The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-10-12
DR.. sREALEY ON TEXAS FEVER.
Prevalence of the Disease is Due
to Tick. How to Prevent its
Spread and How to Treat
infected Cattle.

Clemson College. Sept. 29.-Dr. A.
S. Shealy, assistant veterinarian. for
the present in cha.ge of the veterinary
division, has recently had many de-
mands for his services throughout the
State, and bas responded to many such
calls as: "Come at ouce: cattle are
sick and DYING He has found it i'm
possible to respond to all of the calls,
as only a limited appropriation for
this purpose is available, and as his
duties here prohibit him form being
almost constantly away. With one ex-
ception be has found the same disease
Texas fever, known also as South
ern cattle fever.
Your correspondent has. therefore,
secured from him the following inter
view on Texas fever and its treatment,
in the belief that it will be of great
interest and benefit to cattle raisers.
DR.. Shealy says that nowithstaDd-
lug the good work along this line by
DR.. G. E. Nesom, until recently State
veterinarian, there is still considera-
BILE loss from this disease in South
Carolina. Cattle raisers should bear
in mind that the disease is caused by
tick, and that it does not occur
where no ticks are preseut-except
when it is produced in q mild form by
incubation, hereby rendering immune
such cattle as are inoculated. A num-
Der of years ago, when cattle we're
pesmittd to run at large, the tick
was more or less prevalent, and there
never was case of the disease noted.
Many farms throughout the State
have become "tick free,'' and so long
as they remain so the disease does not
occur. on them. These facts show
that cattlel must be born and raised
on constantly tick-infested farms,
or on constantly tick-free farms, in
order to be safe from Texas fever. To
take measures to produce general in
fection would be reVerslon to the
conditions when there was no 'stock
law'' in South Carolina. So the stock
farms must be kept free of ticks.
DR.. Sbealy says that while it seems
impossible to dc this. it can be done
by systematic and thorough cleaning
of the cattle once every two weeks
during the summer months, aud he
will be glad to take the matter up
with any stock men who wish to do so.
Very little can be done. indeed, TO-
ward preventing a. further spreading
ef the disease except By thoroughly
removing ticks, and placing cattle in
non-infested pasture. In this way,
possibly, number of the herd not in
fected will be saved and will not con-
tract the disease unless the ticks gain
access to them later.
Medicinal treatment for animals
while suffering from the fever is very
Yet Dr.. Sbealy always
advises to treat them symrathesically,
and bope for good results. He has
had few caes to recover under the
following treatment, which he always
recommends "When the first symp-
toms are noted ticks should be remoy-
ed, and a good purgative given-ep-
som salts in one or two pound doses,
according to size of animal. Within
eight or ten hours later commence Civ
ing 3uinipe sulpbate in one-half ounce
doses, dissolved in half pint of whis-
key, three times day for three days.
If salts have not been effective with
in twentY-four hours, repeat. giving
half as much as at first. The sick
animals should be separated from
the herd and given comfortable quar-.
ters. -
Very young cattle can withstand the
disease without dangerous results, and
cattle owners can bring calves to tick
infested farms with no danger, pro-
vided they become infected with ticks
at once. But I always advise in
oculation for cattle not immune" :"
Dr., Shealy added, "This incubation
can be practiced successfully only
with cattle under two years, though l
have successfully inoculated much
Older CATTLE
eff a cattle owner has tick-free
farm, no animal infested with ticks
can be Introduced without seriously
endangering the lives of all his cattle.
And the life of an animal that has
never carried ticks is equally endaDger-
ed when brought to a tick-infested
farm.
81 hope our cattle owners will bear
these facts in mind. as the time is
near for the State Fair, and there will
be sales of infected and non-infected
cattle at that time, which if bought
indiscriminately, may cause considera-
BILE loss
"This will not be the case, how
ever. if you buy intelligently If ami
mails have carried ticks they are i'm
mune from Texas fever, and you take
10 chances. so far as Texas fever is
concerned. You will also be safe in
buying cattle that have never had
ticks, provided your farm is free
from ticks, or you inoculate the cat
tie before placing them on infected
farms. Finally, if the farm is tick
free and the animal purchased is in
fected, the latter should be thorough
ly cleansed before carrying to the
farm, or the lives Of your other cattle