Bighead in Sheep
The XT. 8. Department of Agri-
culture, Bureau of Animal Indus- $
try, has issued the following by
H. J. Frederick, veterinarian, i'
Utah Agricultural Experiment 4
Station. i
$
BIGHEAD is a condition affecting
sheep, and is characterized by a
sudden swelling of the head and
ears. There is present in the swelled
portions of the head a straw-colored
serum which often drips from the
parts. The affected tissues present a
gelatinous appearnace, and the swell
ing is often so severe that the animal 's
vision is partially or entirely obscured.
This, with a severe irritation of the
bead, eauses the animal to be extremely
restless and to walk aimlessly about un
til exhausted. This affection has not
been found to bo transmissible to other
sheep or to experimental animals.
Bighead has been observed by sheep
men for upwards of 30 years. Each
floekmaster has a different theory re
garding its eause, and many supersti
tious ideas are in existenee. The affec
tion is not very widely distributed. It
has been reported and found in Utah
and the surrounding States, the greatest
losses occurring in Southern and Central
Utah, Southern Idaho, Eastern Nevada
and Western and Southern Wyoming.
Bighead has not been described in
ther countries, so far as the author has
been able to find, but fagopyrism (or
buckwheat poisoning), whieh is similar
in many respects to bighead, has been
described by a number of European
authors.
Causes of Bighead.
The definite canse of bighead is not
known, though it seems that climatic
conditions have much to do with its ap
pearance. Sheep are usually affected
during the Bprinp and early summer
ranges, more commonly before shearing.
Bighead seems to be most prevalent
after a eold or stormy night when the
day following turns hot with sunshine
and the sheep are driven fast in the hot
un, and where they are compelled to in
hale considerable alkali dust. It affects
males and females alike, thought it is
seldom seen in young lambs. This con
dition reemB to affect sheep in much the
same way as man is affected by poison
ivy. The disease does not seem to be
transmissible from one sheep to another
or to other animals. All experiments
with transfusion of blood or injection
of serum from the affected sheep to well
ones were without results.
, Thinking that probably it was due to
tome of the forage plants on which the
affected sheep had existed some time
prior to the outbreak, a number of them
were gathered and fed experimntally to
the sheep, then the animals were exposed
in much the same way as bands are
driven over the country where they con
tract this trouble, but in no ease was
bighead produced. Buckwheat was also
fed in both the green and the dry state
to a number of experimental sheep for
different periods of time, then they
were exposed to the hot sun, but none
of the conditions described by the Euro
pean writers were produced.
Plants Eaten by Sheep.
There are a number of forage plants
which belong to the buckwheat family
that sheep eat on the resert and on dif
ferent parts of the trail, and it could be
possible that this trouble may come
from that source, but the author has
been unable to locate it; nor was he
able to find any kind of a germ re
sponsible for the malady. Sheep with
bighead were locked up with healthy
ones and compelled to eat and drink
with them in fact, they were exposed
in every way possible, even inoculated
With all of the body fluids, but in no
Instance was the disease transmitted
from an affected to a healthy sheep,
It has been stated by many that the
Impoverished condition of many of the
range sheep brought on bighead, but in
the writer's experience sheep that were
well nourishec were attacked as readily
M the extremely poor ones. It is possi
ble that there is something pertaining
to the lymph drainage from the head of
the sheep that we do not understand,
or there may be something in the blood
or locally causing an exaggerated pass
age of fluid through the tissues. It
HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION
seems that the tissues lose their proper
elasticity and their muscular movements
are not normal, thus not allowing the
fluid from the head to eontinuo on its
journey toward the body.
Symptoms.
The first noticeable Bymptom is that
the animal begins to throw its head up
and sidewise in a jerking motion. It
seems to be greatly irritated, as it
shakes the bead and tries to rub it. The
animal walks aimlessly through the
flock, often stamping its feet on the
ground, very seldom standing still for
any length of time. The eyesight seems
to be affected, as the animal follows
a direct line, sometimes running into
other sheep and objects in its path. One
is naturally led to believe that there
must be brain symptoms or inflamma
tion developing, as the animal often be
haves as in regular mania. In this con
dition some of the sheep wander away
from the flock and are lost, either dy
ing as a result of exhaustion and star
vation or becoming a prey to coyotes.
