248 The Diseases of Animals 
In some instances a dozen young cattle running together 
will all be attacked by the disease. 
The first symptom usually noticed is inability or 
disinelination to eat. There is also a profuse discharge 
of saliva that drips from the mouth, often frothy, due 
to the working of the jaws and tongue. Raw, depressed 
sores appear on the inside of the lips and cheeks, as 
well as on the tongue, gums and pad of the upper jaw. 
In most eases the tissue seems to slough out, and 
the sores are covered in the center with dark-colored 
dead tissues, whence the popular term, “black- tongue.” 
The edges of the sore are raw and inflamed and often 
contain a little pus. In some cases the sores are re- 
ported to be so extensive that the teeth drop out; in 
others, the tongue is swollen so severely that it pro- 
trudes from the mouth. Associated with the soreness 
of the mouth there is inflammation of the front feet. 
The feet are hot to the touch, and tender to walk upon, 
and the animal appears so stiff in the fore legs that 
it can move only with difficulty. There is a fever 
accompanying the disease, the temperature rising, in 
most cases, to 105° F. All animals fall away rapidly 
in flesh because of their inability to eat, and in cows 
the milk flow is lessened. 
Sick animals should be isolated from the herd and 
fed on soft, nutritious foods, such as mashes, gruel, 
and the like. If left in pastures they may starve, be- 
cause they cannot eat. 
The mouth should be swabbed out two or three 
times daily with a saturated (all that water will dis- 
solve) solution of borax, applied with a sponge or soft 
