150 



FARMER' 8 CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



from one sheep to another without an 

 intermediate host. Treatment _ for 

 fringed tapeworm is usually without 

 very satisfactory results. The medi- 

 cines which are used for this purpose 

 become so diluted before they reach the 

 small intestines that they have but lit- 

 tle effect on the tapeworms. Powdered 

 areca nut may be given in doses of V2 to 

 1 dram and oil of male fern 10 to 20 

 drops, or the ethereal extract of male 

 fern may be given in dram doses. One 

 pound of copper sulphate dissolved in 2 

 quarts of water and then diluted _ to 

 make a solution of 8 gallons gives^ fairly 

 satisfactory results when administered 

 in doses of 2-3 ounce for young lambs 

 and 1 1-3 ounces for lambs two months 

 of age. 



Broad tapeworm (Moniezia expansa) 

 — This parasite attains the length of 12 

 to 15 feet and is V2 to % inch in width. 

 The life history of the tapeworm is not 

 understood. It affects lambs and young 

 sheep more frequently than other ani- 

 mals. The symptoms of infection are 

 malnutrition, whiteness of the wool, and 

 paleness about the eyes and lips. A posi- 

 tive diagnosis, however, is as a rule 

 very difficult. The worm develops very 

 rapidly in the intestines of infested 

 sheep. No medicinal treatment of a 

 satisfactory nature has been devised. 



Liver fluke (Fasciola hcpalica) — 

 This parasite is of quite common occur- 

 rence in the liver of sheep and cattle 

 throughout the country, but many large 

 areas are comparatively free from it. 

 The usual location of the liver fluke is 

 in the bile ducts of sheep, goats, cattle, 



Fig. Ill SNAIL IN WHICH ONE STAGE OF 



THE LIFE OF THE FLUKE WORM 

 IS PASSED 



and hogs. Occasionally it is also found 

 in the horse. It is found in small or 

 large numbers in the liver of nearly all 

 sheep and cattle and for this reason can- 

 not be considered as a source of serious 

 disease except when it is present in un- 

 usually large numbers. It is only in 

 rare instances that the liver tissue it- 

 gelf is affected by the presence of the 



fluke. The life history of the fluke is 

 quite complicated. The eggs pass out 

 through the bile duct and intestines 

 with the feces. After hatching in ponds 

 and pools of water the young, immature 

 flukes are parasitic in the body of fresh 

 water snails. There are two or three 

 immature stages which are passed in the 

 water and finally the larvae crawl onto 

 the stems of grasses, from which posi- 

 tion they gain entrance to the stomach 

 of sheep. The symptoms of liver rot 

 due to fluke worms are not easily recog- 

 nized. Badly affected sheep are un- 

 thrifty, show a poor appetite, and a yel- 

 low tinge to the skin, as well as paleness 

 about the lips and eyes. During the 

 later stages of the disease the sheep 

 becomes rapidly emaciated and if badly 

 infected the mortality is high. This dis- 

 ease is more prevalent in wet than dry 

 years. There are no remedies which 

 bring results in removing the flukes. 

 Even the use of tonics are of little avail. 

 When the young larvae are first taken 

 into the stomach they are susceptible to 

 the action of salt and it is sometimes 

 suggested that the free use of salt will 

 help to prevent bad infection. 



- l^KeM,^ 



Fig. 112 SHEEP AFFECTED WITH TWISTED 



STOMACH WORMS AS SHOWN AT "A" 



Stomach worm {Slrongylus contor- 

 tus) — Sheep are very commonly infest- 

 ed with this parasite and east of the 

 Mississippi river it is perhaps the most 

 serious disease with which the sheep 

 raiser has to contend. In Indiana, 

 Craig and Bitting estimate that the 

 average annual loss from this parasite 

 is about 30,000 sheep. It is to be found 

 in nearly all flocks in small numbers 

 but serious symptoms and losses occur 

 only when the parasite is present in 

 large numbers. Lambs are particularly 

 susceptible, especially before weaning. 



