i68 



CATTLE— DISEASES AND REMEDIES. 



contraction has reminded the animal of 

 the necessary process of rumination, or 

 has rendered it almost impossible for him 

 to continue to feed until some portion of 

 the contents of the stomach has been re- 

 turned and remasticated. 



If the farmer will adopt such a plan, 

 the Cordial Drink, No. 46, is as good as 

 any that can be given. (See Domestic 

 Animals, Medicines for.) 



I must confess, however, that, although 

 I would not absolutely condemn such a 

 practice, I would much rather trust to 

 simpler and more effectual precautions. 

 I would take care that the change of food 

 should not be too sudden nor too great. 

 If there was an evident difference in the 

 nutritive quality of the two pastures, I 

 would be carefully on the watch, and re- 

 move the beast to shorter grass, before 

 material mischief could be effected. 



Suppose, however, that the mischief is 

 •done ; the stomach is distended, and the 

 animal is evidently threatened with imme- 

 diate suffocation. Nothing but mechani- 

 cal means will now be of avail. 



Some drive the animal about. This is 

 sadly cruel work; for he seems to be 

 scarcely able to move, and appears as if 

 he would be suffocated every moment. 

 This has, however, been sometimes suc- 

 cessful, especially if the beast is made to 

 trot; for, by the motion and shaking of 

 the stomach thus produced, the roof of 

 the paunch has been forced a little open, 

 and a portion of the air has escaped, and 

 some of the food with it, and the stomach 

 has been relieved from a part of its dis- 

 tension, and has been enabled to act 

 upon the remaining food, and the process 

 of rumination has recommenced. It is, 

 however, dangerous work; for in the act 

 of moving with the stomach so distended, 

 either it or the diaphragm upon which it 

 is pressing, is in danger of being ruptured. 



Some have resorted to an operation. 

 Midway between the last rib and the 

 haunch-bone, the distended paunch will 

 be felt pressing against the flank. A 

 lancet or a pocket-knife has been plunged 

 into the animal at that spot, which has 

 passed through the skin and the wall of 

 the belly, and entered the paunch. The 

 vapor has then rushed out with a hissing 

 noise, and steamed up four or five feet 

 high, and some of the contents of the 

 \bowels have been forced up with the gas, 



and the flanks have fallen, and the beast 

 has evidently become less, and has been 

 so much relieved that he has begun to 

 ruminate, and has done well. The wound 

 is left open for a while, that any newly- 

 formed gas may escape; it then soon 

 heals of itself, or would almost immedi- 

 ately if its edges were brought together 

 by a slip of adhesive plaster. 



It, however, too frequently happens, 

 that, although present relief has been 

 obtained, and the beast has ruminated 

 and eaten, it has in a lew days begun to 

 show symptoms of indisposition, and has 

 become feverish, and drooped, and died. 

 We account for this by some of the gas, 

 and, perhaps, a portion of the food, get- 

 ting into the belly, between the paunch 

 and the flank, and falling down among 

 the intestines, and causing irritation and 

 inflammation there. 



Some have adopted even rougher and 

 more effectual methods of remedying the 

 evil. They have not contented them- 

 selves with simply puncturing the paunch, 

 but they have cut a hole into it through 

 the flank large enough to introduce the 

 hand ; and so they have not only liberated 

 the air, but have taken out the fermeDting 

 food by pailfuls. They have even gone 

 so far as to pour in water, and fairly wash 

 the paunch out. They have then brought 

 the edges of the wound together by pass- 

 ing a few stitches through it, and includ- 

 ing the substance of the flank and the 

 wall of the paunch in each stitch, and 

 afterwards covered the wound with ad- 

 hesive plaster, and it has readily healed, 

 and no bad consequence has ensued. In 

 desperate cases, as when the paunch 

 seems to be filled with a mass of food 

 that will continue to ferment, and cannot 

 be got rid of either by rumination or by 

 physic, this bold mode of treatment nay 

 be adopted. The paunch has few blood- 

 vessels, and little sensibility, and will bear 

 great injury without any fatal conse- 

 quence. But this expedient has not 

 always succeeded. Inflammation has 

 ensued, and carried the animal off. Be- 

 sides this, the paunch, being suspended 

 by these stitches, and afterwards hanging 

 thus from the flank, is kept permanently 

 out of its place, and is unable freely and 

 fully to contract afterwards upon its con 

 tents : thus inflammation has ensued ; and 

 the subsequent want of condition :n some 



