96 DISEASES OF THE DOMESTIC ANIMALS 



fection of a large number of animals seen. Then an inoculation 

 test — in which a little mucus from the mouth of a diseased animal 

 is rubbed with the gloved finger upon the mucous membrane of 

 the mouth of a healthy calf — will show typical vesicles in the inno- 

 culated animal in 24 to 72 hours in foot-and-mouth disease, but 

 will not occur if the original disease is not foot-and-mouth disease.* 



Treatment. — The only rational treatment is prophylaxis. 

 Considering the certainty of widespread outbreaks among cattle, 

 losses from the same and danger to man, the best course consists 

 in strict quarantine of the infected premises and animals ; in slaugh- 

 tering both the diseased and exposed animals ; and finally in cleans- 

 ing and disinfecting the premises and all objects which may have be- 

 come contaminated by the infection. Healthy animals should not be 

 put into infected premises until one month after disinfection has 

 been completed. Diseased carcasses should be burned or buried six 

 feet deep and covered with quicklime. Infected manure should be 

 burned or buried. Utensils and premises may be disinfected with 3 

 per cent, formalin or 5 per cent, chlorinated lime solution. The 

 walls should receive whitewash containing 3 per cent, of formalin. 



Foot-and-mouth disease is self-limited and in ordinary un- 

 complicated cases does not require much medical treatment. When 

 this is permissible, the diet must be liquid or soft, as gruels, bran 

 mashes, pulped roots and green fodder. A liberal supply of cool 

 water should be constantly at the patient's command. The mouth 

 may be swabbed frequently with hydrogen dioxide, or a saturated 

 solution of boric acid or potassium chlorate. Ulcers in the mouth 

 should be touched with a pencil of silver nitrate. 



To avoid serious infection about the feet, the stalls must be 

 clean and dry and supplied with clean bedding. And ulcers and 

 suppurating foci must be washed with 2 per cent, lysol or creolin 

 and horn removed over purulent areas. Over the affected region 

 the continuous application of the following is recommended by 

 * The writer is indebted to Circular 141, U. S. Bureau of Animal Industry. 



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