributed in racks throughout 

 the grazing ground is advisable. Livers which contain parasites 

 should be destroyed or, if fed to dogs, should be well-cooked, other- 

 wise dogs may spread the disease through their faeces, which may 

 contain living eggs. 



THE ROUND WORMS. NEMATHELMINTHES. 



Helminthiasis is responsible for enormous financial losses in 

 this country. While the treatment of helminthiasis is always 

 difficult, the prevention of its occurrence is infinitely more so owing 

 to the obscurity in which these parasites live, and the complexity 

 of such life-cycles as are known. 



Helminthiasis of the respiratory organs, causing " verminous 

 bronchitis and pneumonia " in young cattle, lambs and young pigs, 

 may have a mortality as high as 50 per cent, for either species. 

 Other animals are exceptionally attacked. The disease is most 

 marked in April and May, but often prevails from March right on 

 to the end of autumn. The period of incubation is not definitely 

 known; Fillers puts it at about two months, but in pigs it is 

 certainly less. The parasites most commonly associated with 