If the animal is closely watched after
the jerking of the head begins, one can
see the ears turning red in color and
enlarging. Nearly at the Bame time the
cheeks show the same congested appear
ance, and these parts continue enlarg
ing to enormous proportions, the ears
drooping as a result of their weight.
After these swellings are about eom
plete, small drops of serum of a light
yellow color begin to exude from them.
The entire face becomes Bwollen to such
a degree as to close the eyes, and in
some cases the internal pressure of the
serum is so great as to force the eye
balls out of their sockets. Fever is al
ways present and shows itself early, tke
temperature ranging from 104 degrees to
107 degrees F. In the severe forms this
occurs in about from 30 minutes to one
hour 's time. The vision being obstruct
ed the animal can not see the food it
should eat, and the lips, checks and
tongue being so badly congested the
animal could not eat if it wanted to.
In many cases the tongue fills the mouth
completely. In some eases there is a
disturbance of the breathing, due to
pressure on the trachea and inflamma
tion of the air passages. This may be
due to some extent to excitement, and
when in this condition the sheep, if al
lowed to, will continue to ehase around
until completely exhausted, and will
then lie down, usually never to rise.
Others that are only slightly affected
may make a recovery. The skin often
peels off the swelled areas, many ani
mals losing the wool over the entire
body. Sheep once affected are never as
good as formerly, as they seem to be un
thrifty. Many of the ewes that carry
lambs lose them.
Lesions.
Sheep killed during the early stages
of tbe disease show peteehiae (purplish
spots) in the nostrils and all tissues of
the head, trachea, and lungs, 'the eye
balls, cheeks, the space between the
jaws, and the ears are infiltrated with
a serous fluid which becomes gelatinous,
making the skin over these parts ap
pear like a soft, thick cushion with
some serum exuding. This eushion may
become hardened, and later the skin
cracks and fissures appear n the affect
ed parts, and a gelatinous exudate is
found under the mucous membranes in
the mouth and the tongue. Where sheep
die as a result of this condition, this
gelatinous material is found in differ
ent parts of the body under the mucous
and serous membranes and in some oi
the muscles. There are often small
hemorrhagic spots along the intestinal
tract and around the kidneys. There is
a congestion and thickening of the walls
of the lymphatics, with a swelling oi
the lymph glands. The circulation from
the head was in many instances nearly
shut off by the pressure of the swollen
condition. The brain and spinal cord
of dead sheep contained an excessive
amount of serum. The muscle tissue ap
pears normal in most parts of tbe body
outside of the head.
Prevention.
Sheepmen recommend many methods
for preventing the disease, but most of
them were found to bo of little use.
Many flockmasters seem to think that
if the sheep are driven around a locality
where this affection usually attacks
them, or if they are not allowed to
drink :'rom certain streams ther will
ward off this trouble. There are certain
areas along the trail where Bheep are
driven that are noted spots for the con
traction of bighead. In such places the
disease has been very prevalent in the
past, and many of the sheepmen and
herders claim that by avoiding this
trail the sheep will not contract the
trouble. An opportunity was afforded
the writer one season to travel with the
sheep over the trail where great losses
had occurred in previous years. This
was over the country from the winter
to tho summer ranges from Southern
Utah and Nevada to Central Utah. On
this tTail he eould daily inspect about
10,000 Bheep by riding from one herd
to another. During two weeks the dif
ferent herds were closely observed daily,
but not a single case of bighead de
veloped, and they got entirely beyond
what was known as the dangerous
ground wheresheep had previously con
tracted the malady. Near the shearing
corrals two sheep were attacked, but
they were mild cases and made a com
plete recovery.
The writer is entirely convinced that
no places along the trail are more apt
to eause sheep to become affected than
others, but that the run and its heat
have more to do with it than any par
ticular locality or piece of ground.
Attacks of bigbcad in some herds were
very slight, the sheep often making a
complete recovery before the writer
could get to the scene of the outbreak.
Invariably such herds had not been
driven very hard when they contracted
the condition, the herder either drop
ping out the affected animals, or stop
ping with the entire herd, un tne otner
hand, where herders continued to drive
their sheep after they became affected,
the trouble was more severe and the
losses greater.
