326 DISEASES OF CATTLE. 



the disease the animal commences to rub the affected parts; hence 

 the various stages may not always be easily recognized, as the rub- 

 bing produces more or less abrasion, thus leaving the skin raw — 

 sometimes bleeding. Neither do these symptoms always occur in 

 regular succession, for in some cases the exudation is most prominent, 

 being very profuse, and serve to spread the disorder over a large 

 surface. In other cases the formation of incrustations, or rawness 

 of the skin, is the most striking feature. The disease may be limited 

 to certain small areas, or it may be diffused over the greater part of 

 the body ; the vesicles, or pustules, may be scattered in small clusters, 

 or a large number run together. The chronic form is really only a 

 l^rolongation of the disease, successive crops of pustules appearing 

 on various portions of the body, frequently invading fresh sections 

 of the skin, while the older surfaces form scabs, or crusts, upon the 

 raw, indurated skin. 



In old, standing cases the skin breaks, forming fissures, espe- 

 cially on portions of the body that bend — the neck and limbs. Thus 

 the disease may be prolonged indefinitely. When eczema reaches its 

 latest period, either acute or chronic, desquamation of the affected 

 parts is the most prominent feature. The formation and shedding of 

 these successive crops of scales constitute the character of the disease 

 frequently denominated psoriasis. 



TreatTnent. — The treatment of eczema is often anything but a pleas- 

 ant task. There is no one method of treatment which always proves 

 successful, no matter how early it is begun or how small an area is 

 involved. We must endeavor to remove the cause by giving atten- 

 tion to the general health of the animal and to its environment. 

 Feeding should be moderate in quantity and not too stimulating in 

 character — green feed, bran mashes, ground oats, clean hay, plenty 

 of salt. If the animal has been fed too high, give an active purga- 

 tive — Epsom salt preferred — once a week, if necessary, and half an 

 ounce of acetate or nitrate of potassium may be given in the feed twice 

 a day. If the animal is in poor condition and debilitated, give a table- 

 spoonful of the following mixture in feed twice a day : Powdered 

 copperas, gentian, sulphur, and sassafras bark, equal parts by weight. 

 If the animal is lousy, the parasite must be destroyed before the 

 eczema can be cured. The external treatment must vary with the 

 character of the lesions ; no irritating application is to be made while 

 the disease is in its acute vesicular, or pustular, stage, and, in the 

 chronic stage, active stimulants must be used. Much washing is 

 harmful, 3'^et crusts and scales must be removed in order to obtain 

 satisfactory results from the external applications. Both objects, 

 however, can be attained by judiciously combining the curative 

 agents with such substances as will at the same time cleanse the 

 parts. 



