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3. GOUT. 



Fowls of the heavy breeds, when kept in a liigli con- 

 dition and allowed but little exercise, may develop a 

 disease that is practically identical with gout in man. 

 It usually develops rather slowly, beginning as a some- 

 what indefiiiite lameness that might be mistaken for 

 rheumatism. But shortly the joints of the feet and 

 legs, and sometimes of the wings as well, swell, be- 

 come painful to pressure, the bird becomes disinclined 

 to move; later, little tunio-rs, that are rather hard, ap- 

 pear about the affected joints and still later the skin 

 covering these enlargements becomes dry, brittle and 

 breaks, exposing a yellow or grayish crumbling, chalky 

 mass which is composed principally of uric acid and its 

 salts. Sometimes, the toes dry up, lose their life and 

 fall of. The general spirits of the fowl are, of course, 

 depressed, because it is difficult for it to get around. 

 It becomes feverish, loses its appetite, wastes away and 

 toward the end develops a diarrhoea that hastens 

 death. 



Treatment of gout consists in removing the enlarge- 

 ments by scraping them off with a blunt instrument or 

 cutting them away with a knife, and, internally, bicar- 

 bonate O'f sode should be administered. This can be 

 supplied by adding it to the drinking water in quanti- 

 ties of about a ter.spoonful to the pint. 



