496 DISEASES OF CATTLE, SHEEP, GOATS, ETC. 



tions it would be advisable to move the flock to another location. 

 Medicinal treatment is of no use. 



CEREBRO-SPINAL MENINGITIS ; INFLAMMATION OF THE COVERINGS OF 

 THE BRAIN AND SPINAL CORD. 



Causes. But little is known regarding the cause of this dis- 

 ease. It is probably due to several different toxic principles, but 

 by some it is claimed to be due to a specific cause (a germ). The 

 disease is frequently seen in young animals, generally during the 

 winter and spring. 



Symptoms. The head feels hot, the mucous membranes are 

 congested and the pupils dilated. The animal grinds its teeth, 

 saliva dribbles from the mouth, the lips are contracted, it is weak 

 and dull and shows a tendency to move in a circle. We soon find 

 it stretched upon the ground as if paralyzed, the head thrown back 

 and the muscles of the jaw, neck and back rigid. Sheep in this 

 condition are very sensitive and may have convulsions. Death usu- 

 ally occurs in a few hours, or a few days, but sometimes it lives 

 for several weeks. The prognosis is very unfavorable. 



Treatment. The treatment is the same as that recommended 

 in inflammation of the brain. If mistakes in the care and feeding 

 of the sheep exist, they should be corrected at once. If a number 

 of animals in the flock are affected, the sick should be separated 

 from the healthy ones, and the sheep house and pens cleaned and 

 disinfected. 



APOPLEXY; SOFTENING OF THE BRAIN. 



Causes. Any condition increasing blood pressure in the brain 

 may cause this disease. In highly fed, pampered sheep, excitement, 

 extreme heat and over-exertion may produce it. Mechanical injuries 

 may also cause it. If degenerative changes occur in the walls of the 

 cerebral vessels, they become so weak that the slightest increase in 

 blood pressure will rupture them. Floating particles (emboli) in 

 the blood stream may plug a cerebral vessel, cutting off the blood 

 supply to a part, thus bringing about apoplexy, not by pressure on 

 the nerve tissue, but from anaemia. 



Symptoms. As a rule the disease comes on suddenly without 

 our noticing that sheep is sick. In the acute cases it staggers, 

 falls, there is a complete loss of consciousness, convulsive movements 

 of the legs and in a short time the animal dies. In most cases, how- 

 ever, it is dull, unsteady in its gait, or shows a tendency to move in a 

 circle. The pulse is weak, respirations slow, labored, irregular and 

 stertorous, the visible mucous membranes intensely congested, eyes 

 dilated and pupils enlarged, sometimes more in one eye than the 

 other. The paralysis may be general or involve only certain mus- 

 cular groups. 



Treatment. In acute cases, this is very unsatisfactory. In 

 mild attacks at the outset, cold applications to the head and bleeding 

 can be practiced. The sheep must be kept perfectly quiet. When 

 able to swallow, a purgative of Epsom salts (four to six ounces) can 

 be given. Bromide of potassium should be given in small doses to 

 keep down the force of the circulation. To help absorb the exudate 



