DISEASES AND TREATMENT OF CATTLE 357 



Symptoms. — The animal stops eating, slavers at the 

 mouth, coughs, breathes heavily, and after a time becomes 

 bloated in the paunch, which is noticed at the left side. If 

 not relieved it becomes so bloated that it drops down from 

 suffocation and soon dies. Bloating is generally worse when 

 from an apple or potato, as it acts just 'like a cork in a tube. 

 Treatment.— Examine the mouth and throat, or gullet, 

 and endeavor to ascertain the cause ; also examine along the 

 left side of the neck to try to find where the obstruction is 

 lodged in the tube. If you can feel or see what is choking 

 the animal, and you think you can reach it, put a clevis 

 crossways in the mouth and run your hand down the throat 

 and bring it up. If you cannot reach it pour half a pint of 

 linseed oil down as a drench, then move the obstruction by 

 working it with your hand from the outside until the oil gets 

 worked around it, as it may slip down when you get it 

 started. If you have no raw linseed oil any other kind of oil 

 will do. If this fails, pass down a probang, which is an in- 

 strument for that purpose. 



A small wooden gag goes with the probang. This is 

 placed in the mouth crossways." Have a man stand on each 

 side to hold a horn and one end of the gag, keeping the 

 cow's head in line with the body. Oil the probang and pass 

 it through the hole in the gag as indicated in Fig. 59. Press 

 it forward through the centre of the mouth into the gullet or 

 throat. Press gently forward until the obstruction is felt 

 and then endeavor to press it into the stomach. Tap with a 

 trocar and cannula on the left side to allow the gas to escape, 

 following the directions as given in Section 8. See Fig. 60. 

 Do not, under any circumstances, attempt to shove down 

 a broom-handle, or anything of that kind, to remove the 

 obstruction, as you are apt to burst the tube which leads to 

 the stomach. You will then lose the animal. A probang is 

 something that every stock owner should keep on hand. See 

 appended announcement. 

 8. Bloating (Tympanites). 



This is a formation of gas in the paunch, or rumen, and 

 is a common occurrence among cattle. 



Causes.— Choking, sudden change in the food, wet clover, 

 or eating frozen roots of any kind may cause it. 



Symptoms.— The left side is greatly swollen with gas, 

 and in severe cases the whole belly is distended. Tapping 



