Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-10-22
Foot and Mouth Disease.

and then the other, and shaking them. Or
examination blisters and watery pustules are
found afonnd the eoronet and between the
digits.o The parts are inAamed aud swollen
and the animal either remains upon its feel
with difficulty or refuses to rise at all. Al
this stage it is not unlike the common disease
known as "foul feet" and sometimes, il neg
lected, this disorder may be mistaken for
it, But in the true aphtha the mouth is the
most serious seat of disease. 1t will be
found hot and covered with blisters, the
tongue and lips being also affected. These
blisters burst and the surfaces become raw,
inhamed, and swollen. Ia bad cases the
tongue projects from the mouth and Is COW
cred with ulcers which suppurate aud cause
the tissues to slough away. The feet become
liberated, the hoofs slough away in part or
wholly, and the bones may become exposed.
With all this suffering the whole condition
of the animal is affected. There is much
fever, the eyes'are red, the lungs are con.
gested, the breath is fetid. Iu milking COWS
the teats partake Of the vascular eruption
and become excessively sore; the udder is
inaamed, abscesses are formed within it and
it frequently sloughes away 10 part. This
condition, course, renders the milk totally
unfit for use, and if given to calf or pig
it produces pains and diarrhea, which are
followed by aggravated disease and rapid
death. The symptoms exhibited by other
animals than cattle are similar to these aud
are readily distinguishable. In all but ap-
gravatcd cases the affected animals generally
begin to recover in twelve or fourteen days,
and finally regain their health aud appetite
after more or less heightened period, in
proportion to the degree of suffering and
emaciation they have experienced.
Prevention for us would seem to lie wholly
iu efforts to make the introduction of the
disease and the infection of our herds i'm.
possible. Once the infection becomes nat
uralized with us, it will doubtless come to
stay and remain to trouble us. Unfor-
tunately the means Of prevention happen
to be everybody's business, and therefore
nobody's; and how or when or what means
should be used we cannot now even suggest.
The treatment Of the mild form is simple
and consists wholly of alleviative measures.
A cooling saline draft, washing the mouth
and feet with astringent washes, the isola-
ton Of the sick animals, and the disinfect.
ing Of the stables and sheds with carboliC
acid aud burning sulphur, and the strength.
ening of those animals which are as yet un,
affected by antiseptic medicine, as sulphits
of soda in daily doses of half an ounce each
in the food, is all that can be done. Ag
gravated cases should be ended by the knife
as soon as possible, as measure Of humanity,
prudence and economy. Various modi6ca-
tions Of this course of treatment are recon.
mended by English surgeons, but the capa-
bla veterinary surgeon will be able to treat
each case as it occurs without difficulty, ac-
cording to his own judgment. 1t would be
hardly safe, except for the experienced
herdsman, for an owner Of stock to neglect
procuring the best professional assistance in
case of need, and it would be very unwise
to call in the aid of any of the quacks which
infest the country instead of regular grad.
uate Of a veterinary college. This matter
is too important to be triAed with, as the
interests Of many neighbors may be involved.
The most rational method of treatment, as
it appears to US. is that used by Mr. G. A.
Fawcett, of Chadwick Hall, Somerset
hire, England, well known breeder Of
Short-Horus, aud recommended by him in
paper read before the North Somerset
shire Farmers Club, and recently published
in the Mark Lane Express, from which we
extract the following at is possible to
cure tho foot and mouth disease in four days.
10 getting some cattle from ireland short
time ago, they arrived with this disease, and
it appeared in three or four different parts
Of the buildings. Of course it commenced
with one animal, and then other animals
were taken with it in different positions in
the yards. He isolated those that were i'll
as quickly as he could, and got oil the in.
fected animals into one building, where he
shut them up. He covered them up and so
got them warm. The next thing was to take
the food from them entirely, give them
eight ounces Of salts, four pounds treacle,
one ounce of nitre, one ounce of ground gin.
ger, and two ounces of sulphur, adding
boiling water so as to make four or five
quarts, giving it new.mik warm. The next
morning he gave them one ounce of carbon.
ate of potash two ounces of the hyposul-
phate of soda, in six quarts Of warm water,
for the purpose of purifying the blood aud
keeping down the fever. On the evening of
the second day they had about a quart of
linseed we'll boiled, and horned into them.
He had their feet washed with an ounce of
nitre ina aquart of warm water--not TO stop
the discharge, but to soften the parts and take
the Inflammation away. 1t was a very
important point to wash the nose out. He
had their mouths washed out with quar-.
ter Of an ounce Of tannic acid in a quart OF
boiling water, using it when new.milk warm.
That Immediately took away the soreness Of
the mouth. About a wiue.g .glassful Of the
tannic acid was put into their nostrils, and
allowed to run right into their thrOats The
result was that few minutes a large
quantity Of mucus was thrown from their
throats, and that enabled the animals 10
breath freely. On the second day he had
the same done, aud on the third day the
cattle we're able to chew the cud. Uuder
this treatment there was only one day they
did not chew their cud, aud on the fourth
day little or nothing could be seen Of the
disease. In milking COWS he knew what
great deal Of difficulty was sometimes ex
psrienoed. His COWS lost no quarters, and
had no Inflammation Of the udder, which he
bathed and washed with fannie acid every
two hours, and he had the cows MIXED every
two hours, the result being that he nevel
got any Inflammation. Within week th'
whole Of the animals were we'll, and he stop
ped the extention of the plague by placing
pure carbolic acid on pieces of old sack
placed near the mouths Of the animals, 80
they could not breath without inhaling mOr'
or less Of carbolic acid, and that preyente'
them taking the disease, and no bad result
were loft behind. d."-[ New York Times.