DISEASES OF THE URINARY ORGANS. 469 



XVI. Millet Disease of Horses. 



In many sections of the West and Middle West millet is a common 

 hay crop. It is harvested and handled in the same manner as other hay. 

 The usual practice is to harvest the crop before the heads are fully ripe, 

 as there is a popular belief that the ripe heads are injurious to horses. 

 Several years ago the North Dakota Station reported that a large number 

 of horses had been affected with so-called "millet disease." This was 

 characterized by symptoms resembling rheumatism and derangement of 

 the urinary system. The name "millet disease" was adopted from the fact 

 that nearly 100 per cent of the horses affected had been fed upon millet. 

 In the few cases in which the disease was said to occur when millet was 

 not fed the symptoms of derangement of the kidneys were absent. 



A. number of cases of millet disease were investigated by the North 

 Dakota Station. After feeding considerable quantities of millet the urine 

 for a time was very abundantly secreted. Lameness and rheumatic 

 symptoms soon occurred, and were accompanied by a suppression of urine. 

 Later the lameness became very severe, and fever was observed also. A 

 considerable proportion of the cases terminated fatally. 



Very recently this station has published the results of further experi- 

 ments on the subject of feeding millet. Two tests were made. In the 

 first trial two geldings in good health were fed hay and grain for about 

 two weeks. Millet was then substituted for hay for about ten days. The 

 same ration as at the beginning was then fed for four days. All the 

 horses were driven daily for exercise. The symptoms of lameness ac- 

 companied by suppressed urine, previously noted, were observed in these 

 cases also. 



The second test was similar to the first, and was made with two mares. 

 One of the mares became very lame and could hardly stand, and suffered 

 from time to time from retention of the urine. She was killed and post- 

 mortem examination of the carcass showed a very diseased condition. 

 The other mare did not show as marked symptoms during the test. 

 However, when fed millet for about three months she would become so 

 lame in the joints of the hind legs that it was almost impossible for her 

 to walk. When feeding millet was discontinued she would recover. The 

 lameness was "again produced by millet feeding. After about two years 

 of alternate periods of millet and hay feeding she became practically 

 worthless. 



From these experiments and observations it would appear that feeding 

 millet alone as a coarse fodder is injurious to horses. It produces an 

 increased action of the kidneys, and causes lameness and swelling of the 

 joints. It causes an infusion of blood into the joints, and destroys the 

 texture of the bone, rendering it soft and less tenacious, so that the liga- 

 ments and muscles are easily torn loose. Feeding millet produces millet 

 disease, the specific cause to which the dangerous properties of millet are 

 due has not yet been discovered. 



