278 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



June 



study and the practice of many years," has just 

 published a book on "The Diseases of Sheep." Dr. 

 Clok, for that is the name of the author, says : 

 "Since the foot rot is a purely local disease, a gen- 

 eral treatment and internal remedies are wholly 

 useless and shoula be dispensed with. Good and 

 copious food, and perhaps from time to time salt 

 licks mixed with wormwood, oil of turpentine, 

 tar, &c., are recommended." He also says, "foot- 

 rot is very highly contagious, as has been deter- 

 mined with certainty by numerous observations 

 and experiments, made by inoculating the secre- 

 tion. No preventive is known, because the dis- 

 ease arises solely from contagion. The progress 

 of the contagion is facilitated by wet summers, or 

 by the sheep standing closely together on warm 

 dung in a stable. Cold and dry weather retard 

 the progress of the epidemic." But still the line 

 of distinction between a general and a local dis- 

 ease, lilic that between long wool and fine wool 

 sheep, may be less easily recognized in practice 

 than in theory. There is such a wonderful sym- 

 pathy between the different parts of the animal 

 system, that when one suffers all others may be 

 more or less affected. 



But perhaps as the subject of the foot rot is now 

 up, and Dr. Clok's book is open at that subject, it 

 may be well to give some further account of his 

 views, especially as he claims to have been very 

 successful in its treatment, and believes, with "T. 

 S. F." that the disease will nearly always yield to 

 a proper treatment. 



Ke recognizes two forms of the disease, which 

 he calls The Mild Form, and Malignant Foot Rot. 

 The latter is the usual form in this country. We 

 have not space for his distinctions between the 

 two. The disease is peculiar to the Spanish sheep 

 exported to other countries, but is not known in 

 Spain, the native country of the Merino. 



"If the foot rot has broken out among a flock of 

 sheep, it is of the utmost importance to separate 

 the healthy sheep from the sick, in order to pre- 

 vent as much as possible the spread of the disease. 

 All sheep which are lame, and in which the dis- 

 ease is unmistakably present, should be removed. 



Experience has made us acquainted with a large 

 number of remedies, by means of which foot rot 

 may be cured. The reputation which any one 

 of them may have acquired above the others 

 seems to be based more on the manner of its ap- 

 plication than on its superior curative properties. 

 The medicine is of secondary importance, the 

 chief point being the surgical, manual operation. 



The only aim of the treatment being to lay bare 

 the diseased, suppurating surfaces, and to destroy 

 the infectious matter on them, the remedy which 

 accomplishes this with the least possible disagree- 

 able secondnrj' effects is evidently the best. 



For this purpose chloride of lime (bleaching salt; 

 is without exception the best, because it destroys 

 the infectious matter of the foot rot, like all other 

 animal contagions, in a wonderfully rapid and 



certain manner. I myself cured nine large flocks 

 in different places so rapidly and easily by its use 

 that I was surprised. No other remedy had be- 

 fore afforded me such good results. 



After removing all the sick sheep from the flock, 

 it is possible and even probable that some of the 

 remaining ones are already infected, altliough they 

 do not show the disease, and that some of the 

 virus adheres to their hoofs. This virus is de- 

 stroyed by chloride of lime in the following way : 

 A crib or long trough is filled to the height of six 

 inches with cold water, into which one pound of 

 chloride of lime is poured for every pail of water. 

 The suspected sheep are forced to go through the 

 water in it, which can easily be done. If the hoofs 

 of the sheep are very dirty, they should first be 

 driven thi-ough water or dry straw. They are 

 then turned out to pasture, which must be as dry 

 as possible, rich in grass and not too distant. If 

 possible they should be kept in the open air, far 

 enough away from the others. The flock should 

 be inspected every third day, and if a side sheep 

 is found it should be immediately put with the 

 other patients. 



The sick sheep are treated as follows : It is im- 

 portant to remove immediately all separated and 

 loose horn with a narrow, sharp knife; for it is 

 evident that the remedy, which is to destroy the 

 virus and cure the disease, cannot act as long as 

 the suppurating surfaces are covered. This cut- 

 ting is therefore the principal thing, and the suc- 

 cess of the tieatment depends on the complete and 

 proper performance of the operation. The bad re- 

 pute into which some remedies have fallen is due 

 in a great measure to the method of their appli- 

 cation. 



A knowledge of the anatomy of the sheep's 

 hoof will prevent the abuse of the knife. It is 

 proper in all cases to pare down the sick hoof con- 

 siderably at the toe and external wall, because it 

 can then be more easily examined, and it does not 

 touch the ground so forcibly when the animal is 

 walking as when it is larger than the healthy one. 



Every hidden channel which may be pi'csent 

 should be sounded, opened and laid bare. If the 

 wound becomes covered M'ith blood during the 

 operation, as is commonly the case, it should be 

 frequently dried with tow. If a single diseased 

 place remain from which the horn is nut removed, 

 a cure cannot be expected. Alter cutting away 

 the whole or a part of the horny capsule, it is 

 always necessary to apply a bandLige to protect 

 the hoof from dangerous external irritation. After 

 applying chloride of lime to the surfaces as above, 

 the cleft is filled with tow w hose ends are twisted 

 into a small cord and fastened around the pastern 

 joint. This forms a soft and tightly- fitting bandage. 



The diseased hoofs are inspected daily, covered 

 with chloride of lime, and bandaged anew if ne- 

 cessary. If a diseased spot is discovered which 

 escaped notice before, the knife must be applied, 

 and not unfrequently a portion of the ntwly- 



