Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1906-07-19
STOMACH WORMS IN SHEEP
Ailment Which Is Best Treated by
Change of Pasturage-other
Remedies.

The bane of the sheep grower in
the humid sections is what is called
the twisted stomach worm, the
Strongulus Contortus, a small, fine,
thread-like worm found twisted to-
gether in the stomach of the sheep,
red when filled with blood, white when
dead and empty. So far as we know
1t is to be found in all fiocks in the
humid and perhaps in the semi-arid
sections of the United States.
1t seldom does any appreciate in
jury TO the older sheep, nor to vigor-
Gus early lambs. 1t is frequently fatal
to lambs out of condition, and espe-
cially to lambs that come as late as
the first of June. 1t is taken into
the system from pasture infected from
the droppings of older sheep or lambs
that are infested.
Hence the one important thing In
fighting this disease is change of pas
ture. II sheep are kept for a number
OF years on a blue grass pasture, and
especially If they are watered from
sloughs in the pasture, they are al
most certain to have severe attack
OF stomach worms. There are Just
two preventives. One is not to allow
sheep on the same pasture more than
two years in succession. The other is
to have your lambs come as early as
they can be cared for, and then feed
them some grain and keep them grow
ing vigorously from start to finish.
II they can be sold fat In June at
the prices usually current, sell them.
Five dollars Is just as good pay for
a lamb In June as 1t is for lamb In
December and January which has
eaten great deal more feed and in
CURED greater risk. If weaned they
should be put on fresh pasture. Old
pastures sooner or later become sheep
sick.
AS to remedies, Prof. r. A. Craig,
veterinarian Of Purdue experiment
station, upon the authority of DR.. Law,
recommends the following:
"Arsenious acid, one dram; sulphate
of iron, five drains; powdered nux
vomica, two drains; powdered areca,
two ounces; common salt, four ounces.
This mixture Is sufficient for 80 sheep
and can be fed with ground feed once
or twice a week. In case the symp-
toms are already manifested, 1t should
be fed once a day for two or three
weeks. In giving this remedy in this
feed the necessary precautions should
be taken or each animal may not get
the proper dose"
To which he also adds:
"Turpentine is largely used in the
treatment of stomach worms. 1t is
administered as an emulsion with
milk Zone part turpentine to 16 parts
of milk. The emulsion should be
we'll shaken before drenching the ami
NAL. The dose is two ounces for a
lamb and four ounces for an adult,
and to be effective should be repeated
daily for two or three days"
We used this turpentine treatment
some years ago in our own flock; and
while it will kill the worms, we have
always thought that it left the sheep
in an enfeebled condition; whether
due to the treatment or the result Of
the disease we were not able to de-
termine.
In handling sheep an ounce of pre-
vention is worth a good many pounds
of cure. and the one maxim change
of pasture is good for sheep" is worth
about all the medicines that were ever
poured down the sleeps throat, says
Wallace's Farmer. We remember
once looking through an old copy of
one of the earliest of the agricultural
papers. 1t went into the subject of
diseases of sheep very thoroughly,
dealing with almost every disease we
ever heard Of and some we never
heard of. The remedies described
were purely vegetable, decoctions from
various herbs such as were used by
our wise grandmothers in treating the
ailments Of their children and grand
children; but we noticed that at the
end of each prescription there was
this sage advice: Change the pas
ture