*54 



CATTLE— DISEASES AND REMEDIES. 



unable to eat, a few quarts of tolerably 

 thick gruel may be horned down every 

 day; but ale and gin, and spices, and 

 tonic medicines, must be avoided as down- 

 right poisons. Even the treacle and the 

 sugar in the gruel must be prohibited, 

 from their tendency to become acid in 

 the debilitated stomach of the animal re- 

 covering from such a complaint. 



Every symptom of the disease having 

 vanished, the beast may very slowly re- 

 turn to his usual food; but, when he is 

 turned out to pasture, it will be prudent 

 to give him a very short bite of grass, 

 and little or no dry meat. Nature is the 

 best restorer of health and strength in 

 these cases ; and it is often surprising not 

 only how rapidly the ox will regain all 

 he has lost, if left to nature, and not fool- 

 ishly forced on, but how soon and to 

 what a considerable degree his condition 

 will improve, beyond the state in which 

 he was before the complaint. 



The ox that has once had inflamma- 

 tion of the brain should ever afterwards 

 be watched, and should be bled and phys- 

 icked whenever there is the least appear- 

 ance of staggers or fever. The safest 

 way will be to send him to the butcher as 

 soon as he is in sufficient condition. 



Sometimes the disease does not run its 

 full course. There is but a slight degree 

 of inflammation, or there may be sudden 

 determination or flow of blood to the 

 head from some occasional cause, and 

 without inflammation. This is known by 

 the name of Staggers (which see). 



CATTLE, Phrenitis. (See Cattle, 

 Inflammation of the Brain.) 



CATTLE, Staggers, or Swimming in 

 the Head. — The symptoms are heaviness 

 and dullness ; a constant disposition (See 

 Cattle, Inflammation of the Brain) 

 to sleep, which is manifested by the 

 beast resting its head upon any con- 

 venient place ; and he reels or staggers 

 when he attempts to walk. If this dis- 

 ease is not checked by bleeding, purging, 

 and proper management, it will probably 

 terminate in inflammation of the brain or 

 inflammatory fever. 



It mostly attacks those cattle that have 

 been kept in a state of poverty and star- 

 vation during the winter season, and in 

 the spring of the year have been admitted 

 into too fertile a pasture : hence is pro- 

 duced a redundancy of blood in the sys- 



tem, which, on the slightest disturbance, 

 or even naturally, gives rise to the dis- 

 ease. 



The cure must be attempted by taking 

 four, five or six quarts of blood from the 

 animal, according to the size and 

 strength; the Physic Drink must then be 

 administered, and Purging Drink No. 2 

 continued in half doses every eight hours 

 until the full purgative effect is produced. 

 If the animal is not relieved in the course of 

 two hours from the first bleeding, the op- 

 eration must be repeated to the same ex- 

 tent, unless the beast should become faint; 

 and the bowels must be kept in a loose or 

 rather purging state by No. 2. As soon 

 as the bowels are opened, the Fever 

 Drink No. i should be given morning, 

 noon and night until the patient is well. 

 Nothing more than a very little mash 

 should be allowed, and all cordials should 

 be avoided as absolutely destructive to 

 the beast. 



When the animal appears to be doing 

 well, he must very slowly be permitted to 

 return to his usual food. He should for 

 some weeks be put into short and scanty 

 pasture ; the seton should be continued 

 in the dewlap, and occasional doses of 

 Epsom salts administered. 



CATTLE PLAGUE.— Chloride of cop- 

 per is now extensively used in Germany as 

 a preventive against the cattle plague. 

 The mode of administering the specific 

 is as follows: A solution is first made by 

 dissolving one quarter of an ounce of the 

 green crystallized salts in spirits of wine. 

 In this solution a pad of cotton is soaked 

 for a little while, and is then laid on a 

 plate and set on fire in the centre of the 

 stable, the animals' heads being turned to- 

 ward the flame so as to make them breathe 

 the fumes. The operation is performed 

 morning and evening, and a spirit lamp 

 filled with the solution left burning in the 

 stable every night. The liquid is also ad- 

 ministered internally, with the addition of 

 one-half an ounce of chloroform for the 

 above quantity, a teaspoonful being put 

 into the animal's drink three times a day. 



CATTLE, Sore Month in. — Take a weak 

 solution of carbolic acid, say 1 to 5 drops 

 to the ounce of water, washing the mouth 

 every few hours, allowing a little to be 

 swallowed, and following this with mild 

 tonics and food that will not irritate the 

 mouth. 



