320 



ANIMAL MANAGEMENT. 



does occur it is from food working up between the teeth, and the removal 

 of this and soft feeding is all that is necessary. 

 Choking. Choking \s the stoppage of something in the gullet which the animal 



has swallowed and which is unable to pass down to the stomach. It is 

 most frequent in cattle, but may also occur in other animals. In the 

 horse, hastily swallowed bran or gram or carrot, and in cattle pieces of 

 sugar-cane or roots are the most frequent causes. The symptoms produced 

 are great uneasiness and spasmodic attempts at vomiting, the head being 

 drawn towards the chest and then suddenly shot out. If the obstruction 

 is in the neck it may be readily seen. In cattle, hoven rapidly comes on 

 if relief is not afforded. 



Treatment. — ^Give small doses of oil repeatedly (about two ounces) ; 

 in cattle pass the probang ; in horses, do not attempt this but walk the 

 animal about. Do not allow water to drink, as it will cause the obstruc- 

 tion to swell, and if the stoppage is complete it will only return through 

 the nostrils ; after relief is obtained starve the animal for twelve hours. 



" Roaring " is the noise made during hard breathing by horses which 

 have one side of their larynx paralysed. This makes the opening of the 

 windpipe smaller than it should be, and so a "whistle" or "roar" is 

 produced when breathing is quick and deep, as in galloping. 



"Broken wind" is due to an affection of the lungs, and animals 

 affected have a difficulty in expiration, so that a special effort to do so 

 may be noticed on looking at the flank (see p. 305). 



Crib-bitiiig and wind-suckmg. — Both these vices consist in the 

 swallowing of air by the animal. The cribber lays hold of the manger or 

 anything else within reach, arches and sets the muscles of his neck, and 

 gives a grunt at the moment he swallows ; whilst the wind-sucker does 

 the same thing without laying hold of anything with his. teeth. These 

 vicious habits are important from the fact that they give rise to loss of 

 condition, indigestion, and colic, and various measures are adopted to 

 prevent them. The wind-sucker, or flute bit is probably the best device : 

 it is simply a hollow iron bit with holes bored in it like a flute and 

 prevents the animal sucking ; it should be worn constantly. A tight 

 broad strap round the top of the neck will also prevent the habit for a 

 time and can be worn even at work. 

 Colic. Colic is the name given to the train of symptoms which animals show 



when they have got pain in the belly : the pain may be actually due to a 

 variety of causes, but the symptoms exhibited are often similar. The 

 majority of the causes of colic are connected with the food and feeding, 

 and if cases are at all frequent, a strict enquiry should be made into 

 feeding arrangements. Crib-biting, wind-sucking, bolting food, unsuitable 



Treat- 

 ment. 



Roaring. 



Broken 

 wind. 



Crib- 

 biting and 

 wind- 

 sucking. 



