The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1883-11-23
THE HORSE DISEASE.
A Thorough Investigation and Opinion
by High Authority.

IL
by High Authority.
NOT CHAMBERS, But THAT WHICH
MAY DEVELOP INTO 1T.
The mating of horse-owners held here to
consider the disease prevailing among horses
in the lower valley and to prevent lts sprea"
resulted in q petition to the Board OF county
Commissioners, who, with DIR. A. H. Miech-
ell, in their capacity as Board OF Health ap-
pointed Mr.. w. B. Miller Stock Inspector,
and Mr.. Long as veterinary surgeon 10 assist
him. Their examinations, which included
two autopsies, demonstrated that the pre-
yailing disease was nasal gleet, which may
develop into CHAMBERS, and three animals SO
affected were killed. At Drummond three
cases of il disease resembling that OF scarlet
fever in the human family, and known az
equine scarletina, were found TINS may also
terminate in CHAMBERS, for which there IL no
cure. Nasal gleet is susceptible OF successful
treatment, and at present nothing worse imam
that exists at Mouth Of Blackfoot and vicin-
;tv Mr., Miller submitted a statement OF the
tn G matter to the highest veterinary author
ity in America. The correspondence In re-
latiou thereto, which we find in 1he spur"
of the Times, Nov. II, 1888, is so important TO
men as we'll as animals that we give 1t entlre:
wB. MILLER TO SPIRIT OF THE TINES
Deer Lodge Montana - During the last
twelve or sixteen months disease n' p,h.
Wallet among the horses at Garrison, tne
junction of the Northern Pacihc anu Juan
Northern railroads, in Deer Lodge valley,
twelve miles below this place, that during
the last two months has been generally pro-
nounced CHAMBERS We have no skilled Veter-
inarian here, no one who has gone through
a regular course in a veterinary college, anu
I am satisfied there is none in the Ierrltofy'
At meeting of the horse breeders OF TINS
vicinity, held about month ago, IL was oe-
cided to make an autopsy OF one OF tne sses
affected, which was done about week aIter
the Meeting The animal killed was gray
mare, some seven or nine years old, anu al
fected with what was considered iaif type
of the prevailing disease She was killed py
shooting through the heart, the neaa taAeh
off and opened with saw, straight down
the face latter the lower jaw had been remov-
ed The membrane lining the nose snow
ed plenty of liberation, all the small Donesi
especially the turbinated, were decayed ana
easily broken down, separating ION pelhg
messed with point of knife) easily and with
out sound like thin plates Of tallow. Farcy
buds were found on inside of hind legs
ulcers were also found on inside OF neck,
where the head had been taken OF. should
think that there were at least twenty morse,
men present at the autopsy, and nearly all
were satisfied il was a clear case OF CHAMBERS
The owner of this animal also owns, say,
from 10 TO 100 head of horse stock, which, as
a rule, run together on the range, Z. e., pup
lie domain, prairie, and foothills he tells
me that about year ago no LOOK one up,
hau fayA
in a close, warm, and roomy barn. soon
after more were found in the band anected
the same way. These were taken up as last
as they appeared unwell, until the barn was
full, still another and another wouio DC
found affected, and occasionally one would
be fired out" of the barn as being better,
and another put in its place. Sometime
during the winter the mares commenced
aborting. TweEty-three mares were In toal,
and twenty-three lost their colts (aoorted),
not one escaping, and the owner salu t hs.
| in every instance when the mare slipped her
| foal she ut once commenced to improve L
don't think one died last winter. LAS soon
"a green grass came they seemed to get all
| right" Most of them looked quite well dur
| the greater part Of the summer. u 1alled 70
state In the proper place that during the
winter all these sick animals had nasal
| discharge.) The fact of these animals being
| affected In this way seems to have been
| known only by the owner and few OF his
| nearest neighbors. certainly never heard
of IL TIL the last of September, 1888, although
INV business necessarily brings me in con-
tact with all the horsemen within, say, forty
| miles in every direction. Had probably
| heard that 9 had lost lots Of colts, ," but
| this is no unusual thing, as in this county
| get pretty thin. During September OF this
| Year this man started out his horse power
| thresher among the neighbors, and soon the
stock began to discharge again at the. nose.
| This thoroughly alarmed the people Of the
neighborhood, and he was requested to take
| is that this was about the first that was
| known of his having had this disease last
| winter. The animal killed and examined
| was one that had been on the thresher, only
two to four weeks before, traVenng al over
| the neighborhood, not averaging more than
day at a place during threshing season.
| After this above mentioned autopsy, the
| breeders land that means several hundred
residents Of Deer Lodge Valley came TO the
| conclusion that something has got to be
| done, :" but the great trouble was to get any
| one TO act as inspector or examiner; that Is,
any one in whom the public had confidence.
| Finally, at a meeting of the Board OF Health,
| held Oct d. your correspondent was ap'
pointed Stock Inspector, and has been act
ing in that capacity since. L have been
among horses constantly for the past twenty
five wears, but have seen comparatively few
cases of CHAMBERS. ! have quite library OF
| horse books, such as Mayhem, Youatt and
Spooner, Dodd, Cole, Jennings, and Man
ming, etc, which have studied more or less
during the last fifteen years, and from the
| teachings of which have practiced on my
| own stock with fair success, together witt
| what have learned from the veterinary
Department" of The Spirit: Now, of course
| the object of all this trouble am giving you
is to have you suggest what Is, In your opin
ion, the best plan to pursue in order to stamp
out this disease, and prevent its spread. A.
there is much at stake in this matter, l will
probably ask your indulgence again in the
| near future. This man, that has the glander
ed stock, has had post mortem examination
made OF two cases, and has some six or mine
| eases on hand; in fact, the general belief Il
that it is spreading right along, but as ye,
col fined to a radius Of say, six, miles de
tell me that last winter they frequently hac
TO b elp some of the mares up, and were con
stantly working about them when they, the
amin ais, were comparatively covered will
the discharge, and he knows to certainty
that himself and helper frequently had theil
hands skinned ana quite sore. was ~ gan
ders that they had last winter? None o.
| these horses look bad until they have dis
| charged a long time, even after the def1uxiof
has become quite thick; their coats look wei
. aud skin feels surprisingly loose, free, elias
tic, and healthy. This was the case OF I'M
last two examined, yet both had liberation
!, of the uostrils, glandular dwellings under th'
| law and discharging thick pus, with, in on
case, streaks of blood. Certainly, no on
| al a glance would take them to be sick Tex
cept judging from the discharge), yet,
, careful scrutiny at a distance. and unobserV
, | ed by the horse, would detect position o
:. movement of the ear, that indicated the re
verse of perfect health Can you tell me ho'
TO detect this disease in Its earliest stage
D This liberation of membrane, and evel
gandular swelling seems Sissass, I Sssid
gIanders. Is the disease considered b.