254 WESTERN GRAZING GROUNDS AND FOREST RANGES 



gas pressure against the heart and lungs simply stops 

 the breath, and it is but a matter of seconds if the 

 animal is to be saved. 



Various remedial methods are practiced among stock- 

 men to aid the animal. Baking soda (bicarbonate of 

 sodium) is frequently used as drench in the early stages, 

 but its value is somewhat doubtful. Shoving a piece of 

 garden hose down the animal's throat is also a common 

 expedient. This opens up the throat and stomach and 

 allows the gas to escape. Many stockmen will tie a 

 "bit" composed of a piece of hoe or shovel handle about 

 eight inches long into the animal's jaws. This keeps 

 the jaws open and allows some of the gas to escape. 



Some stockmen, seeing a tendency to bloat among a 

 bunch of cattle, will go into the fields on good horses 

 and with whips run the animals about the field for half 

 an hour. If the trouble has not gone too far this will 

 often bring relief. 



The one certain remedy for bloat is what is known 

 among stockmen as "paunching" or "rumenotomy." If 

 you will notice the old milk cows in an alfalfa growing 

 region, you will see just below the left hip bone and 

 about four inches back from the last small rib a number 

 of scars. Sometimes you will see an open wound, and 

 if you happen along when the animal coughs you may 

 see a thin stream of green half-digested alfalfa spurt 

 from the wound. This is the result of "paunching." 

 The stream of alfalfa is forced out of the stomach by 

 the cough through a wound not yet healed. 



Whenever it is necessary to perform this surgical 

 operation there is little time in which to speculate and 

 study up on the proper methods. "Do it now" is emi- 

 nently applicable to this affair, for every second counts. 



