154 Diseases of Poultry 



be caused directly by exposure to cold, drafts, and damp- 

 ness; or it may result from irritation of the mucous 

 membrane caused by inhaling irritating vapors, dust or 

 foreign particles. 



Treatment. — Place the patient in a warm, dry, well venti- 

 lated but not drafty room. Feed bread or middlings 

 moistened with milk, and add to this food 2 grains of black 

 antimony twice a day. A demulcent drink is often beneficial. 

 A very good one is made by steeping a little flax seed in water. 

 Other demulcent drinks are made by dissolving honey or gum 

 arable in water. This treatment is sufficient for mild cases. 

 Salmon recommends the following treatment for severe at- 

 tacks : " If the attack promises to be severe, it may sometimes 

 be checked in the early stages by giving 10 drops of spirits 

 of turpentine in a teaspoonful of castor oil and repeating this 

 dose after 5 or 6 hours. It should not be continued after there 

 are signs of purging, for fear of exhausting the strength of 

 the patient. In the very acute cases, where the whistling 

 or snoring sounds with the respiration indicate a croupous 

 form of inflammation, and where the gasping shows great 

 obstruction of the air passage, relief may be obtained by 

 giving from 3 to 6 drops of either the sirup or the wine of 

 ipecac. 



"Medicines should be administered very carefully in dis- 

 eases affecting the trachea and bronchi, as otherwise they 

 may enter the air passages and increase the irritation." 



Prognosis. — In the ordinary and chronic forms the birds 

 usually recover. In the more severe forms a large per cent 

 of the affected birds die. 



Influenza (Epizootic, Grippe, Distemper) 



The symptoms are the same as those of a severe cold ac- 

 companied by fever and usually also by diarrhea. It ap- 



