Colorado Experiment Station 
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BRISKET DISEASE 
(Bulletin No. 204 revised and abbreviated) 
By 
GEORGE H. GLOVER and I. E. NEWSOM 
SUMMARY 
A disease occurs in cattle in the high altitudes of Colo¬ 
rado, the principal symptoms of which are swelling of the 
brisket and of the loose tissues under the jaw, usually diar¬ 
rhoea and a moist cough, with gradual emaciation and death. 
It is chronic in character but is fatal in practically all cases. 
On autopsy the most marked features are generalized 
dropsy, enlarged and hard liver and dilated heart. 
It appears to be caused by an exhaustion of the heart 
muscle associated with a varying degree of dilatation and 
hypertrophy, this being brought about by failure of acclimati¬ 
zation at high altitudes. 
Medical treatment has so far proven of little avail, but, 
where possible, shipping the affected animals to a lower alti¬ 
tude is recommended. 
Preventive measures include the use of bulls that have 
been raised at altitudes of 8,000 feet or more, with a view to 
building up a hardier strain of cattle; also the curtailment of 
indiscriminate shipping of low altitude cattle to high alti¬ 
tudes. 
BRIEF FACTS HERE GIVEN 
Bulletin No. 204 of this Station entitled “Brisket Dis¬ 
ease’’ having become exhausted, it has seemed desirable to 
set down briefly such facts about the disease as will be of 
value to the stockmen of the State. The inquiries concerning 
this disease continue to come to the Station and it is to answer 
these in a more comprehensive manner than can be done by 
letter that this bulletin is prepared. The Station began its 
work on this malady in 1913 at the special request of many 
stockmen who had sustained loss of animals. 
HISTORY AND DISTRIBUTION 
Brisket disease has been known in Colorado since 1889 
and since that time has caused an annual loss of approximate¬ 
ly 1 per cent of all cattle maintained above an altitude of 
8,000 feet. It has been especially prevalent in the high moun¬ 
tain parks. Practically every year numerous cases are seen 
in North, Middle and South Parks and on the forest reserves 
surrounding the same. It is a frequent cause of loss on nearly 
