NEW ENGLAND FARMEli. 



IjJ'ublished every Saturday, by THOMAS W. SHEPARD, Rogers' Buildiag;, Congress Street, Boston- 



|,J 



J Vol. I. 



^t i2.50 per aim. in advance, or $:J,0(J at the close of the yeru 



BOSTON, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1823. 



No. 29. 



»lii( 



DISEASES OF CATTLE. 



NiELECTED AND COMPILED FROM THE BEST AVTHORS, 



V B . BV THE EDITOR. 



M[ — 



Foul in the Foot, or Hoof AH. 



Dr. Peck, an English writer, has given the 

 following account of this disorder and its treat- 

 e»inent. 



" Symptoms. — A hard crack first appears be- 

 tween the claws, or hoofs, attended with con- 

 siderable inflammation ; afterwards a foetid and 

 offensive matter is discharged, similar to that 

 of the grease in horse's heels ; sometimes it ap- 

 pears in the form of a large tumor upon the 

 cornet, between the hair and the hoof, attend- 

 ed with violent pain and inflammation. 



" Treatment. — Wash the part from all dirt, 

 and if between the claws lake a rope of a pro- 

 per thickness, and chafe the part alilicted,* and 

 afterwards dress the parts with the muriate of 

 antimony [butter of antimony] or sulphuric acid 

 -j [oil of vitriol.] Let the animal stand in a dry 

 place for an hour, repeat the application every 

 day. If the part be much affected, rub it with 

 some stimulating ointment, and if the tumor be 

 likely to suppurate, linseed poultices as oft as 

 is necessary should be applied, and repeated fill 

 the inflammation has subsided ; then dress the 

 wound with lint and mild astringent ointment. 

 Due regard must be paid to existing symptoms. 

 A lew doses of sodas sulphas [glauber's salt] will 

 cool the body and accelerate the cure." 



Edward Skellett, Professor of the Vtterinary 

 art, an English writer of reputation, says that 

 this disorder " proceeds from two causes ; the 

 one from accidents, and the other from a mo.'- 

 bid state of the system. Its situation is Utrnxt 

 the claws of the cow, either in the fore or bind 

 feet, but more frequently in the form:;r. It is 

 always attended with a swelling, the discharge 

 from which, when it breaks or clacks, has a 

 very offensive smell. 



The accidental foul proceed^ from gravel. 

 Hints, bones, or any other ha-d substance get- 

 ting between the claws, whiih produces great 

 pain and inflammation. Tie first step to be 

 taken for its cure is to remove the hard sub- 

 stance, and clean the wcund out ; then the fol- 

 lowing ointment is to te applied to the part, 

 Spread on tow, and bound on with cloth and 

 string. 



(' Soft soap 1 lb. 



Common turpentine 1 lb. 



" Melt over a slow fire till the two articles 

 are completely united. The dressings may be 

 repeated two or three times, which never fails 

 to complete a cure. 



"The joint foul begins with great pain, at- 

 tended with inflammation and swelling betwixt 

 the claws, and even up to the fetlock joint. 

 The claws are extended outwards from the 

 ■ swelling betwixt them, and the animal is very 

 feverish. The attack of the disease is very 

 ' sudden. 



i " In this case bleeding will be proper; after 

 I which, give a dose of EpMf(rsalts; then apply 



*This practice is coadcmued by other writers as 

 cru»l. ^j»d tmaecessary. 



a plaister of soft soap betwixt the claws If 

 must be repeated every two days till a large 

 core come out, which is always the case in this 

 disease before a cure can be completed. The 

 wound may then be dressed with the following 

 digestive ointment, in order to heal it. 



Take of tar 1 lb. 



Common turpentine 1 lb. 



" To be put into a pipkin over a slow fire 

 till it is completely dissolved, then take it from 

 the fire and add to it four ounces of spirits of 

 turpentine, which should be stirred well togeth- 

 er till it is incorporated." 



This disorder, or something very similar, has 

 been prevalent in the United States, and par- 

 ticularly in the State of Maine. A communica- 

 tion on the subject is published in the Massa- 

 chusetts Agricultural Repository, Vol. iv. No. 4, 

 page 348. In this it is said that the immediate 

 occasion of the Hoof Ail " is a stoppage of the 

 issue between the claws or hoofs, which exist 

 in all ruminating animals, and which are very 

 much like the issues so generally known in the 

 back part of the fore legs of pigs ; the stoppage 

 of which produces disease, and eventually death 

 unless remedied. 



