314 



THE DOMESTIC SHEEP. 



FIG. 1. Lung Worm. 



almost invisible in the mass of frothy mucus in which they are 

 gathered in clusters. This worm is known as Strongylus Filaria. 



The disease is immediately rec- 

 ognized by severe cougliing fits of 

 the infested animals, mostly lambs 

 under a year old. The difficulty in 

 breathing necessarily prevents the 

 due aeration and purification of the 

 blood as it passes through the capil- 

 laries of the lungs, to be refreshed 

 by the pure air breathed. The red 

 corpuscles of the blood are greatly 

 decreased in number, and as these 

 are necessary to the full develop- 

 ment of the body the affected lamb 

 languishes, becomes weak, the blood 

 is reduced to a yellow serum with- 

 out vitality, arid all the visib'e 

 membranes are pale, and the skin 

 has the appearance of paper. Hence 

 the common name of this disease. 

 The treatment depends on the destruction of the parasite. 

 This is most easily affected by the use of turpentine, continued un- 

 til the system is saturated with it and the fumes escape through the 

 lungs and throat. Here the volatile oil comes in contact with the 

 parasite and kills it, thus relieving the suffering animal most ef- 

 fectively. As soon as relief is afforded in this way, the most easily 

 digested and nutritious food, as linseed meal, with oatmeal and 

 bran, is to be given daily, in moderate quantities to insure full di- 

 gestion. The turpentine is most easily given in sweet miik, the two 

 shaken together to form an emulsion. The quantity is one tea- 

 spoonful given in the morning before eating, and repeated daily 

 for a week. 



These worms are believed to gain access to the lambs with 

 the grass of the pastures, and it is believed doubt'ess with amr^e 

 reason that, as the old sheep are equally affected by this parasi ; e, 

 this is ejected by them either by coughing or through the bowels, 

 and failing on the grass they, or the eggs of them, are taken up 

 by the lambs feeding with the ewes. To avoid this infection, 

 lambs should never be permitted to pasture with the ewes, and 

 the meadows should be liberally dressed with fresh air slaked 

 lime ever^ 7 Spring or Fall. 



As a help to restore the condition of the lambs give each one 

 a half teaspoonful of a mixture of gentian, ginger and sulphate of 

 iron, a most useful tonic mixture, which will hereafter in this 

 chapter be termed the tonic mixture. These ingredients are finely 

 powdered and mixed, and one teaspoonful is a dose for a full- 

 grown sheep. It is easily given in some ground feed or with mo- 

 lasses spread on the back of the tongue. 



