1 88 



CATTLE— DISEASES AND REMEDIES. 



often suffers. The division of the lower 

 part of the leg into two bones materially 

 weakens this joint; therefore it is not 

 unusual to see enlarged fetlocks, and a 

 considerable accumulation of bone about 

 them. The mild and the strong embro- 

 cation must in turns be diligently applied, 

 and these failing of success, recourse 

 must be speedily had to the blister, or the 

 firing iron ; but, if these should not be 

 successful, and the lameness is so con- 

 siderable as to injure the condition of the 

 animal, relief can be obtained by dividing 

 the nerve which supplies the foot above 

 the fetlock, thereby removing pain and 

 lameness by destroying sensation. 



Fractures of the leg sometimes occur ; 

 they have been successfully treated by 

 bandaging the parts, and keeping the 

 animal quiet. 



The leg, too, has even been amputated 

 with success, a wooden leg being after- 

 wards substituted. 



CATTLE, Cancerous Ulcers.— There 

 •seems to be a natural disposition in cattle 

 to the formation of tumors on various 

 parts of the body. They are mostly 

 found in the neighborhood of joints, 

 and generally either hanging loose, or 

 slightly adhering to the parts beneath. 

 They sometimes grow to an excessive 

 size. In some cases they are evidently 

 constitutional, for many of them appear 

 on different parts. They do not seem to 

 give much pain to the animal, and 

 occasionally they continue month after 

 month without being of any serious in- 

 convenience; they then suddenly break, 

 and a malignant ulcer ensues, which 

 speedily degenerates into a cancerous 

 one. 



The tumors are sometimes smaller, and 

 fixed to the parts beneath by a broad 

 base, and which are chiefly found about 

 the face, on the cheeks, or under the 

 eyelids, or in the channel between the 

 jaws. These are more likely to break 

 than the others, and when they break, are 

 far less manageable. The fluid that is 

 discharged from them is thin and ex- 

 coriating, and the wounds are covered 

 with proud flesh, springing again as 

 quickly as it is removed. If they are 

 attacked before they break, they will 

 generally be got rid of. 



As an external application, nothing is 

 superior to the Iodine Ointment. (See 



No. 25, Domestic Animals, Medicines 

 for.) 



At the same time a drachm of the 

 tincture of Iodine may be given in a little 

 gruel morning and night, at or soon after 

 the time of feeding; or the Hydriodate 

 of Potash, beginning with four grains 

 morning and night, and gradually in- 

 creasing the dose to twelve grains. This 

 preparation of Iodine is preferable to the 

 tincture ; but the internal and the external 

 use of the Iodine must be continued at 

 least three or four weeks, before any 

 decisive benefit will be obtained. The 

 tumors will frequently disappear alto- 

 gether; but the ointment and tincture 

 must be used for at least a month before 

 any decisive good can be expected. 



If the tumors at the end of that time 

 should not be evidently diminishing, the 

 veterinary surgeon should begin to think 

 about removing them with the knife. 

 They are seldom fed by any very con- 

 siderable vessel, and may usually be 

 taken away without the slightest danger. 

 It will, however, be prudent to give the 

 tincture of Iodine for three weeks or a 

 month after the operation, in order to 

 remove the constitutional tendency to a 

 return of the tumor. 



It will in the majority of cases be 

 useless to attempt to heal these tumors 

 when they have once broken. Strong 

 ointments, and caustics of all kinds, have 

 been tried, but the ulcer has daily spread 

 and gone deeper and deeper, until it 

 became necessary to destroy the animal. 

 If anything is attempted in the way of 

 healing the ulcers, the wound should be 

 washed before every dressing with the 

 tincture of Iodine, lowered with four 

 times its weight of water, and the Healing 

 Cleansing Ointment, No. 10 (See Domes- 

 tic Animals, Medicines for) be daily 

 applied. 



These tumors are often very trouble- 

 some to treat, and the preferable way will 

 generally be to remove them as soon as 

 possible with the knife, except more 

 should be found on any other part of the 

 beast, in which case the removal of the; 

 principal tumor would only hasten the 

 growth of the rest. Mercurial ointment 

 will have no effect on these tumors; 

 except to irritate them, and cause them 

 to grow faster, and sometimes it will 

 salivate and seriously injure the beast. 



