Symptoms Page 2

 The earliest noticeable symptoms of this condition of Photosensitization
in cattle are an empty, dejected appearance combined with excessive drooling,
sometimes lacrimation and usually diarrhea. Following this, the affected animal
licks itself more than usual, there is excessive switching of the tail and
swinging of the head, sometimes becoming almost continuous as though flies
were severe when none are visible. Many of them soon come to the violent
head-shaking stage and repeatedly scratch their horns and polls with their
hind feet or rub their heads on posts or fence wires. The burned appearance
of the muzzle, nostrils and eyelids soon becomes evident and is sometimes
followed by blistering of the ears, anus, flank, udder or scrotum, or any
naturally white spots or thin-skinned areas which the animal may have The blis-
tered ears usually turn inward and become more or less covered inside and out
with scab. The urine from some affected animals is a dark, reddish-brown
color. Some animals, in the absence of proper treatment, have died before the
sunburned symptoms actually appear.

 Postmortem findings show an enlarged, granular liver with an excess of
yellow-colored fluid evident when the organ is cut into. The gall bladder is
distended with yellow bile and some animals have an excess of yellow fluids in the
peritoneal cavity. Varying degrees of icterus are found in all cases.

 Similar Photosensitization Elsewhere

 A study of reports from other places has shown that sheep in South
 Africa are affected in this way and the disease has been named "Geeldikkop",
 meaning "yellow thick head", by the veterinarians in that country. In New
 Zealand both sheep and cattle have this disease. There it is called "Facial
 Eczema". The phylloerythrin has been isolated in both of these cases and they
 have found it possible to reproduce the Photosensitization without the icterus
 by subcutaneous injections of the phylloerythrin.
 Treatment

 An effective treatment was developed through the cooperation of
 Dr. C. A. Forman of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and Dr. R. D. Henthorne of
 Lake :'orth, Florida, using sodium thiosulfate. TVhen used as an intravenous
 injection, at the rate of one ounce per 100 pounds live weight, only reagent
 grade is recommended. Commercial grade thiosulfate is satisfactory for oral
 administration and can be used at 2 ounces per 100 pounds live weight. Most
 rapid recovery was obtained by giving both intravenous and oral treatments
 simultaneously. In these cases the oral dose was one ounce per 100 pounds.

 Seven animals were successfully cured experimentally without medical
 treatment by putting the animals in a dry lot on feed containing no chlorophyll.
 Sources of Losses

 Losses may vary considerably. In some instances every animal in the
 herd was affected to a greater or lesser degree. Many of those that die in the
 early stages of the disease are dark colored animals. After the blisters appear
 there is more danger of death loss from secondary infections in the open wounds
 caused by second and third degree burns. These burns are more severe on light
 colored animals and sometimes appear only on the white spots.

 Much of the economic loss comes from the extreme weight losses of
 affected animals. Experimental animals lost an average of from 3 to 9.5 pounds
 per day for two to three weeks. Recovery is slow after the affected animal gets
 back on feed. Some animals show the burn scars permanently.