Gresham outlook., August 21, 1914, Page 8, Image 8

HOM E AND FA RM M AGAZINE SECTIO N
.
,
,1
„ _
seems th a t the tissues lose th e ir proper
elasticity and th eir m uscular movem ents
are not normal, th u s n o t allow ing the
fluid from th e head to continue on its
journey tow ard tho body.
♦
♦
The U. S. D epartm ent of Agri-
<■ culture, B ureau of Animal Indus-
♦ try , has issued th e follow ing by
♦ II. J. F red erick , v eterin arian ,
U tah A gricultural E xperim ent
♦ S tation.
«1
♦
IG HEAD is a co ndition affe c tin g
sheep, and is ch aracterized by a
sudden sw elling of the head and
cars. There is present in th e swelled
portions of th e head a straw colored
serum which o ften drips from the
parts. The a ffected tissues present a
gelatinous appearnaee, and th e sw ell­
in g is o ften so severe th a t tho a n im a l’s
vision is p a rtia lly or e n tirely obscured.
This, w ith a severe irrita tio n of the
bead, cause.» the anim al to be extrem ely
restless and to w alk aim lessly about u n ­
til exhausted. This affectio n has not
been found to be transm issible to other
sheep or to experim ental anim als.
B ighead has been observed by sheep­
men fo r upw ards o f 30 years. Each
flockm aster has a d iffe re n t theory re ­
gard in g its cause, and m any supersti
tious ideas are in existence. The a ffe c ­
tio n is not very widely distrib u ted . I t
has been reported and found in U tah
and tho surrounding S tates, th e g reatest
lueses occurring in Southern and C entral
U tah, Southern Idaho, E astern N evada
and W estern and Southern Wyoming.
Bighead has not been described in
eth er countries, so fa r as the author lias
been able to find, b u t fagopyrisin (or
buckw heat poisoning), which is sim ilar
in m any respects to bighead, has been
described by a num ber o f European
authors.
Causes of Bighead.
The d efin ite cause of bighead is not
known, though it seems th a t clim atic
conditions have much to do w ith its ap
pearance. Sheep are usually affected
during th e spring and early summer
ranges, more commonly before shearing.
B ighead seems to be most prevalent
a fte r a cold or storm y n ig h t when the
day following tu rn s hot w ith sunshine
and the sheep are driven fa s t in tho hot
sun, and where they are compelled to in ­
bale considerable alkali dust. It affeets
males and fem ales alike, th o u g h t it is
seldom seen in young lam bs. T his con­
dition leems to a ffe c t sheep in much the
sam e way as man is a ffected b y poison
ivy. The disease does not seem to bo
transm issible from one sheep to another
or to other anim als. All experim ents
w ith transfusion of blood or injection
of serum from the affected sheep to well
ones were w ithout results.
,
T hinking th a t probably it was due to
some of the foruge p lan ts on which the
affected sheep had existed some tim e
prior to the o utbreak, a num ber of them
were gathered uud fed ex p en m u tally to
th e sheep, then th e anim als were ex|>osed
in much the sam e way as bands are
driven over th e country where they con­
tra c t th is trouble, but in no case was
bighead produced. B uckw heat was also
fed in^both the green and th e d ry sta te
to a number of experim ental sheep for
d iffe re n t periods of tim e, then they
were exposed to the hot sun, b n t none
e f the conditions described by the Euro
pean w riters were produced.
B
Symptoms.
Tho first noticeable sym ptom is th a t
the anim al begins to throw its head up
and sidewise in a je rk in g m otion. I t
seems to bo g re a tly irrita te d , as it
shakes the head and tries to rub it. The
anim al walks aim lessly th ro u g h the
flock, often stam p in g its fe e t on the
ground, very seldom stan d in g still for
an y length of tim e. Tho eyesight seems
to lte affected, as th e anim al follows
a d irect line, som etimes ru n n in g into
other sheep and objects in its p ath. One
is n aturally led to believe th a t th ere
m ust b© b rain sym ptom s or inflam m a
tion developing, as the anim al often be
haves as in reg u lar m ania. In th is con­
dition some of the sheep w ander aw ay
from th e flock and are lost, e ith e r d y ­
ing as a result of exhaustion and s ta r ­
vation or becoming a prey to coyotes.
