Mexico weekly ledger., 1890-09-11
TO CATTLE
DR.. Paul Paquin on the New
Foot and Mouth Disease
of Cattle-Curative
Treatment.

COLUMBIA, Mo-, Sept. 8.-The
foot and mouth disease of cattle is
the mildest epidemic affection of
stock known, and the death rate
scarcely rises to ten per cent. in
the most virulent outbreaks and
not one-half per cent. in the ordi-
nary. The only serious damage
that it does cause is in reducing
the flesh and stopping the milk.
1t is to prevent such possibilities
and limit the trouble that I write
an explain publicly a now prevail
ent malady attacking the mouth
and feet of cattle IN several coun-
ties of our state, and creating con-
sternation among farmers and
stockmen.
My object is to explain what to
do, and I emphatically declare that
there is absolutely no need of
alarm in the slightest degree.
1t is our policy to destroy all
contagion and infection quietly and
without publication. But in this
instance we are taxed beyond our
capacity. The demands for advice
are too frequent, and the trouble
too much scattered, and erroneous
notices have already been publish
ed. We can benefit all and the
whole state only by general public
work.
The symptoms are as follows:
The cattle appear gaunt and gaunter
day after day for want of food If
examined the nose may be found
hot, dry and sometimes wine color
in patches. Blisters appear on the
inside and IN the margin of the
lips which become more or less
raw and bleed easily. The pad
(upper jaw gum corresponding to
the front teeth of lower Jaw also
presents blisters which soon break,
form a thick, yellowish, cracked,
soft, crust. Sometimes the tongue
is blotched or bllstered, but rarely.
There is much drooling Of stringy
watery matter from the mouth ,and
the odor is anything but agreeable,
often very fetid indeed. Those
yellowish crusts slough out after ?
few days and leave raw surfaces OF
sores. There is occasionally I
peculiar smacking of the lips.
In a few cases cnmplicationsari~t
by which gangrene (rotting in fact
OF the gums extended to the jaw
tonas or teeth, and IN Il few instan.
ces the teeth become loose and
even drop off.
Most Of cases become lame ana
stiff from the same LESSONS break.
ing in the feet (the cleft particular
ly). Occasionally also, blisters
and consequent results (scabs,
crusts and even raw sores) occur on
the udder. In three or four these
appealed on the neck, the belly,
the back and about the root of the
tail. U~ncommonly there is diar-
rhea. The malady runs its regular
course in an average of about eight
days. The shortest course l have
noticed was five and the longest
eleven. There are irregular or
| complicated cases which last much
longer. Fever, more or less in
tense, keeps up most of the time.
The type is very mild, death rate
being so far as l can learn, less
than one in two hundred.
PREVENTIVE AND CURATIVE TREAT
MENTs.
LIST. Separate all the sick and
suspicious from the healthy stock,
leaving the former where the dis
ease began and putting the healthy
in a new pasture or lot.
end. Wash the mouth twice 8
day with a solution of borax Of
alum or both combined, i. e.,.s
wash composed of, say a table
spoonful or more Of pulverizeG
borax and alum to a pint of water
3rd. Watch very closely the
healthy stock and separate every
new case as gauntness appears, OF
any Suspicious symptom may pre-
sent Itself such as lameness, stiff
ness, dullness, dry nose, difficulty
in taking food, etc.
4th. Persons attending to suef
- diseased stock should not visi'
pastures or places occupied by
healthy stock whether Oh thei
own property or at their neighbours
All who have healthy stock shoult
abstain from visiting diseased
stock,
), 9th. Buckets and other article
: used for diseased stock should no
: be used for anything else unles
washed and scalded.
9th. Stock from infected herd
d should not be shipped to marke
or moved from the infected ground
y and none should be allowed o
highways.
II 7th. 1t is prudent to keep shee