MILK FEVER. 77 



and the breathing more difficult ; the udder is 

 hard and swelled, and little or no milk can be 

 withdrawn from it. Gradually becoming worse, 

 the weakness in the hind legs increases to so 

 great an extent that they can no longer support 

 her ; she staggers and sways about, falling, at 

 length, heavily upon the ground ; she tries to rise 

 again, and may or may not succeed ; in either 

 case, she soon loses all power of getting up, and 

 remains upon the ground in a helpless state. In 

 this stage of the complaint the symptoms vary in 

 different cases. In some cases they are the cow 

 tosses her head about] from one place to another, 

 writhes her body, lashes her tail, struggles, 

 stretches out her hind legs, moans, bellows, and 

 appears, from the expression of her face and gen- 

 eral behavior, to suffer great pain. At the same 

 time the breathing is difficult and labored ; the 

 skin covered with clammy sweat ; the paunch 

 enormously swollen, owing to the stomach having 

 entirely or partially, lost the power of dissolving 

 the food, which now undergoes the ordinary chem- 

 ical changes, attended with the giving off of gas. 

 . Unless the swelling, which arises from the 

 presence of this gas, subside, the breathing be- 

 comes more and more difficult and labored, so that 

 the animal can scarcely take her breath ; the 

 pulse becomes oppressed, and can scarcely be 

 counted at the jaw ; the legs become very cold ; 

 more severe pain is felt ; wind, having a bad 

 smell, rises up from the stomach, and death en- 

 sues. 



In other cases, again, these symptoms are alto- 

 gether absent, or exist only in a slight Degree ; 

 the more prominent ones being these the cow 

 lies stretched out full length upon her side, or her 

 head is brought to the opposite side, with the 



