The new era., 1912-03-28
Swamp Fever.

MS IL IL tlSStiSS VI lcioNS' '''--
has received Il variety of names,
probably the most satisfactory OF
which is "lnfectious Anemia' since
that name seems to mean more than
| the one given at the head of TINS
article.
! This disease was never definitely
described until about ten years
| ago, although it has doubtless been
with us much longer. In the last ieW
| years several of the experiment sta-
tions have issued bulletins dealing
with the disease. and the United
| States Department of Agriculture
has made IL study of it, Its history In
Colorado seCn.s to be very obscure
In n number of communities there
| have been reports of horses having
become rapidly thin and weak, for
no apparent reason and in spite
of good appetite, finally getting
down and becoming unable 10 rise,
and soon dying. \ large number OF
these cases. we believe. were swamp
| fever
Somc eight or ton years ago the
! veterinarian of the experiment sta
ton at Fort Collins and the State
! Veterinarian had occasion to make II
number of trips to the vicinity OF
| Montrosc where Il number of horses
had been dying of Il mysterious dis
| ease, which VIC believe now was the
above-named malady. Since that tim
the writer has had occasion to see
similarly affected horses in various
parts of the state. Nearly all our
veterinary practitioners now regard
case Of swamp fever rs very
acommon occurrence.
Probably the first symptom noticed
by tho owner will be weak.and
struggling gait and soon rather
rapid loss OF, flesh. During that tina
II the tempo raturc could be takch'
il would DO found that N times the
fever would bcyeryhigh. while at
other times the temperature would
be normal. The mucous membrane
of the eys and mouth becomes very
pale; the appetite nearly always re-
mains good. Later the legs begin to.
swell and then the sheath or under
part OF the abdomen becomes great
ly swollen. owing to the thin blood
and tic Weakness OF the heart. FL
nally, in the course OF from two
weeks TO six months. the heart gets
so weak that the animal drops dead
or else gets down and cannot ris"
and dies !, lingoringdcath.
Tie disease is found to be r:t;h>T
easily transmlttodfrom one animal to
another by direct incubation or by
feeding the infected material. Many
cases are known. however. where
affected animals have been put with
+ healthy ones without spreading the
disease However,, when II gets
started On 4 farm. II frequently car
RIGS off frOm one to a dozen ami
mails year. and there are num-
Der of Colorado farmers who ar"
aware that this statement is all
too true.
! We know that It is n germ dis
! case, Dut since tho germ IL !IlIiII
enough to pass through the finest
filters it is probably too small to
! be seen with II microscope.
] While arsenic and iron have been
4 most used and highly recommended.
yet most cases prove fatal in spite
of them. \, number of our vCtCri.
nary pra, titionCrs arc now recon-
mcnding slaughter rather than treat
/ mrnt. 1t ccratinly would seem. in
view of the wcllknown infectious
nature of The disease, that slaugh-
ter or isolation should be insisted
upon. Some state authorities are
strongly recommending Quarantining
the affected animals rs hao been
done ior g!anGCrS.. IL tie diS'as"
/ ru'':nu,. to increase rs il las
in tic past t,n years. it will Ia
doubI be n-.,"s."r! ter the sta;" 10
take radical ng"asur,s ?or stamping
! 1t Out.
Colorado Agricultural College. Fort
/ Collins.
/ L. NEWsOM.
Three Classes.
/ Trust Magnato-ls the morning mail
n?