254 DISEASES OF CATTLE, 



calves in cold, damp, dark, filthy, or bad-smelling pens; feeding the 

 calves on artificial mixtures containing too much starchy matter ; or 

 overfeeding the calves on artificial feed that may be appropriate 

 enough in smaller quantity. The licking of hair from themselves or 

 others and its formation into balls in the stomach will cause obstinate 

 indigestion in the calf. 



Symjjtoms. — The symptoms are dullness, indisposition to move, 

 uneasiness, eructations of gas from the stomach, sour breath, entire 

 loss of appetite, lying down and rising as if in pain, fullness of the 

 abdomen, which gives out a drumlike sound when tapped with the 

 fingers. 



The costiveness may be marked at first, but soon it gives place to 

 diarrhea, by which the offensive matters maj' be carried off and health 

 restored. In other cases it becomes aggravated, merges into inflam- 

 mation of the bowels, fever sets in, and the calf gradually sinks. 



Prevention. — Prevention consists in avoiding the causes enumer- 

 ated above or any others that may be detected. 



Treatment. — Treatment consists in first clearing away the irritant 

 present in the bowels. For this purpose 1 or 2 ounces of castor oil 

 with 20 drops of laudanum may be given, and if the sour eructa- 

 tions are marked a tablespoonful of limewater or one-fourth ounce 

 calcined magnesia may be given and repeated two or three times a 

 day. If the disorder continues after the removal of the irritant, a 

 large tablespoonful of rennet, or 30 grains of pepsin, may be given 

 at each meal along with a teaspoonful of tincture of gentian. Any 

 return of constipation must be treated by injections of wann water 

 and soap, while the persistence of diarrhea must be met as advised 

 under the discussion following this. In case of the formation of loose 

 hair balls inclosing milk undergoing putrid fennentation, temporary 

 benefit may be obtained by giving a tablespoonful of vegetable char- 

 coal three or four times a day, but the only real remedy is to cut 

 the paunch open and extract them. At this early age they may be 

 found in the third or even the fourth stomach ; in the adult they are 

 confimed to the first two and are comparatively harmless. 



DIARRHEA (SCOURING) IN CALVES (SIMPLE AND CONTAGIOUS). 



As stated in the last article, scouring is a common result of indi- 

 gestion, and at first may be nothing more than an attempt of nature 

 to relieve the stomach and bowels of offensive and irritating contents. 

 As the indigestion persists, however, the fermentations going on in 

 the undigested masses become steadily more complex and active, and 

 what was at first the mere result of irritation or suspended digestion 

 comes to be a genuine contagious disease, in which the organized fer- 

 ments (bacteria) propagate the affection from animal to animal and 