I f th e animal is closely w atched a fte r
the jerking of tho head begins, one can
see th e ears tu rn in g red in color and
enlarging. N early a t th e same tim e the
cheeks show the same congested a p p ear­
ance, and these p a rts continue en larg ­
ing to enormous proportions, th e ears
drooping as a result of th e ir weight.
A fte r these sw ellings are about com
plotc, small drops of serum of a light-
yellow color begin to exude from them.
The entire face becomes swollen to such
a degree as to close th e eyes, and tn
some cases the in tern al pressure of the
serum is so g reat as to force th e eye­
balls out of th eir sockets. F ev er is al
wavs present and shows itself early, th e
tem perature ranging from 104 degrees to
107 degrees F. In th e severe form s this
oecurs in about from 30 m inutes to one
h o u r's time. The vision b eing o b stru ct­
ed th e anim al can not see th e food it
should eat, and th e lips, checks and
tongue being so b ad ly congested the
anim al could n o t e a t i f it w an ted to.
In many cases the tonguo fills th e mouth
cases th
completely. In some eases
m ere is a
ward o ff th is trouble. T here are certain
areas along the tra il where sheep are
driven th a t are noted spots for the eon
tractio n of bighead. Iu such plaecs the
disease has been very prev alen t in the
riant, and m anv of the sheepm en and
I
•
av o .d .n e this
herders claim th a t by avoiding this
tra il tho Rheep will not co n tract the
trouble. An opportunity was afforded
the w rite r one season to trav el w ith the
sheep over th e tra il where g reat losses
had occurred in previous years. This
was over th e country from tho w inter
to tho sum mer ranges from Southern
U tah and N evada to C entral U tah. O il
th is tra il he eould daily inspect about
10,000 sheep by riding from one herd
to another. D uring two weeks tho d if­
feren t herds w ere closely observed daily,
b u t not a single case of bighead de­
veloped, and th ey got en tirely beyond
w hat was know n as th e dangerous
ground w here sheep had previously con­
tra c te d the m alady. N ear the shearing
eorrals tw o sheep wero a tta c k e d , but
th ey w ere m ild eases and made a com
pleto recovery.
T he w rite r is entirely convinced th at
no places along the trail are more apt
to cause sheep to become affected than
others, but th a t the run and its heat
have more to do w ith it th an an} par
ticu lar locality or piece of ground.
A tta c k s of bighead in some herds were
very slight, th e sheep often m aking a
completo recovery before th e w riter
conld get to th e scene of th e outbreak.
In v a ria b ly such herds had not been
driven very h ard when they contracted
the condition, th e herder e ith er drop­
ping c u t the a ffected anim als, or stop
ping w ith the en tire herd. On the other
hand, w here herders continued to drive
th eir sheep a f te r they became affected,
the tro u b le w as more severe and the
losses greater.
I t w as found th a t where sheep were
properly handled on the tra il, th a t is,
not d riven too long nor too fa s t during
tho h o t p a rt of th e day, especially after
a cold n ig h t or a storm, nono of the
sheep eo n tracted bighead. Again, if
some o f the anim als th a t co ntracted this
wero dropped ont of the herd, or the
en tire herd stopped and allow ed to get
in the shade, th e affectio n could be
overcome. I f sheep are held immedi
ately a fte r th ey show sym ptom s of the
m alady, it is usually overcome in from
—
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-
ttni_ „ ls nn-
heat, especially before shearing in tha
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 w ith swelled heads should have
th eir heads anointed w ith olive oil or
vaseline and be k ept quiet from 12 to
24 hours.
