360 DISEASES OF CATTLE, SHEEP, GOATS, ETC. 



Cattle lice reproduce by means of eggs or nits which they 

 fasten to the hair. The blue lice infest chiefly the neck and shoul- 

 ders; red lice, when present, may be found almost anywhere on the 

 body, but are usually most numerous on neck, shoulders, and at the 

 root of the tail. 



On account of the itching due to the lice, infested cattle rub 

 against posts, trees, etc., and lick themselves, the hair sometimes 

 coming out and the skin becoming thickened so that mange may 

 be suspected. 



Cattle infested with lice should be dipped in the spring and 

 again in the fall, using a coal-tar or tobacco dip, or Beaumont oil 

 emulsion. If only a few cattle are to be treated the dip may be ap- 

 plied with a brush or cloth, or with a small spray pump, or a mix- 

 ture of kerosene one-half pint and lard 1 pound may be smeared 

 on the body. 



Mange, Itch, Scab. Cattle are subject to four kinds of mange, 

 of which common mange or psoroptic mange is the most important. 



Psoroptic mange of cattle is caused by a species of small mites 

 which multiply rapidly and are spread from diseased to healthy cattle 

 by bodily contact, or by pens, stables, railroad cars, etc., recently oc- 

 cupied by mangy cattle. The mites attack the skin and cause it to 

 become thickened and covered with crusts and scabs, with a conse* 

 quent loss of hair. Intense itching accompanies the disease and af- 

 fected cattle are more or less constantly rubbing and licking them- 

 selves. Psoroptic mange commences at the root of the tail, or on the 

 neck, or withers, and gradually extends over the back up to the head, 

 over the sides, and may finally affect nearly the entire body except 

 the legs. In serious cases the skin may become ulcerated ; the animals 

 become greatly weakened and emaciated, and finally die. By taking 

 scrapings from the edges of scabby patches and placing them on a 

 piece of black paper in a warm place the mites may be seen as tiny 

 white objects crawling over the paper, more distinctly if a magni- 

 fying glass is used. Mange may be confused with lousiness, ring- 

 worm, or with any condition in which there is itching or loss of 

 hair, but if mites are found there is no question of the diagnosis. 

 The disease is worse during cold, wet weatner. Mangy cattle when 

 on good pasture during the summer often seem to recover, but in the 

 fall the disease again reappears in a severe form. 



The most generally used and most satisfactory method of 

 treating cattle mange consists in dipping the animals in a vat filled 

 with a liquid of such a nature that it will kill the parasites without 

 injuring the cattle. Vats for dipping cattle are built of wood, stone, 

 or concrete, and vary in length from 30 to 100 feet or more. They 

 vary in width from 4 to 7 feet at the top, and 2 to 3 feet at the 

 bottom, and the depth may be from 7 to 10 feet. A narrow chute 

 through which the cattle are driven leads up to one end of the vat, 

 where a steep slide pitches the cattle into the dipping fluid, through 

 which they swim, and climb out of the vat at the other end, 

 which is built sloping and provided with cross cleats to give the ani- 

 mals a foot hold. A draining pen with floor sloping back toward the 



