Septiccemia Hemorrhagica of the Sheep. 87 



they are pale and ansemic and the pulse is small, though the 

 excitement may have roused cardiac palpitations. The tempera- 

 ture varies from, time to time often reaching 105° or 106° P. 

 There is liable to be a mucopurulent discharge from nose and 

 mouth especially noticeable during drinking. As the disease 

 advances the subject becomes weak, paretic, dull and stupid ; 

 it remains down without interest enough to seek food, though 

 still eating if it is brought to it. The head is usually rested 

 on the flank, and the animal often lies so for days in a state 

 of semi-stupor without disposition or ability to rise, paretic 

 or paraplegic. Auscultation may sometimes detect a mucous 

 r&le or crepitus, and percussion a flatness of sound over some 

 part of the lung. Chronic arthritis is an occasional symptom. 



Diagnosis. The symptoms closely resemble those of distoma- 

 tosis or strongylosis, and the disease is often complicated with 

 one or more of these, so that it may become difficult to judge 

 how much is due to the microbian infection and how much to the 

 helminthiasis. The presence, continuously or intermittently, of 

 the hyperthermia is almost pathognomonic of the operation of the 

 microbe. 



Acute Form. This has been particularly observed in the ewe 

 just after lambing, when the system is especially susceptible to 

 microbian invasion, and little able to cope with it. There are hot 

 ears, nose and feet, temperature of 104° to 106° F., accelerated 

 pulse and breathing, anorexia, ardent thirst, deeply congested- 

 mucosse, colicy pains, pawing the ground, frothy or bloody diar- 

 rhoea, arched back, pendent head, ears and eyelids, muscular 

 trembling, albuminous urine, plaintive cries, dark red vaginal 

 discharge, mucopurulent or glairy nasal discharge, and death in 

 24 to 36 hours. Such animals may be in fair condition or even 

 fat, no time having been allowed for emaciation. 



In other cases death may be delayed for three or four weeks, 

 with the same general symptoms, only less marked. In such 

 cases, pregnant ewes are likely to abort, and the lambs are born 

 dead, or prove weak and listless, and die when a few days old. 

 Some have too little energy to suck ; others suck heartily but per- 

 ish all the same on the second or third day, after diarrhoea, thirst, 

 h,yperthermia, prostration, and stupor. 



Lesions. These vary according to the type. In the rapidly 



