The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-03-04
's5TAGGERS. "

u 4
During the late summer and fall. IN
section OF Eastern North Carolina,
an epidemic among horses has annu-
ally occurred, amounting to loss each
year of perhaps ten per cent. The
matter appearing of SO much'import.
ance. the consulting veterinarian OF
the Experiment Station Or. +. r.
williamson was sent to make . per-
sonal examination. The following
has been cleaned from his report:
The symptoms as given are sudden in
their development. Sore throat,
water coming through nose on at
tempting to drink, rapid breathing,
loss of appetite and one OF three
things-the animal either walksarou
in circle to one side over any object.
in the way without apparently seeing
it ("blind staggers'), or remains per-
.fectly still, with eyes partially or
completely closed, without taking the
slightest interest in surroundings un-
less aroused ('tsleepy staggers"), or
dashes about furiously without regard
to self, people, or things, ("mad stag
qers'D. An obstinate constipation
accompanies each case. .....
The land lies very low in this dis
trict, there being many swamps and
ditchcs through the farms, and on
each side of the road the ditches are
filled with reddish brown stagnsnt
water. The vegetation is very rank,
the dews are very heavy, and do not
dry off before noon the next day?
The horses have very little protection,
as rule. On some farms there are
no barns at all for housing stock. The.
animals are simply turned in rough
shed to eat, then turned out again,
exposed to wind, rain and sun. Wher-,
ever they are stabbed it is claimed
thoy are never affected, as shown by
the experience of one farmer who has
not lost single case in several years.
Another, who had not lost horse in
thirteen years, let his run to pasture
| night and day this year and lost them.
Another had four pasturing; three of
these he put up at night, leaving one
out at all times, except at feed g.
The one left out died, the other three are
in good condition. Many other cases
might be noted, but this is enough to
show that where the animals are pro-
tected from the weather (the heavy
dews, rain end wind storms, for this
occurs always after q rainy, hot sea-.
sony they are free from any sickness.
Two animals dying from the disease
were found by autopsy to have died
with pneumonia Complicated with
pleurisy in the first easel. The stag
gering gait, the sleepy, hsf-uncon-
sciousness, the madness are caused by
the toxine taken into .he blood from
the diseased lung tissue, or from want
of reoxygenation of the blood, the
brain is not properly fed, animals be-
ing affected according to individual
disposition. The suggestion would
be to provide better stables and take
more care Of the horses. Keep ami,
mails in stable ut night if at no other
time. Animals already affected should
be given bolus or drench of Barba.
does aloes one ounce, calomel one
dram. If this remains inactive six
teen hours, follow with one quart raw
linseed oil. Every three hours should
be given four ounces acetate Of ann
monia, two drams nitrate of potash,
two ounces sweet spirits of inter in
drench, Food should be restricted to
Cruel, bran mash, or something easily
digested. About three or four buckets
of drinking water should be given q
day.