426 THE PRACTICE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. 



Treatment. — A full dose of cathartic medicine should be 

 given. Calomel should not be administered in this condition. 

 Give easily digestible food, and diet carefully. Magnesia 

 sulphat. 5i., aqua q.s., may be given night and morning for 

 a few days. Congestion may end in inflammation of the 

 liver. It is a common disease of sheep, and arises from 

 feeding on a stimulating diet, as roots, etc. In sheep the 

 symptoms are anorexia, which may be partial or complete. 

 The animal usually remains in prett}^ good condition, when 

 suddenly death occurs, and a post-mortem examination 

 shows congestion of the liver to have been the cause of 

 death. The treatment consists in giving the sheep a mild 

 laxative, as magnesia sulphas. 5ii. — 5iv., aqua q.s., and diet- 

 ing the animal carefully. A course of potassse iodid. is also 

 useful ; but sheep cannot be treated satisfactorily, as they 

 do not stand medicine well in comparison with the other 

 animals. 



HEPATITIS. 



Definition. — Inflammation of the liver. It is more likely 

 to follow congestion of the liver than to occur as a result 

 of anything else. It is possible that it is sometimes 

 produced by feeding on coarse and inferior food. It may 

 occur in either the chronic or acute form, and may involve 

 a part or the whole of the gland. When the whole of the 

 liver becomes inflamed, as a rule, a speedy and fatal termi- 

 nation may be expected ; where only a part of the liver 

 becomes inflamed, while it constitutes a serious condition, 

 recovery may still take place. 



Symptoms. — The animal is dull and languid, the coat 

 staring, dry and dusty in appearance, the pulse quick and 

 weak, and the bowels are constipated, the f^ces are devoid 

 of colour, and in appearance like clay, the appetite is lost, 

 but thirst is increased, the animal lies dovrn, rolls, but not 



