The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-07-03
THE LOCO DISEASE.

The sO-called loco disease Of horses
sheep and cattle has been for many year.
a source Of serious loss to stOckmen fl
the west, who have generally attributed
it to certain weeds eaten by the stock
Investigations BY the United States de.
partment Of agriculture have not only
confirmed the suppOsitiOn as to the
poisonous effect Of these plants, but have
resulted in the discovery and Identified
ton of barium as a definite poisonous
element in them. Feeding experiments
establishing the fact that the plants are
responsible for the disease were carried
on under field and corral conditions by
DR.. c. Dwight Marsh, while the discovery
of barium was made in the laboratory oil
DR.. A. G. Crawford.
The loco weeds are a class Of Ieguminous
plants, Of which the principal ones are the
purple loco weed (Astragalus mollissi-
mus and the rattle-weed CATagallus lam
BERTH. One or both of these prevail to a
greater or less extent over an area in
GLIDING all parts of Montana, Wyoming
North Dakota South Dakota, Minnesota,
Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado. Utah. Ari-
iona, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma
The characteristic symptoms of the. dis
ease are slow, staggering gait, rough
coat, staring, vacant look and emacia-
ton. The affected animals have halluci-
nations, can not be led or backed, show
more or less lack Of muscular cO-Ordina-
ton, gradually lose flesh and die. The
iative manner, and there is no possibility
of animals becoming immune by continu-
ally eating the plants
The prOverb AN ounce Of prevention is
worth a pound Of cure" apples to this
disorder Although good results can often
be obtained by the treatment of iOcOed
animals, the most effective way Of deal
ing with the trouble is to keep animals
from eating the loco plants. Wherever
practicable the weeds should be eXter-
III f1- M SIN
the best way Of doing this is simply to
cut them out This method, however,
while often practicable on land under pri-
vate control. can not very well be applied
to the public range In many cases much
can be accomplished by keeping animals
away from loco-cOvered ranges during the
time when feed is short, as they are much
more likely to contract the habit at such
a time. II 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 can not eat the
loco weeds. They should be given plenty
of nutritious feed, and so far as practi-
cable feed with laxative properties, such
as green alfalfa. Some may recover under
this treatment without recourse to medi-
cine. With most animals, however. re-
covery is FASTENED by medicinal treat
ment
As a result Of its experiments. the de-
partment Of agriculture suggests the fol-
lowing treatment For cattle strychnin
in doses Of three-twentieths to four-twen-
ueths of grain daily. administered hy-
For horses. F0wler's solu-
ton OF arsenic in half-ounce doses daily
in the drinking water or in the grain
This treatment should be continued for
at least a month To correct the consti-
patton which IS almost universal in 1ocOed
animals. magnesium sUlphate Epson
salD may be administered as a -drench
in tUo-Ounce doses EPSON salt may also
serve to some extent as an antidote to
the poison produced by the weeds. Bene-
fetal results have also been obtained by
giving horses daily a drench containing
two ounces Of Epson salt with ten drops
Of dilute sulDhuric acid, and by giving
cattle tri-weekly three to four ounces Of
Epson salt with a proportional increase
in the quantity Of dilute sulphuric acid
As the fore going treatments are in the
experimental stage. the bureau OF animal
Washington. Z. c. would be
glad TO receive reports Of results from
their use.