Common Diseases of Farm Animals

by Robert Alexander Craig

The causes are local irritation to the skin from lying on filthy floors, sweating and irritation from the harness. According to some writers, pus germs are the only cause, the mechanical agents merely aiding in the production of the infection.

The face, side of the neck, shoulders, back and sides of the trunk and quarters are the usual seats of disease. The pimples or nodules may disappear within a few weeks, or persist throughout the warm season. The eruption may disappear without leaving scars, or suppuration occurs and small bald spots result.

The treatment consists in removing the cause of the disease and cleaning the skin with antiseptic washes. The surroundings of the animal must be kept clean and a good bed provided. If possible, the horse should be laid off from work as soon as the condition is noted. Washing the part with a weak water solution of permanganate of potassium may be practised daily. Fowler's solution of arsenic may be given. This may be given with the feed.

ECZEMA.—This is an inflammation of the vascular capillary bodies and the superficial layer of the skin. There may be marked inflammatory exudate, causing the surface of the skin to become excessively moist and more or less itching. Redness, vesicles and pustules may characterize the inflammation. In the chronic form the skin may become thickened and greatly changed in structure.

Eczematous inflammation of the skin may occur in all domestic animals, but it is most common in the dog. In the horse local eczema (scratches) is common.

The most frequent cause is external irritation. Accumulations of filth on the skin and continual wetting of the part are common causes. Mechanical causes are rubbing, pressure, the action of the sun's rays and chemical irritants. Internal causes, such as catarrhal diseases of the stomach and weakness and emaciation from disease, may act as direct or predisposing causes. Tender-skinned animals seem to be predisposed to the disease.

The symptoms vary in the different species of animals. In the horse the thin skin posterior to the fetlock and knee, in front of the hock and on the under side of the body is most commonly inflamed. Moisture and dirt seem to be the most common causes. Eczema may involve the skin covered by the mane and tail in animals that are not properly groomed and inclined to rub or scratch. Cattle may suffer from eczematous inflammations in the region of the forehead, back of neck and base of tail. A very common form of the disease involves the space between the toes. Sheep frequently suffer from inflammation of the skin over the fetlock region. The skin of animals having long fleeces, or heavy coats of hair that become wet at a time when there is no opportunity to dry out quickly, may become inflamed. Dogs are commonly affected by the acute and chronic forms of eczema. Eczema of swine is limited mostly to young hogs. It is rather rare, excepting in hogs that are pasturing on certain kinds of clover and rape, or on muck lands.

The inflammation is accompanied by a marked tenderness and itching, and the animal licks and scratches the part. This increases the extent of the skin lesions. The skin appears moist, later dirty, scabby and thickened. Cracks and pustules may form. Gangrene and sloughing of the skin may occur.

The treatment is both preventive and curative. Cases of eczema caused by filth and wetness can be prevented by giving the necessary attention to keeping the skin clean and not allowing animals access to muddy, filthy places. Keeping the bed clean and regulating the diet are important preventive measures. Before the inflammation can be successfully treated the cause must be removed.

In acute eczema it is advisable to protect the part against water, filth and air. Powders and ointments may be used during the early stages of the inflammation. Two parts boric acid, four parts flour, and one part tannic acid may be dusted over the moist surface. One part zinc oxide and twelve parts vaseline is a useful ointment. Scratching the part should be controlled in every case by muzzles, collars and bandages. Dirt and scales may be removed from the skin by washing with cotton soaked in lime water or linseed oil. The animal should receive laxative doses of Glauber's salts or oil every few days. A simple, easily digested ration should be fed. The following mixture may be applied in obstinate cases: oil of tar and soft soap, two parts each, and alcohol one part.