ACTINOMYCOSIS— OR LUMPY JAW 161 



An animal with a discharging abscess about the head would 

 of course infect food in mangers, feeding troughs, and grass in 

 the pasture, thus ottering abundant opportunities for infection. 

 Pastures wherein cases of lumpy jaw seem to develop rather 

 commonly should be placed under cultivation for a time and 

 animals with discharging abscesses confined or sent to market, 

 it being conceded by all authorities that most of these carcasses 

 killed under inspection are fit for food uses and should not be 

 wasted by condemnation. 



Treatment. — There are several possible lines of treatment : 

 surgical, caustic, and internal medication. 



Surgical treatment. — Removal by knife should be undertaken 

 only by a trained veterinarian, on account of the large blood 

 vessels and other important structures involved. 



Caustic. — Destruction of the tumor mass by caustics, arsenic 

 paste, for example is satisfactory in suitable cases, where there 

 is time for a slow cure and the case is not far advanced. This 

 work should also be done by a trained veterinarian. Deep 

 hypodermic injections of tincture of iodin or of Lugol's iodin 

 give good results in some cases. This iodin treatment causes 

 large swelling and violent inflammation, which seems to react 

 unfavorably upon the actinomyces. 



Internal medication. — This treatment consists of tlie internal 

 use of iodid of potash, given by tlie mouth either as a drench or 

 in the drinking water. Lugol's iodin, by deep hypodermic in- 

 jection into the tumor, may be combined with the internal treat- 

 ment. Early eases may be treated in this way with a good 

 prospect of success. 



The dose limit is about one fourth dram per one hundred 

 pounds live weight. This dose is given once daily until the 

 animal seems to get off feed and discharges freely from the 

 eyes and nose, indicating a catarrhal disturbance of these mu- 

 cous membranes. The skin will also become drv, wrinkled and 

 scurfy. Such conditions indicate that the treatment should be 

 discontinued for three or four days. During tliis period a mild 

 cathartic of epsom salts about one pound to 1000 pounds live 

 weight, should be dissolved in water and given as a drench. The 

 iodid treatment may then be continued for another period of 

 six to ten days, when it may be necessary to discontinue again 

 and give another dose of ei)som salts. Treatment sliould be 

 continued until the tumor is reduced to about one third of its 



