DISEASES OF CATTLE 95 



in local disease, in obstructions of all kinds, from feeding on dry, 

 bulky food, etc. In order to remove the constipation, the treatment 

 must be applied to remove the causes which give rise to it. Calves 

 sometimes suffer from constipation immediately after birth when 

 meconium that accumulates in the bowels before birth is not 

 passed. In such cases, give a rectal injection of warm water and 

 an ounce of castor oil shaken up with an ounce of new milk. The 

 mother's milk is the best food to prevent constipation in the new- 

 born calf, as it contains a large amount of fatty matter, which ren- 

 ders it laxative in its effects. 



It is usually better to treat habitual constipation by a change 

 of diet than by medicine. Flaxseed is a good food laxative. If 

 the constipation has lasted long, repeated small doses of purgatives 

 are better than a single large dose. 



Intestinal Worms. [See chapter on "The animal parasites of 

 cattle."] 



Ruptures (Ventral Hernia). Ventral hernia, or rupture, is 

 an escape of some one of the abdominal organs through a rupture 

 in the abdominal muscles, the skin remaining intact. The rumen, 

 the small intestine, or part of the large intestine, and the fourth 

 stomach are the parts which usually form a ventral hernia in bovine 

 animals. 



Causes. Hernia is frequently produced by blows of the horns, 

 kicks, and falls. In old cows hernia may sometimes occur without 

 any direct injury. 



Hernia of the Rumen. Hernia of the rumen is generally sit- 

 uated on the left side of the abdomen, on account of the situation 

 of the rumen. In exceptional cases it may take place on the right 

 side, and in such cases it also generally happens that some folds of 

 the intestine pass into the hernial sac. Hernias have been classified 

 into simple or complicated, recent or old, traumatic (from me- 

 chanical injury) or spontaneous. 



In recent traumatic hernia there is a swelling on the left side 

 of the lower part of the abdomen. The swelling is greatest in the 

 cases of hernia which are situated on the lower part of the abdo- 

 men. Unless an examination is made immediately after the injury 

 has been inflicted it is difficult, and sometimes impossible, to ascer- 

 tain the exact extent of the rupture, owing to the swelling which 

 subsequently takes place. Frequently there is no loss of appetite, 

 fever, or other general symptoms attending the injury. From the 

 twelfth to the fifteenth day the swelling has generally subsided to 

 such an extent that it is possible by an examination to determine the 

 extent of the rupture. 



In old cows what is termed spontaneous hernia may sometimes 

 take place without any direct injury. The occurrence of this form 

 of hernia is explained by the increase in the size of the abdomen, 

 which takes place in an advanced stage of pregnancy, causing a 

 thinning and stretching of the muscular fibers, which at last may 

 rupture, or give way. Such hernias frequently occur about the end 

 of the period of gestation, and in some instances have contained the 



