The Glenwood post., 1909-07-17
LOCO DISEASE
OF LIVESTOCK
RESULTS OF INVESTIGATIONS sY
UNITED STATES BUREAU OF
ANIMAL INDUSTRY.
BARIUM IS THE CAUSE
PREVENTION is BETTER THAN
CURE, BUT REMEDIES ARE
PRESCRIBED BY BUREAU.

The so-called loco disease Of horses
sheep and cattle has been for many
years a source of serious loss to stock.
men in the West, who have generally
attributed it to certain weeds eaten by
the stock. Investigations by the
United States Department of Agricul
ture have not only confirmed the sup
position as to the poisonous effect OF
these plants. but have resulted in the
discovery and Identification of barium
as a definite poisonous element in
them. Feeding experiments estab'
fishing the fact that the plants are re-
sponsible for the disease were carried
on under field and corral conditions
by DR.. c. Dwight March, while the dis
covery of barium was made in the lab
oratory by DR.. A. C. Crawford.
The loco weeds are class of legu-
minous plants of which the principal
ones are the purple loco weed CAS-
tragalus mollissimus) and the rattle
weed (Aragallus lambertD. One or
both of these prevail to a greater or
less extent over an area including all
or parts of Montana, Wyoming. North
Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Ne.
braska, Kansas. Colorado, Utah, Ari
zona, New Mexico, Texas, and Okla
homa.
The characteristics of the disease
are slow, staggering gait, rough coat,
staring, vacant look, and emaciation.
The affected animals have hallucina
tions. cannot be led or backed, show
more or less lack of muscular co-ordi.
nation. gradually lose flesh, and die.
The affection comes on in a slow and
cumulative manner. and there is no
possibility of animals becoming i'm.
lnune by continually eating the plants.
The proverb, 'an ounce of preven-
tion is worth pound of cure" applies
to this disorder. Although good re.
suits can often be obtained by the
treatment of locoed animals, the most
effective way of dealing with the trou-
BILE is to keep animals from eating the
loco plants. Wherever practicable.
the weeds should be exterminated
| from the range or pasture, and the
| best way Of doing this is simply to cut
| them out. This method, however,
while often practicable on land under
private control cannot very well he
| applied to the public range. In many
cases much can be accomplished by
keeping animals away from loco-cov-
cred ranges during the time when feed
is short, as they are much more likely
to contract the habit at such time.
1t may sometimes be profitable to
feed them for a short time in order
that the loco-eating habit may not be
/ formed
After animals have become affected
the first essential in their treatment
is to place them where they cannot
eat the loco weeds. They should be
given plenty of nutritious feed, and
so far as practicable feed with laxa-
tive properties, such as green alfalfa.
Some may recover under this treat
ment without recourse to medicine.
| With most animals, however. recovery
is fastened by medicinal Treatment.
AS a result of its experiments, the
Department OF Agriculture suggests
the following treatment: For cattle,
strychnine in doses of three. twenti.
eths 10 four-twentieths of a grain daily,
administered hypodermically. For
| horses. Fowler's solution of arsenic in
| half-punce doses daily in the drinking
water or in the grain. This treatment
| should be continued for at least a
month. To correct the constipation
which is almost universal in locoed an
| imals, magnesium sulphate Epson
salO may be administered as a
| drench in 2-ounce doses. EPSON salt
may also serve to some extent as an
antidote to the poison produced by
| the weeds. Beneficial results have
, also been obtained by giving horses
daily drench containing ounces of
EPSON salt with 10 drops dilute sui
| phuric acid, and by giving cattle tri-
weekly to 4 ounces of EPSON salt
with proportional increase in the
quantity of diulte sulphuric acid.
As the foregoing treatments are in
the experimental stage, the Bureau of
Animal Industry, Washington, d. c.,
would be glad to receive reports of re-
suits from their use.