Sheep should be moved onlv during
cooler parts of the day.
Sheepmen should not become excited
when bighead develops am ong th e ir
flocks and force th eir herders to rush
th eir sheep over tho ground, as they do
w here poisonous p lan ts exist. There is
no p a rticu lar place for bighead to de­
velop.
K eep eool and keep th e anim als cool
as fa r as possible and many g re a t losses
can be prevented.
................... ..............................................
4
*
A
HORSE LORE.
T ry to tu rn your h o rse’s back
to the w ind and b la n k e t him
w hen ty in g him up.
G ive a b ran mash S atu rd ay
<f> n ig h t or S unday noon and on
W ednesday n ig h t also if work is
* alack.
The actual cost to keep added
* to the service fee of the sire rep­
resents the am ount a t which
’ horses you raise stan d you.
*
Do not fo rg et to salt th e horse
once a week, or, b e tte r still,
keep sa lt alw ays before him. lie
know s best how much he needs.
Be so careful in the choice of
a blacksm ith th a t it is not neces­
sary fo r your horse to w ear an
in te rfe rin g boot.
«
4»
*
♦
«
p earing ae well as a t any tim e; while,
pressure on th e trach ea and in flam m a
on the other hand, if they arc driven
tion o f the a ir passages. T his may be
fa s t during th e hot p a rt o f tho day
due to some e x te n t to excitem ent, ano
m any co n tract th e disease and succumb
when in this condition the sheep, if al
lowed to, w ill eontinue to chase around as a result.
T reatm ent.
u n til com pletely exhausted, and will
then lie down, usnally n ever to rise.
D iffe re n t m edicinal substances were
O thers th a t aro only slig h tly affected experim ented w ith on affe c te d sheep
may m ake a recovery. The skin often w ith th e view of finding some specific
peels o ff th e swelled areas, m any a n i­ th a t m ight p a rtia lly or en tire ly over­
mals losing th e wool over th e e n tire come the trouble. S tim u lan ts fo r pro­
THE
body. Sheep once affected are never as ducing vascular action, as belladonna,
NOVO GASOLINE ENGINE
good as form erly, as they seem to be nn tu rp en tin e, iron, sulphate and strychnin
th rifty . M any o f th e ewes th a t carry sulphate, were tried, b n t all to no avail. Will Do the Work Quicker and Cheap«*
For You.
lam bs lose them .
For th e sw elling of the head such agents
The m ost eom pact and sim plest cm.
as sugar of lead and alum w ere used
Lesions.
gine made. No sep arate gasoline ta n k ,
Sheep k illed du rin g th e early stages w ith some success. In te rn a lly , F ow ler’s no sep arate w ater tan k , no piping, na
of the disease show peteehiae (purplish solution was tried , also nuclein solu­ careful adjustm ents. A bsolutely guar»
spots) in th e no strils and all tissues of tion and d ig italis. The substances doing anteed ag ain st dam age by freezing)
th e head, tra c h e a , and lungs. The eye the anim als m ost good w ere emollients Made in all sizes from 1 b. p. to 15 h. p ,
balls, cheeks, th e space betw een tb e applied to tb e head, such as vasel.ne and furnished in com bination w ith fore*
jaw s, and th e ears are in filtra te d w ith and olive oil. W henever bighead sheep pumps, cen trifu g al pumps, deep well
a serous fluid w hich becomes gelatinous, had absolute re s t and some protection
pumjis, wood saws, spraying ou tfits, cto.
m aking th e skin over these p arta ap from th e d irect rays of th e sun and Low er prices th an form erly. F o r fu ll
pear like a so ft, th ick cushion w ith th e ir heads were sm eared w ith emolli-
p articu lars address
some serum exuding. T his eushion may e sts, thev m ade a com plete recovery in
a
sh
o
rt
tim
e,
while
those
th
a
t
were
not
become h ardened, and la te r th e skin
cracks and fissures «Fpear in the affaet tre a te d in th is m anner, b u t w ere driven
D epartm ent C.
ed parts, and a gelatinous exudato is in d efin itely w ithout these precautions
Flanta Eaten by Sheep.
found under th e mucous mem brane« in becam e severely affected , m any of 1S2 4 6 Morrison 8 t. P o rtlan d , O reg o n
T here are a num ber of forage plants the mouth and the tongue. W here sheep them dying as a result.
