424 The Care of Animals 



If the spinal cord only is affected the animal fre- 

 quently recovers. Laxative food should be provided, and 

 iodide of potash in one -dram doses dissolved in water 

 may be given once daily for three or four days. When 

 the brain is the seat of the disease, practically all 

 cases die, and all methods of treatment so far have 

 proved of no value. The animal should be placed where 

 it will be comfortable, and cannot injure itself or other 

 animals, and supplied with soft laxative food, such as 

 thin bran mashes. The only treatment is preventive, by 

 avoiding the wormy, moldy corn. 



When it is necessary to feed such corn, it should be 

 shelled and poured into a tub of water; the diseased 

 kernels will float and can be skimmed off. Cattle and 

 hogs do not seem to be injured by eating moldy corn. 



MOLDY SILAGE 



In the spring, when the weather becomes warm, silage 

 is likely to spoil unless it is in a silo of small diameter, 

 so that it can be fed out rapidly. When a silo is first 

 opened there is some silage on or near the surface which 

 has spoiled. This silage should not be fed, as it may 

 cause fatal poisoning. 



In cows there is loss of appetite, constipation and 

 weakness, followed later by profuse diarrhea and strain- 

 ing, then delirium and death. There is labored breath- 

 ing, due to the filling of the lung tissue with gas. 



In horses there is weakness, trembling of the volun- 

 tary muscles, difficulty in eating and swallowing, 

 delirium, and, in most cases, death. 



