200 THE SHEPHERD'S MANUAL. 



sist of bleeding from the jugular vein, at the first appearance of the 

 disease. Bleeding from the vein on the abdomen has also been 

 practiced with success. Mild aperients an ounce of Linseed or 

 Castor Oil or Epsom salts are useful, and should be followed by 

 twice daily doses of one dram of Sulphite, (not sulphate), of Soda. 

 The food should be liquid and demulcent, such as oat-meal gruel, 

 infusions of linseed or solutions of gum arable. Except the ani- 

 mal is a very valuable one, it will be hardly worth while to at- 

 tempt a cure in a case of serious character, as the recovery is slow, 

 and the following debility is of itself often fatal, after a costly and 

 protracted course of treatment. 



Concretions of Foreign Bodies in the Stomach. Sheep are some- 

 times observed to purposely swallow earth in small quantities. In 

 pasturing green fodder crops or roots, much earth, and sometimes 

 small stones, arc swallowed. In eating hay, or other dry fodder, 

 foreign matters, such as nails, pieces of wire, or glass, will some- 

 times find their way into the stomachs. All these matters cause 

 much irritation, and sometimes death. The trouble is shown by 

 a suspension of the appetite, the sheep lag behind the rest, stand 

 for long periods without moving, grind their teeth, poking out the 

 nose, and depressing the ears. When the flank is pressed a grunt 

 of pain is heard, and there is violent purging. When these symp- 

 toms are observed, and the sheep are known to have been in 

 danger of swallowing any of these substances, this cause may be 

 suspected. 



The only treatment that can be of use is to give daily doses of 

 one ounce of Epsom Salts, and feed scalded bran or corn-meal in 

 the shape of thick mush in order to remove the foreign matter 

 with the food if possible. If this will not be taken, oat-meal or 

 corn-meal gruel should be given copiously with the horn. 



Balls of wool and earthy matter are sometimes found after death 

 in the stomachs. These are gathered by the sheep nibbling them- 

 selves when irritated by lice, ticks, or scab. Generally they exist 

 without suspicion of their presence until death occurs, and in 

 many cases without known ill effect on the animal. It would be 

 safe to avoid possible danger in this direction by keeping the flock, 

 especially the lambs, free from parasitical and irritating insects. 



Congestion of the Liver. When sheep are highly fed upon stim- 

 ulating food, and have but little or no exercise, the liver is apt to 

 become gorged with blood. This fullness of blood is termed con- 

 gestion. It is occasioned by disordered digestion, and when it 

 exists to a serious extent, occasions further complications of thig 



