1.72 THE DISEASES AND DISORDERS OP THE OX. 



infected, those animals whose temperature is under 100° F. may 

 be looked upon as healthy.* 



Those oxen in which the temperature is over 100° F. up to as 

 much as 102° F. may be affected ; while those animals whose tem- 

 perature is between 102° and 104° F. are very probably subjects 

 of disease. The temperature may rise as high as 106° F., or 

 even higher. It is well to bear in mind that this may be ob- 

 served even a few days before the disease is manifested in other 

 ways. If there is reason to suspect the presence of contagious 

 pleuro-pneumonia, a temperature of 102° F. would prove the 

 necessity for prompt isolation, thorough disinfection of the sheds, 

 and precautionary measures; slaughter, if slaughter has been 

 determined upon ; preventive inoculation, if this is considered 

 admissible. 



The general signs of ill-health soon appear. There may be a 

 shivering fit, or more than one. The infected animal may sepa- 

 rate itself from the herd. The appetite is less keen, or of an 

 irregular character. The patients chew the cud with less vigour, 

 more slowly or irregularly ; there is a slight, dry, weak cough, 

 usually in the morning and evening, when the animal rises or is 

 disturbed, when it leaves the shed, after drinking, or when 

 pressure is applied between the ribs. Gradually, as the disease 

 progresses, the cough becomes more frequent, harsh, and painful, 

 and when the animal is coughing, its back is arched, and the 

 head and neck are extended. The number of respirations per 

 minute is about thirty or more. Breathing is a difficult and 

 laborious process. The nostrils are dilated, and the flanks 

 heave, what is called "a staring condition of the coat" may be 

 seen, the hair loses its healthy lustre, and here and there stands 

 upright ; the mouth is hot, the muzzle dry, the gums are of a 

 pale lilac colour, the walls of the chest, and particularly the 

 spaces between the ribs, and the back from the withers to the 

 loins, are generally all more sensible to pressure than is usually 

 the case in a healthy beast; the appetite becomes worse, the 

 secretion of milk, if the patient be a cow, diminishes, and emaci- 



* The late Professor Robertson took the average temperature of 352 oxen, 

 including 100 cows, " all believed to be in the full enjoyment of health." The 

 average morning temperature was 101-65° F. The average evening temperature, 

 taken from over 200 animals, was 102° F. The average number of respirations 

 per minute, taken from 250 animals, was 30'25. 



