DISEASES OF SHEEP 509 



Lesions. The change in the tissues of the body will vary. In 

 acute cases they are not marked, but when the disease is complicated 

 and the duration a week or more, various tissues and organs are af- 

 fected. The principal changes are in the respiratory organs. The 

 mucous membrane lining the pharynx, larynx, trachea, and bron- 

 chial tubes is red and thickened ; that lining the sinuses of the head 

 is also involved and a portion of the lung tissue may be affected by a 

 catarrhal pneumonia. In severe cases the pleura! membrane as well 

 as a large portion of the lung is affected. Other lesions are in the 

 brain, stomach, intestines, liver, kidneys, spleen, heart and lymph 

 glands. 



Treatment. The preventive treatment consists in avoiding con- 

 ditions that will predispose the flock to the disease. If the disease is 

 present in a flock, it should be looked over carefully every day and 

 the sick sheep separated from the healthy ones and given comfort- 

 able quarters, good care and good nourishing food. In mild 

 cases this may be all the treatment necessary. In the catarrhal form 

 the following prescription is useful: tincture of belladonna (four 

 drams), tincture of aconite (one-half dram), and sufficient syrup of 

 squills to make a four ounce mixture ; mix and give one tablespoonful 

 three times a day. This treatment is best followed by tonics and ex- 

 pectorants. The following recipe can be given : tincture of gentian 

 (four drams), iodide of potassium (two drams), and enough water 

 to make four ounces ; mix and give one tablespoonful twice a day. 

 If diarrhea is present one ounce of linseed oil and a dram of tincture 

 of opium given two or three times a day will give good results. 

 FOOD ROT, INFECTION OF THE GENITAL ORGANS, AND LIP-AND-LEG UL- 

 CERATION (NECROBACILLOSIS) : CAUSE AND TREATMENT. 



This affection, with which every experienced sheep owner is more 

 or less familiar, is designated by various names, such as sore mouth, 

 sore lips, warty mouth, warty nose, impetigo, labialis, erthyma stom- 

 atitis, etc. The disease has been observed in this country in both 

 the East and the West as well as in various parts of Europe off and 

 on for the past twenty years, and until quite recently little effort has 

 been made to find the causative agent or to check its spread. 



Knowles, in 1907, described very fully and accurately a disease 

 occurring among the sheep of southeastern Montana which affected 

 the lips and legs of the animals. He was the first writer to apply the 

 name infectious lip-and-leg ulceration to this disease, which is quite 

 appropriate, owing to the character and location of the lesions. 

 Knowles found the necrosis bacillus to be the cause of the lesions, and 

 succeeded in transferring the disease from infected to healthy sheep 

 by a series of inoculation experiments. 



CHARACTER AND LESIONS. 



The characteristic lesions may be found on any part of the ex- 

 terior of sheep where the bacillus which causes it may gain entrance ; 

 but cuts, bruises, abrasions, and exposure to devitalizing processes be- 

 ing less frequent upon parts covered with wool and their contact with 

 infection less likely, it follows that the woolly portions of the body are 

 less subject to lesions than other parts. In this country lesions upon 



