CHAPTER XXXI. 



DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM. 



The anatomical arrangement of the sheep is, in the main, that 

 of the ox, but there are certain differences and peculiarities, such 

 as the cleft which divides the lip and enables the ovine species 

 to bite close and thrive on a pasture that would not support cattle. 

 This close cropping causes lateral growth, and so benefits the land, 

 beyond the manurial elements deposited ; and these are of much 

 value. The sharp cutting edges of the teeth which help so much 

 in the cutting of fibrous foods and the scooping out of " roots " 

 later on in life, lead to dental troubles seldom seen in cattle. 

 " Broken mouthed " is a common description of the old ewe. 

 The cutting teeth are sometimes broken when dealing with frozen 

 turnips and other resisting substances, and lodgments and irrita- 

 tion of the gums follow. Besides such injuries, the teeth wear 

 and come out by the insinuation of gravel and sand, and in those 

 animals where perhaps less than half the number are left, it may 

 be better to extract the remaining more or less loose incisors and 

 let the gum harden off, as it will, and serve the purpose fairly 

 well. 



APTHA OR THRUSH. 



A simple eruptive disease affecting the mouth and lips of lambs, 

 and in some seasons of adult sheep, has long been recognised. 

 Crops of vesicles following one another and breaking up and leaving 

 slight ulcerations of the mouth membranes. The thin portion of 

 the tongue at its sides is most often affected. 



Symptoms. Sore mouth and difficulty in feeding, dribbling 

 of stained saliva, slightly tinged with blood at times, redness of 

 the mouth and whites of the eyes, and in some individuals con- 

 siderable fever and loss of appetite, which in part may be due 

 to soreness of the mouth and pain endured in trying to browse. 

 Such animals wander about and have a dejected appearance, 

 without the signs of real illness or being smitten in the way referred 

 to in connection with blood diseases, which see. When caught 

 up, the breath is found to be offensive in odour, and the subjects 

 more or less wasted in flesh. 