" The hoof ail indiscriminately attacks thin 

 and fat cattle, and very considerable impressions 

 are entertained that it is contagious ; therefore 

 till the contrary is proved, it is safer so to con- 

 sider it. From a very careful comparison of 

 cases (from memory only) it appears to sfl'ect 

 cattle who are in a feverish state, from various 

 exciting causes ; as over work ; sudden changes 

 from hard work to rest, and higher feeding, (a 

 practice very common with farmers after work- 

 ing their cattle hard all winter, as a preparation 

 lor their spring's work ;) being out in a storm ; 

 or being driven much, and kept long in the 

 mud. In cows and young cattle, it seems to 

 take either those that are brought from worse 

 keeping to better ; or the finest and best cattle 

 in the yard. But all these observations may be 

 erroneous ; for tlie disease often appears sud 

 denly, without any apparent cause ; affecting 

 individuals of the same stock tied in different 

 parts of the barn, and in entirely different case.'- 

 as to condition, exposure, &,c. &,c. It however, 

 very frequently goes through a whole stock, 

 though it does not appear to follow in regular 

 succession, according to proximity in the stable, 

 or in the yoke. Tliis may arise, either from 

 contagion or the same exciting causes, operat- 

 ing on the whole. In short, it is a disease very 

 terrible in its effects at times, and which does 

 not appear to be understood. As very few cases 

 of perfect recovery take place in a violent at- 

 tack, and, as in all cases the recovery is very 

 tedious, we should rather prevent than cure ; 

 for which end we niu.^t carefully watch for the 

 symptoms, and without delay apply the reme- 

 dies. 



" Symptom.'. — When an animal is at all lame, 

 its foot should be very carefully felt. The first 

 indication is usually an uncommon degree ol 

 warmth, and soft and puffed feel of the parts 

 immediately connected with the slit between 

 the hoof, either before or behind the foot, and 

 'generally above it. If in the hind foot, and not 



easily handled, a fulness may generally bo per- 

 ceived, by standing behind the animal and care 

 fuljj' comparing the appearance of the two feel, 

 between the dew claws and the hoofs, (for ii 

 very rarely commences its attack on more than 

 one foot.) In the fore foot it generally swells 

 forward ; and on taking up the foot, the slit 

 between the hoofs will have the appearance of 

 dryness, easily distinguishable to a person used 

 to cattle ; and the animal frequently licks the 

 front part of the foot. Instances frequently oc- 

 cur of sudden and extreme lameness, without 

 any appearance of heat or swelHng in the foot ; 

 and these arc often the worst cases ; but one 

 symptom rarely fails to accompany the disease, 

 which is, extreme restlessness, and appearance 

 of anguish, attended with loss of appetite and 

 flesh ; but without, in the least, affecting the 

 brightness of the eye, and, perhaps, sometimes 

 unnaturally increasing it ; but the eye has a 

 peculiar cast. As a general rule, it is safest ta 

 attribute all lameness of the foot, which cannot 

 be traced to a sufficient cause, to the hoof ail. 

 Lameness of the foot can generally be distin- 

 guished from that of the leg, hip, or shoulder, 

 by making the animal step over a stick or rail, 

 and carefully watching its motions. 



" Remedieg. — The foot should be carefully 

 washed and cleansed, and thoroughly examined, 

 to be sure that the lameness does not arise^from 

 a nail casually run into the foot, or a pinch in 

 shoeing, or from a wound from a stump or other 

 substance between the hoofs, (a case frequently 

 occurring.) If no appearance occurs of any 

 lireak in the skin, while the foot is still wet, 

 apply, as nearly .as may be, to the centre of the 

 slit, bptwer'n the hoofs, from one to throe grains 

 of corrosive sublimate (reduced to a tine pow- 

 der) the dose to be proportioned to the size of 

 the animal, and the violence of the attack. — 

 Care must be used that the powder is put com- 

 pletely into this slit, for it is a very strong poi- 

 son, and the animal, as soon as at liberty, will 

 begin to lick the foot, if a sore one.* The 

 moisture left by the washing, makes the pow- 

 der adhere ; and the effect is produced in a 

 very short time. Some prefer mixing the pow- 

 der with hog's lard, which answers ; hat is 

 thought less powerful : it has one advantage, 

 however, as being less dangerous to keep in a 

 house (for no one takes salve inwardly.) Where 

 corrosive sublimate cannot be obtained, any 

 other violent stimulant may be applied. Com- 

 mon salt is often effectual in very slight attacks, 

 but it is of the greatest importance to lose no 

 time. The application is to be repeated once 

 every twenty-four hours, till a cure is effected, 

 or till the foot shows unequivocal signs of a 

 gathering which will break. It is supposed 

 that the corrosive sublimate, by stimulating the 

 parts, removes the obstruction, and enables na- 

 ture to resume the natural discharge from the 

 issue, of a matter, which (as soon as pent up in 

 the foot) causes inflammation and suppuration, 

 and at last, forms an abscess, at all times very 

 diflicult to heal, and which, when large, takes 



* Might not a rag or bit of leather be so fastened 

 with a strios as to prevent eny danger cf this sort ' 



