220 



THE SHEPHERD'S MANUAL. 



Fig. 77. SHEEP AFFECTED WITH 

 ROT. 



millions of sheep in a single year, in Australia and South America, 

 and is very prevalent in Europe. In 1830 two million sheep died 

 in England of this disease. It exists in America both in imported 

 sheep and the native flocks, and thousands die every year of it 

 without their owners having knowledge of the cause. The symp- 

 toms of the disease are, however, very marked and significant. In 



the healthy sheep the conjunc- 

 tiva, or the membrane which 

 covers the eyeball in front, and 

 lines the eyelid, is brilliantly 

 red ; so much so, that those un- 

 used to observe these things 

 closely, would suppose the eye 

 to be highly inflamed. When 

 affected with the rot, the con- 

 junctiva is pale and eyeball 

 yellowish. When this sign ap- 

 pears, and the sheep is found to 

 be ailing, it is certainly infested with flukes. There are other 

 symptoms which indicate less certainly this disease, because they 

 are found present in other ailments also, but this symptom is pe- 

 culiar to this parasite. As the 

 disease progresses, dropsy is 

 always present, and a wa- 

 tery tumor or bag appears 

 beneath the lower jaw. The 

 skin is pale and bloodless, 

 and the wool is dry, harsh, 

 ragged, and readily parts 

 from the skin. The skin is 

 drawn tightly, and the spine 

 is arched and prominent, as 

 seen in figure 77. The ap- 

 petite is irregular, and de- 

 praved, and the thirst excessive. These symptoms increase until 

 the sheep dies completely emaciated. 



The fluke is a member of a family of sucking worms (similar to 

 the leeches), known as distomaB. It is a flat, oval shaped animal 

 more thickly conical in front, and has a sucker or mouth. Where 

 the thicker part joins the flatter hinder part, there is a second 

 sucker upon the underside. In figure 78 are shown the full grown 

 flukes as taken from the gall ducts of a sheep, and in figure 79 are 

 represented immature flukes from the same animal. The fluke is 



