342 



Diseases of Sheep. 



certain ; but, if lie fails in this^, he must carry it into the house 

 and immerse the animal up to the head in a pail of warm water : 

 it should be kept in the bath about ten minutes, taking care to 

 maintain the water at the original temperature. When taken out of 

 the bath it should be put into the oven, moderately heated with a 

 few wisps of straw, first rubbing it perfectly dry, or well covering 

 it with warm flannels. In the course of an hour its bleating will 

 show that it is restored, and it may then be taken back to the ewe, 

 but, for a day or two, it must be carefully protected from cold. 



Lambs are sometimes subject to diarrhoea of a white colour and 

 strong smell, coming on usually a few days after birth, the bowels 

 at the same time being distended with wind. This originates in 

 undigested milk, and will be speedily removed by two teaspoon- 

 fuls of castor-oil mixed with another teaspoonful of equal parts 

 of ginger and magnesia. This may be given in warm linseed- 

 gruel. If the lamb is strong, and several weeks old, a larger dose, 

 observing the same proportions, will be required. If the purging 

 is not thus removed, ten grains of prepared chalk, with half a 

 drachm of tincture of rhubarb and ten drops of laudanum, given 

 in a little nev/ milk, may check it. 



Inflammation of the navel-string, occurring a few days after a 

 lamb is dropped, should be subdued by fomentation and linseed- 

 poultices. A friend of mine, who lost several lambs by this 

 complaint, tried with success fomentations of warm brine. 



Swollen joints are sometimes caused by early exposure to wet 

 and cold. The disorder appears to be rheumatic. It is in a 

 great measure prevented by erecting a haulm-stack, such as may 

 be easily shifted when required, so as to afford protection against 

 the severity of the weather. The camphorated embrocation men- 

 tioned in the Appendix (No. 13), well rubbed into the affected 

 joints, will speedily restore them. 



Castration should be performed when the lamb is about two 

 weeks old, if the animal is healthy and vigorous, but, if otherwise, 

 the operation should be delayed till it acquires strength. No other 

 precaution is necessary than to remove it a night or two afterwards 

 into a dry or warm yard. I do not recommend any injection into 

 the purse — it only tends to cause more inflammation than is 

 requisite for healing the wound. Should the wound not heal 

 favourably, but, on the contrary, be followed by stiffness and con- 

 tinued lameness, it will be expedient to open it again and remove 

 any coagulated blood that may have collected. 



A friend of the author, a surgeon, has suggested that it 

 might be advisable to submit the diseases here described, and 

 their treatment, to the test of experiment in different localities, 

 under the direction of committees associated, if possible, with 

 some intelligent veterinary surgeon. A better mode of manage- 



