CATTLE. 163 



Felon. — This is a complaint common to all kinds of cattle. It pro- 

 ceeds from cold and exposure, and is accompanied by low fever. The 

 beast is more or less otf his food. His coat is staring, his eye dull, his 

 nose dry, his hack sore^ he will flinch from the touch, and his teeth feel 

 loose. It is an attack of felon. He requires rousing by cordials. Let 

 liim be housed and given a drink: one ounce of turmeric, one ounce of 

 fenugreek, one ounce of liquorice, one ounce of aniseed powder, in a 

 quart of ale; and he will generally recover ; if not, repeat the dose. A 

 very common and a very safe process is also to divide the nerve of the 

 under side of the tail. This relieves the back, and is thus performed : 

 Feel for a soft place in the under side of the tail. The knobs are the 

 joints, the soft place is the bone. Cut the skin across at the soft part, 

 and it will bleed for eight or ten minutes. Tie up the tail with a piece 

 of linen clotlx, and great relief will be afforded. This is not mentioned 

 in any work we ever met with, but we have seen its efficacy in hundreds 

 of instances. 



Hoven, Blown, or " Over Full." — Sometimes a change of food, or a feed 

 of wet clover or potatoes, greedily eaten, will induce fermentation in 

 the stomach instead of digestion. The sides will be blown up, until the 

 stomach presses on the skin, with a force which renders it hard to the 

 fingers. For this the probang is by far the best remedy. Introduce this 

 into the stomach by the throat, and the foul air will immediately escape. 

 This instrument is not always at hand, and the beast will lie down, and 

 the disease may continue until the walls of the stomach are ruptured. 

 In these cases an ounce of ammonia will often give relief. A pint of 

 vinegar we have known to effect it; but the safest remedy is a pint of 

 linseed oil. It lubricates the mouth of the stomach, and assists the air 

 to escape by both the orifices, otherwise closed up. Gentle exercise will 

 be useful; but all violence, and, above all, such horrid drenches as tar 

 and salt, with the idea of making them eject their saliva, can only do 

 harm. It is sometimes necessary to cut into the stomach, an operation 

 a veterinary surgeon alone can perfoi-m. 



Choking. — A beast will often get a turnip or potato fast in its throat, which 

 will resist all efforts to get it either up or down; and, what is worse, 

 when once this has taken place, the beast will always after be liable to the 

 same accident. The mouth should first be carefully examined, to see 

 that the turnip cannot be extracted with the hand ; if it can be, this is 

 the best mode by far for effecting its extraction. If not, the probang, 

 invented by Dr. Munro, is absolutely necessary. Let a little sweet oil 

 be first given to the animal, and then let the probang be carefully and 

 cautiously put down, the cup end downward ; if the turnip offers much 

 n^sistance it must again be withdrawn, and by this its position may be 

 changed. Generally it will go down, with a very slight effort, and some- 

 times it may be got up by running the thumbs up each side of the neck, 

 and gently pressing with the hand. 



Calving. — This, though not a disease, is rightly classed amongst them, 

 because it is strictly a subject of medical and surgical treatment; and, 

 though a natural operation, is always accompanied by more or less 

 danger. In old cows, or cows after their first and second calves, if the 

 right presentation takes place, the animal will generally calve without 



