274 DISEASES OF THE SKIN 



prehension of food becomes difficult, and the patient falls off 

 in flesh and remains stunted in growth. At the junction of 

 the mucous membrane and skin of the lips, nodules or ne- 

 crotic areas appear. By confluence large, diffuse, fissured 

 scabs form, covering in some cases the whole muzzle. If 

 the scabs are removed raw, bleeding surfaces or pus-covered, 

 ulcerous areas are exposed. In some cases the inflammation 

 spreads to the mucous membrane of the mouth, forming 

 ulcers or soft red, fungoid proliferations. The expirium is 

 very offensive, resembling that of Limburg cheese. 



Treatment. — Once the disease has broken out in a herd or 

 band of sheep, treatment should be begun early and applied 

 energetically. In milder cases of the lip-and-leg form the 

 scabs and shreds of tissue from the diseased areas should be 

 scraped off and antiseptics applied to the raw surface three 

 or four times weekly. A mixture of creolin (5 parts), sub- 

 limed sulphur (10 parts), mutton tallow, vaselin, or lard 

 (100 parts) mixed to form an ointment has been found very 

 serviceable. In aggravated cases the scab should be removed 

 and all diseased tissue from the ulcer scraped away. The raw 

 surface may then be touched with zinc chlorid (10 per cent.) 

 or nitric acid (15 per cent.). These caustics should be applied 

 very carefully. The unskilful and indiscriminate use of them 

 will do more harm than good. As it will require a month or 

 more to produce a cure in severe and chronic cases the expense 

 of the treatment may exceed the value of the sheep. Such 

 cases had best be dispatched. 



Where a large number of range sheep are affected with the 

 leg or foot-rot. form, hand treatment is not always feasible. 

 In these cases the sheep may be waded through a trough con- 

 taining creolin or sheep-dip solution (5 per cent.) three times 

 a week. Bad and obstinate cases which do not yield to these 

 foot baths may be hand-treated. In the foot-rot form it is 

 often necessary to use the knife skilfully to remove all dis- 

 eased or loosened horn. 



The venereal form of the disease requires careful treatment. 

 In bucks the diseased penis should be forced out of the sheath 

 and the necrotic areas on its surface carefully cauterized with 

 zinc chlorid or nitric acid. This may be followed by daily 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