M any shepherds practiced scarifying
which belong to the buckw heat fam ily die as a resu lt of th is condition, th is
th a t sheep r a t on th e resert and on d if gelatinous m aterial is found in d iffe r or c u ttin g open the sw ellings, but this
fe re n t p arts of the tra il, and it could be ent p arts of th e body under th e mucous had a detrim ental effect, as it exposed
possible th a t th is trouble may come and serous m em branes and in some of the p a rts to infeetion, dust and dirt
from th a t source, b u t th e author has tho muscles. T here are often small g ettin g into the wound and eau«ing
been unable to locate it; nor was be hem orrhagic spots along the in testin al d eath from wound infeetion rath er
able to find any kind of a germ re tra c t and around the kidneys. T here is th a n from bighead.
Buy one and taka
sponsible for th e m alady. Sheep with a congestion and th ick en in g of th e wall«
Conclusions.
p i c t u r e s of your
bighead were locked up w ith healthy o f th e lym phatics, w ith a sw elling of
e t o e k s , c r o p s and
B ighead is a condition affectin g
aces and compelled to e a t and d rink the Ivraph glands. The circulât on from
buildings.
principally th e head and ears e f sheep,
w ith th em —in fa ct, th ey w ere exposed the head w as in m any in stan ces nearly
We ta r ry all scp.
causing them to «well to enorm ous pro­
is scary way possible, even inoculated shut o ff by the pressure of th e swollen
plies and do finish­
w ith all of the body fluids, b u t in no condition. The b rain and sp .n al cord portions.
ing.
I t is net a regular contagions or in­
Instance was th e disease tra n sm itte d of dead sheep contained an excessive
fectious disease, as it is not trans-
from an affected to a h ealth y sheep.
am ount e f serum . The muscle tissue ap miseiblo from affeeted to healthy
343 Washington St., Portland, Oregon.
I t has been sta te d by many th at the pears norm al in most p arta of tho body
sheep.
Im poverished condition of m any of tho ontsido of th o head.
I t is a condition induced by severe
sange sheep brought on bighead, b n t in
Prevention.
exertion of sheep during v ery warm
th e w rite r’s experience sheep th a t were
Sheepmen recommend m any methods w eather, especially a fte r a eoid storm
well n n n r“ hei were a ttach e 1 as readily
for
p rev en tin g th e disease, bu t most of or cold night.
m the extrem ely poor one» It is possi
I t a tta c k s all kinds e f sheep, young
rexs. W W I. PELTS ETC.
hie th a t th ere is som ething p ertain in g | them were found to be of little use.
H IBB A R D STTWAXT CO,
and old, m ale and fem ale, b u t is aot
to th e lymph drain ag e from the head o f M any flockm asters seem to th in h th a t
Seattle. Week.
tbo sheep th a t we do not understand, if thé sheep a re driven around a locality common am ong lambs.
Write
for
Pries List and
The m alady is prevented by handling
as there may be som ething in the blood where this affectio n usually a tta c k s
Shipping Tags.
sheep
properly—
not
d
riv
in
g
them
too
T"»»»» n r . . ? ih.»
ar locally canning an ex ag g erated pas« them , or if th ey are not allowed to
fa r or too fa s t on the tr a il du r.n g tho
age of Quid through the tis 'u e a I t d rink '-ora ce rta in s*reams they will
The Beebe Company
PIK E & MARKHAM CO.
HI