SHEEP: 



DISEASES AND MANAGEMENT OF. 



This has been a sadly neglected branch 

 of veterinary inquiry and practice. The 

 .nature and treatment of the diseases of 

 sheep form little or no part of the instruc- 

 tion given in some of our veterinary 

 schools, and seldom come under the 

 cognizance of the surgeon afterwards. 

 The shepherd undertakes the treatment 

 of foot-rot, and scab, and hoove; and 

 with regard to the other maladies to which 

 this animal is subject, they are either 

 suffered to take their course, or, if a veteri- 

 nary practictioner is ever employed, it is 

 when the disease is firmly established, or 

 the whole flock infected, and medical aid 

 is fruitless. This is much to be lamented, 

 and very absurd; for although an indi- 

 vidual sheep may not be worth much, yet 

 a numerous flock forms no inconsiderable 

 portion of the farmer's wealth, and the 

 frequent mortality among these animals is 

 a very serious loss to him. 



The internal structure of the sheep so 

 nearly resembles that of the ox, that we 

 will content ourselves with referring to 

 the anatomy of the ox, as described in 

 the early part of this work. The diseases 

 of both have a very great resemblance in 

 their nature, and cause, and progress, and 

 medical treatment. The same drugs are 

 administered to both. There cannot be 

 a better purgative for sheep than Epsom 

 salts : there is no better fever medi- 

 :ine than the digitalis, emetic tartar, 

 and nitre. The principal difference is in 

 the quantity to be administered; a sixth or 

 eighth part of the usual dose for cattle 

 will be sufficient for the sheep. The 

 quantity of blood taken will depend on 

 the size of the animal and the nature of 

 the disease. Four ounces would be a fair 

 average bleeding from a lamb, and a pint 

 from a full grown sheep. Shepherds are 

 ipt to bleed from the eye-vein ; but the 

 )lood generally flows slowly, and, a r ier 



all, the proper quantity will not always be 

 obtained. The best place for bleeding is 

 from the jugular, as in cattle. A ligature 

 should be tied round the neck, and then 

 the vein will rise so evidently that it can- 

 not possibly be mistaken. The vein 

 should be opened with the lancet com- 

 monly used for the human being: the 

 orifice should be large, and the blood ob- 

 tained as quickly as possible. 



SHEEP, Lambing Season.— The ewe 

 goes with lamb five months. With the 

 best care a great deal of danger attends 

 this early lambing, and even at a later 

 period a few cold nights are fatal to many 

 of the lambs. There is nothing that re- 

 quires more reformation than the treat- 

 ment both of the ewe and the lamb at the 

 time of weaning. 



During the time of gestation more at - 

 tention is required than is generally paid. 

 To enable the ewe to produce her lamb 

 with comparative safety, she should not 

 be too well fed. One of the most preva 

 lent causes of puerperal fever, or dropping 

 after calving, in the cow, is her too high 

 condition. It is more particularly so with 

 the ewe; and there are few things that the 

 farmer should be more careful about than 

 that the fair, but not unusual or forced, 

 condition of the animal is preserved. A 

 week or two before the time, a little bet- 

 ter keep may be useful in order to give 

 them sufficient strength for the lambing. 

 It is a kind of middle course which the 

 farmer has to pursue, qnd the path is not 

 very difficult to trace : too high condition 

 will dispose to fever ; on the other hand, 

 with too poor keep the ewe will not have 

 sufficient strength to go through the pro- 

 cess safely, nor will she have milk enough 

 for the lambs. If the dam has not suffi- 

 cient support previously, the lamb will be 

 weakly when it is dropped, and will not 

 thrive well afterwards. 



(i97) 



