Juniper treating Damson, who is sick with Fouldrought
Fouldrought is a terrible disease that has had known outbreaks on Mistmantle and Whitewings. Its only appearance in the stories, asides from tales told by animals, is in The Heir of Mistmantle.
Description and Symptoms[]
Symptoms include severe headaches, high fever, vomiting, aching, swollen limbs, convulsions, and in some cases, a yellow or red rash on the creature's paws, with a lack of treatment often resulting in death. It primarily effects the old, young, and animals with preexisting conditions, although any animal that catches it is in danger, even if treated.
The main known cause of Fouldrought is a contaminated water source. It's noted that otters seem to be immune to Fouldrought, although this could be due to them getting their water from different sources.
History[]
The Heir of Mistmantle[]
During a particularly hot summer, an outbreak of Fouldrought happen on Mistmantle, with many animals catching the disease. Most of the animals that caught it were cured, such as Brother Fir, Yarrow, and Hobb. However, there were also quite a few deaths, including Juniper's foster mother, Damson.
Eventually, the cause of the contamination is discovered by Fingal, Crackle and Scatter, and revealed to be a rotting fish that was stuck in the headwaters of a stream that many creatures got their water from, and was likely dropped by a bird. Fingal burns the rotting fish, thus destroying the source of disease.