The Elbert County tribune., 1898-11-24
SICK HORSES.
A New and Queer Disease.


spread over Denver and the state.
In large barns there are from one
to live patients being attended by
veterinarians, and animals owneI
BY private citizens and housed in
buildings that are palaces in their
way, have fallen equally before
the ravages of the disease.
Cases that were not attended TO
promptly caused the dsath of the
victims, but the fatality has been
small because in most Instances
remedies were applied. 1t has
required from six to ten days for
the victims to recover with the aid
of medicines.
Horses in the fire department
have suffered to so large an extent
that Saturday one hose wagon,
and one engine and the chemical
apparatus were out of commission.
and had there been call for ali
the strength of the fire force it
would have been unavailable, not
withstending the fact that Chief
Roberts has been using his best
endeavors TO cure his sufferers
sufficiently to enable them to
do service in case of an emergency.
There are no extra horses trained
for fire work, and if .here were il
is almost certain that they, too,
would he in the hospital depart
ments at the various engin
houses. The brewers, the express
companies, and the coal haulers
have felt the effects of the cpl
demic equally with other owners.
Experts call the disease distem-
per. In some respects it re-
sembles the epizootic which ragged
throughout the country several
years ago. AT the time it COM
menced Denver had experienced
a long period Of dry weather,
which lasted, in fact, until the
snow storm that occurred about
two weeks since. During this
same period human beings suffer-
ed from an epidemic that was not
in many instances attended to by
the victims, and in seventeen cases
it developed into pneumonia and
caused the death of as many per-
sons in the city from this disease,
which fatality was, from this
cause, 100 per cent. greater than
the records of the health departs
ment showed for any similar
period in years past.
City Health Commissioner Mum
ascribed that epidemic of distem-
per among the people to the dry |
weather and the dust. A. G. Van
Ness, one of the city's prominent
Saturday afternoon
attributed the epidemic among the
same cause. "While the dry
period lasted" he explained, "the
germ of this disease was in the
atmosphere and the horses breath
cI it," The weakest succumbed
ut the time, while the stronger,
more healthy beasts of burden,
did not display the effects until
later. The fact that isolated
horses are attacked shows con-
clusivcly that it is not traceable
to polluted air in stables contain
ing many head.
The symptoms vary somewhat.
but generally the animal refuses to
eat. Then bis head hangs low
and he loses spirit. Then he has
slight cough. His temperature
will be found at this stage to run
up to 10I and LOG, while the
normal temperature should be no
higher than 9S or 80. Some of
them are most effected in the
throat, others in the lungs, kidneys
and in some cases there is general
In nlne cases out OF
ten the legs will swell to twice the
size. In Others the head
will swell and the eyes discharge.
Unless antidotes are administer
ed the victims will die. Keepers
will contract the disease from the
horses unless precautions are ex-
ercised. If the victims are vio-
lently exercised while they are
suffering they arc likely to fall
dead. That is the reason adj
vised that the fire department
horses be not worked until they
are recovered. Horses were un-
usually healthy in this vicinity
until October.
The same malady is affecting
the dogs of the city. They are
showing similar symptoms, many !
of them, and their sufferings are
attributable to the same cause.
Denver Times.