AILMENTS OF COWS AT CALVING TIME 67 



animal suffers for a long time. It may be that the 

 membranes are retained, and these must be removed 

 if necessary and the animal put on to a course of 

 good nursing. She should be disinfected with a 

 reliable and weak antiseptic such as Jeyes' or Condy's 

 fluid. A purgative may be needed (i Ib. Epsom 

 salts for a cow), and give a laxative diet such as 

 bran mash, green barley, etc. The cow should be 

 kept warm. Keep her away from other cows, and 

 when she is better destroy or burn all the bedding, 

 etc., as precautions must be taken against the con- 

 tagious form. There is a peculiar sympathy in 

 disease amongst cows, and a good illustration of 

 this is in the case of abortion, for it is a familiar 

 experience that if a case of accidental abortion has 

 occurred one or more of the cows will abort 

 through sympathy. Captain Hayes, M.R.C.V.S., 

 in his book for horse-owners, says, " Nervous 

 sympathy cannot be doubted, and a mare having 

 aborted should certainly be separated from in-foal 



mares." 



Contagious Abortion. 



This is an extremely infectious disease seen 

 principally in the cow. In dairy herds it is some- 

 times responsible for the loss of forty to fifty per cent, 

 calves for two or three years running. 



Cause. It is due to an organism the pathologic 

 agent of which is not known, and as long as the 

 agent is not known contagious abortion must be 



