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pricks in the sole of the foot, to ulceration from foot and mouth disease, 

 to excoriation of the skin round the band of the hoof and between the 

 claws, to excessive travelling on hard roads, and to inflammation of 

 the blind duct or canal, found in the front of each sheep's foot. When 

 lameness is observed, the foot should be carefully examined and 

 dressed where required, as recommended for the cow {par 203). The 

 commonest ailment the feet of sheep are subject to is Foot Rot. 



212. Foot Rot in Sheep. — From long observation, I believe this 

 disease to be yexy inoculative ; it is most frequently seen amongst 

 heavy, well-bred, and well-fed sheep, folded on long luxuriant 

 grasses, and on soft velvety turf. These take too little exercise to wear 

 away the ground surface of the crust of the hoof, which gets too long, 

 turns round, overlaps and presses the sole, setting up inflammation, 

 and the formation of matter, sometimes at the band of the foot, at 

 other times at the sole, or between the digits. The matter formed 

 separates the horn from the sensitive parts, when dirty-looking sores 

 and sprouty growths are developed. Sheep affected with foot rot should 

 on no account be taken on to a farm, or amongst a flock where the 

 disease has never existed. I could relate case after case, where the 

 malady has been carried in this way. Some pastures are, however, 

 more prone to the developement of the disease than others, while on 

 the bare rocky mountain slopes, and the gritty sandy banks adjoining 

 the sea, the malady is seldom, if ever, seen. 



213. The Treatment for Foot Rot is to first separate the lame 

 sheep from the sound ; next have the lame ones turned up, and their 

 feet examined and dressed every fifth or sixth day. All dead or broken 

 horn should be carefully dressed off" with a sharp knife, being careful 

 not to cut too deep or make the part bleed, then the sores should be dressed 

 with a strong solution of blue vitrol or crude carbolic acid, or a mixture 

 of equal parts of the two, and the sheep so treated should be turned on 

 to some sharp fallow for three or four hours every day. When the 

 disease is verj' rife, and a large number of sheep are affected, a strong 

 solution of sulphate of copper may be put into a trough and the sh.eep 

 driven through it every fourth or fifth day. Arsenic is also used in 



