DISEASES OF CATTLE 199 



individual case and administer in a rational manner the indicated 

 medicines. 



Prevention. Until recently most stringent measures were re- 

 sorted to by every careful dairyman to prevent the development of 

 the disease in his herd. However, since the treatment of the present 

 day has so greatly reduced, and even in some cases obliterated, the 

 mortality, prevention is no longer such an important problem and 

 therefore preventive measures which have a severe and lasting effect 

 upon the animals should be abandoned from an economic standpoint. 

 It has long been advocated to starve all suspected animals for two 

 weeks prior to the birth of the calf. It is frequently noted that this 

 has an injurious effect on the milk flow of the animal, from which it 

 may require several weeks for her to recover and gain her normal 

 output of milk. This measure is no longer considered advisable, as 

 it is better to have cows attacked with the disease once in a while (the 

 mortality being less than 5 per cent) than to decrease the flow from 

 every heavy-milking cow for one to three weeks after she comes fresh 

 by starving her before calving. 



A method which is not quite so sure of reducing the plethoric 

 condition of the cow, but which nevertheless proves very efficient 

 and is without the slightest permanent injurious effect, is the admin- 

 istration of 1 to 1% pounds of Epsom salts two or three days prior 

 to calving. In case this has been neglected and a well-nourished, 

 heavy-milking cow has passed through an easy nonexhaustine calf 

 birth, the administration of the salts after the labor is over should 

 by no means be neglected. Bloodletting has also been advocated, but 

 there is always the danger of exciting the blood-making organs to 

 excessive activity, thus largely neutralizing the effect. It should 

 therefore be resorted to only when the cow is extremely fat, is a heavy 

 milker, and has had one or more previous attacks. Tne blood should 

 be drawn from the jugular vein until the pulse softens perceptibly, 

 1 ! /2 pints for every 100 pounds of the animal's body weight being 

 about the right amount. 



Another very good preventive measure, and one easily carried 

 out, though frequently overlooked, is to give the cow plenty of ex- 

 ercise up to the time of calving. Many animals are allowed to run 

 continuously on pastures from the time they go dry until a week or 

 two before calving, when they are transferreof to the stable without 

 any subsequent exercise. This is very conducive to the enriching of 

 the blood and the development of the disease. 



The most recent preventive treatment suggested is in line withi 

 the favorable results ootained by the injection of air into the udder. 

 It consists in allowing the susceptible cow to retain in the udder for 

 24 hours after calving all the milk except the small quantity re- 

 quired by the calf, which should be taken if possible from each 

 quarter. 



PALSY AFTER CALVING (DROPPING AFTER CALVING) . 



This consists in a more or less complete loss of control of the 

 hind limbs occurring after calving, and due either to low condition, 

 weakness, and exposure to cold or to injurious compression of the 