It was found that where sneep were
properly handled on the trail, that is,
not driven too long nor too fast during
the hot part of the day, especially after
a eold night or a storm, none of the
sheen contracted bighead. Again, if
some of the animals that contracted this
were dropped out of the herd, or the
entire herd stopped and allowed to get
in the shado, tho affection could be
overcome. If sheep are held immedi
ately after they show symptoms of the
malady, it is usually overcome in from
. . . . , 1 1 i
eight to twenty nours, tne mmai ap
pearing as well as at any time; while,
on the other hand, if they are driven
fast during the hot part of the day
many contract the disease and Buccumb
as a result.
Treatment
Different medicinal substanees were
(tTnnrimented with on affected sheep
with the view of finding some specific
that might partially or entirely over
come the trouble. Stimulants for pro-
duc.inir vascular action, as belladonna,
turpentine, iron, sulphate and strychnin
sulphate, were tried, bnt ail to no avail.
Vnr the awellins of the head such agents
as sugar of lead and alum were used
with some success. Internally, Jr'owier-s
solution was tried, also nuclein solu
tion and digitalis. The substances doing
the animals most good were emollients
applied to. the bead, such as vaseline
and olive oil. Whenever bighead sheep
had absolute rest and seme protection
from the direct rays of the sun ana
their heads were smeared with emolli
ents, they made a complete recovery in
a short time, while those that were not
treated in this manner, but were driven
indefinitely without these precautions,
became severely affected, many of
them dying as a result.
Manv shepherds practiced scaniying
or cutting open the swellings, but this
had a detrimental effect, as it exposea
thn Tiarts to infection, dust and dirt
getting into the wound and causing
death from wound infection ratner
than from bighead.
Conclusions.
Bighead is a condition affecting
principally the head and ears of sheep,
causing thorn to swell to enormous pro
portions.
It is not a regular contagious or in
fections disease, as it is not trans
missible from affected to healthy
sheep.
It is a condition inducod by severe
exertion of Bheep during very warm
weather, especially after a cold storm
or cold night.
It attacks all kinds of sheep, young
and old, male and female, but is not
common among lambs.
The malady is prevented by handling
sheep properly not driving tnem ti
far or too fast on the trail during the
heat, especially before shearing in the
spring.
When sheep are affected they should
be dropped out of the herd, or the en
tire band should be held and allowed
rest and shade if possible.
Sheep with swelled heads should have
their heads anointed with olive oil or
vaseline and be kept quiet from 12 to
24 hours.
Sheep should be moved only during
cooler parts of the day.
Sheepmen should not beeome excited
when bighead develops among their
flocks and force their herders to rush
their sheep over the ground, as tbey do
where poisonous plants exist. There it
no particular place for bighead to de
velop. Keep eool and keep the animais eooi
as far as possible and many great losses
can be prevented.
HORSE LORE.
Try to turn your horse's back
to the wind and blanket him
when tying him up.
Give a bran mash Saturday
night or Sunday noon and on
Wednesday night also if work is 0
slaek.
Tho actual cost to keep added
to the service fee of the sire rep-
resents the amount at which
horses you raise stand you.
Do not forget to salt tho horse
ones a week, or, better still,
keep salt always before him. He
knows best how much he needs.
B to careful in the choice of 4)
blacksmith that it is not neces-
sary for your horse to wear an
interfering boot.
THE
HOVO GA80LINE ENGINE '
Will Do tne Work Quicker and Cheape
For Too.
The most compact and simplest eat
gine made. No separate gasoline tank,
no separate water tank, no piping, n
careful adjustments. Absolutely guar
anteed against damage by freezing
Made in all sizes from 1 h. p. to 15 h. p,
and furnished in combination with fore
pumps, centrifugal pumps, deep well
pumps, wood saws, spraying outfits, ete.
Lower prices than formerly. For full
particulars address
The Beebe Company
x Department C. 1
182-4 6 Morrison St. Portland, Orego
Buy one and take
pietnret of your
stocks, crops and
buildings.
We tarry all sup
plies and do finish
ing.
PIKE & MARKHAM CO.
343 Washington St., Portland, Oregon,
HIDES
PTJKS, WOOL, FELTS, ETC
HXBBABD-STEWABI 00,
' Status, Wsih.
Write for Price List and
Shipping Tags.
(Pleate mention thli piper.)
-i
(Oft
Jrrt
Is