354: 



ARID AGRICULTURE. 



TREATMENT 

 OF DIS- 

 TEMPER 



HOVEN OR 



BLOAT 



The all-important thing when the animal 

 first comes down is to see that the colt does not 

 get w T et; that he is kept in and given a little 

 grain and the very best of care. Other compli- 

 cations should be treated as they appear. The 

 throat can be poulticed and the guttural pouches 

 opened from the outside. Abscesses on the body 

 should always be opened with a sharp knife as 

 soon as they become soft. If the colt is choking 

 badly from the inflammation in the throat, he 

 may be treated by causing him to inhale carbol- 

 ized steam. Put two quarts of bran into a gunny 

 sack and dip it into a pailful of boiling-hot 

 water, in which has been placed a tablespoonful 

 of carbolic acid. Lift the sack over the head, 

 allowing him to inhale the vapor. 



Bloat is caused by the rapid formation of 

 gas in the paunch of cattle or sheep. It is caused 

 from over-eating of green or succulent food, 

 which ferments before it can digest. Bloat is a 

 very common trouble in the West where alfalfa 

 is pastured or where other green forage is used, 

 such as peas, rape, or clover. Sometimes dry 

 alfalfa hay causes bloating when it is very fine 

 stemmed, leafy and moist. If the bloating is 

 severe it causes the death of the animal through 

 stopping the heart and pressure on the lungs. 

 Animals which show that they are filling up 

 with .gas should be attended to promptly. Cat^e 

 may be relieved by puncturing the rumen or 



