PLEURISY IN SHEEP. 



Causes, exposure, after clipping, washing in cold weather, alternations 

 from hot buildings to cold fields, shedding of the wool. Symptoms, hyper- 

 thermia, troubled breathing and pulse with catching inspiration, tender in- 

 tercostals, friction sound, and signs of effusion. Treatment, preventive, 

 shelter, febrifuges in food or water, aqua ammonia to sides. 



The causes of pleurisy in sheep may be largely included in the 

 general statement — expostire. Cold washing and exposure after 

 clipping is especially injurious. Devieusart saw 300 cases of 

 pleuri.sy and thirty deaths in a flock of sheep shorn in February. 

 If kept secluded in warm buildings sheep may be shorn in mid- 

 winter, but any reckless exposure, and any sudden reduction of 

 the temperature of the building is liable to be disastrous. Scab 

 and other skin affections which lead to a shedding of the wool in 

 inclement weather may also be the occasion of widespread attacks. 

 Otherwise the causes are es.sentially those of the same disease in 

 the larger animals. 



The symptoms re.semble those of pneumonia, but with the pe- 

 culiar sharp, short arrest of the inspiration, and the marked ten- 

 derness of the intercostal spaces as above described. The cough 

 is short, dry, hacking and infrequent or suppressed as much as 

 pos.sible. Auscultation and percussion signs, corresponding to 

 those found in other animals, are easil}^ got in the newly shorn 

 .sheep. In the unshorn the wool must be parted and a stethescope 

 employed. 



The treatment is mainly preventive, or when the disease is 

 present, of a general nature applicable to flocks. A warm barn, 

 with pure air, blanketing, wet compresses, to which may be added 

 extract of henbane, and nitrate of potash in the drinking water 

 give examples of general medication. As a derivative, aqua am- 

 monia and oil may be applied in lines on the chest exposed by 

 parting the wool or generally on the .shorn. Where the patient 

 can receive the requi.site attention further treatment .should be on 

 lines laid down for cattle. 



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