HINTS ON COWPOX.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 July 1930, Page 23

HINTS ON COWPOX.

SYMPTOMS AND PIMPLES. Cowpox is a contagious disease, due to a specific blood poison, which has a period of incubation of three to nine days, shows itself by a slight fever lasting. for a couple of days, then breaks out in pimples on the teats, udder, flanks, escutcheon and around the vulva; nose, mouth, and eyes. These pimples, red at first, enlarge from day to day until they attain a diameter of about half an inch to an inch and become yellow. A distinct vesicle forms, breaks, runs a yellowisi lymph, which is the active .virus of the disease, dries up, a scab forms over it, and the whole trouble disappears as gently as it came. The only trouble to be had from the disease is in milch cows from the teats becoming sore. These are sometimes completely covered with the vesicles, and even confluent, rendering, milking a very painful operation. It runs a definite course, heals up, and disappears of itself in from 15 to 30 days, and induces a condition of immunity. If the teats become so sore as to bo pamfu in milking the teat siphon may be used. If in cold weather warm the siphon, smear it with olive oil, pass it up the teat very carefully, and draw off the milk. If the udder swells very much, frequent bathing with hot water and supporting with a bandage will be a benefit. The disease may be communicated in a milder form ta the. nwl/er by means of the virus, to which fact vaccination owes its origin, for it was found that persons inoculated accidentally with the virus of cowpox either enjoyed an immunity from smallpox oi suffered from an exceedingly mild form of this disease. _ . , Treatment consists of relieving the pain as much as possible by fomenting and washing the udder with warm water and some mild antiseptic such as Condy’s fluid or permanganate of potash. Where the rash is severe and there is much cracking of the skin a preparation of belladonna and .glycerine may be used. This tends to relieve the pain, but should only _be used where this is excessive, for it tends to dry up the secretion of milk. Food of a cooling nature should be given, and to avoid spreading the disease through a whole herd, aflected cows should be handled by one man only, or, where this is not possible, left always till the last. Small doses of potassium nitrate will tend to overcome the fever. Tho milk is not affected, but care should bo taken the preparations which are applied to the udder should be removed before milking, so as to avoid contaminating the milk. Occasionally inflammation of the udder results, which must be treated accordingly-