CATTLE— CARE AND MANAGEMENT. 



179 



that the body is impacted at the back of 

 the mouth or beginning of the oesophagus; 

 in these cases by using a balling-iron the 

 object can frequently be removed by 

 passing up the hand. 



If, however, the substance is situated 

 low down the tube, it will be desirable to 

 force it onwards. For this purpose half 

 a pint of oil should be given to lubricate 

 the passage as much as possible, and then 

 the beast, being properly secured, and a 

 gag placed in the mouth, a flexible tube 

 or red, with a knob at the end, should be 

 carefully passed down the oesophagus 

 until it reaches the body ; a steady pres- 

 sure should now be employed to force it 

 onwards; but this should be done pa- 

 tiently, so as not to injure the parts. By 

 alternately resting and trying again, the 

 object will generally be removed. 



If the object is situated near the 

 mouth, but not sufficiently so as to be 

 reached by the hand, it can best be re- 

 moved by means of an instrument in- 

 vented by Mr. Simonds, and which is 

 constructed so as to embrace the obstruct- 

 ing body by a forceps, concealed in the 

 bulb at the end of the tube, and thus to 

 remove it upwards by the mouth. 



After forcing the object into the 

 stomach it will be desirable to let the 

 probang remain a short time, if the 

 animal is hoven, to afford an exit for the 

 gas ; and this may be assisted by pressing 

 the flank. 



No solid food should be allowed for 

 several days afterwards, as there is great 

 danger of a repetition of the choking 

 until the muscles entirely recover their 

 tone. Sometimes, after all attempts of 

 removing the body by the methods before 

 described have failed, it will be proper to 

 do so by means of an operation which 

 has been performed with success; and 

 this consists in making an incision through 

 the skin into the oesophagus, sufficiently 

 large to extract the body. Great ca"re 

 must be exercised, so as not to injure the 

 important nerves and blood-vessels situ- 

 ated near the part. The beast should be 

 cast for the operation, and the wound 

 carefully sewed up afterwards, and for 

 several days the food should consist 

 principally of gruel. 



CATTLE, Locked-jaw. — Fortunately 

 this is not a very frequent disease among 

 cattle ; but it is a very fatal one when it 



does occur. If the attendant is careful, 

 he will observe the symptoms of this 

 malady one or two days before it is 

 thoroughly and incurably established. 

 There will be a stiffness of gait in the 

 beast — he will walk unusually wide be- 

 hind — there will be difficulty of turning — 

 permanent cocking of the tail, except 

 when that is interrupted, or accompanied 

 by a singular tremulous motion of it. 

 The. animal can scarcely, and, after 

 awhile, not at all, bend his neck to graze; 

 but he will stand with his head protruding, 

 and his ears stiffened, and unnaturally 

 fixed in a somewhat backward direction. 

 Rumination gradually ceases, or is per- 

 formed slowly and painfully. At length 

 the jaws become firmly closed, and the 

 neck perfectly stiff. The eyes are strangely 

 fixed, and with some degree of squinting, 

 and the expression of the countenance is 

 peculiarly anxious. The breathing is 

 considerably affected, and there is much 

 labor of the flanks. 



The animal will linger on in this dread- 

 ful way for eight, or nine, or ten days, 

 almost every muscle of the body being 

 painfully cramped, and the poor creature 

 unable to take a morsel of food, until at 

 length it dies, exhausted by the violent 

 contraction of the muscles and by starva- 

 tion. 



The usual cause of locked jaw is some 

 neglected or unobserved wound, particu- 

 larly in the feet. Working oxen, there- 

 fore, are most subject to it. Several 

 weeks sometimes pass between the inflic- 

 tion of the wound and the appearance of 

 this disease. Working oxen that have 

 been exposed to cold and wet, after being 

 heated in drawing, frequently have locked 

 jaw. It has been said that locked jaw is 

 occasionally produced by eating some 

 poisonous plants. We much doubt the 

 accuracy of this; and in many, and 

 probably the majority of instances, the 

 cause is altogether unknown. 



The treatment is indicated by the 

 nature of the disease. It is a most vio- 

 lent action of the nerves of motion, 

 either of a part or the whole of the 

 frame. The most likely means to quiet 

 this is the loss of blood, and that in a 

 large quantity. Therefore, the ox should 

 be bled as soon as the complaint is dis- 

 covered, and bled until his pulse falters, 

 and he staggers, and threatens to fall. 



