DISEASES OP THE OX AND SHEEP. 49B 



from the outside, it is a matter of little or no difficulty for the 

 observer to distinguish betwixt the soft mass which is present 

 in animals afflicted with plenalvia and the gaseous distension 

 which exists in the case of animals suffering from hoven. 



Symptoms. — As in cases of tympany, so also in cases of 

 engorgement of the rumen, there is a swelling to be observed 

 on the left side in the place under which the paunch is situated. 

 The animal is dull and suffers pain, does not chew the cud, has 

 no appetite, is constipated (the feces being hard and glazed), 

 and has a small and quick pulse. The onset of these symptoms 

 is more gradual than it is in cases of tympany, the disengage- 

 ment of gases being a more rapid process than is the filling of 

 the paunch with solid food owing to a voracious appetite. 

 Moreover, the swelling in tympany is not unlike that of an 

 inflated bladder; while, when engorged, the rumen has a soft, 

 doughy feel, and it is not resonant on percussion ; but, on the 

 contrary, the swelling pits when it is pressed upon, and the 

 impression made upon the yielding substance remains for some 

 time after the hand has been removed. 



Should the animal assume the recumbent posture, it lies down 

 with its right side nearest the ground, evidently to avoid pres- 

 sure on the distended and painful pauncl). As a rule, at a later 

 stage, hoven (or tympanites) supervenes, and then the animal 

 breathes with difficulty, moaning in expiration, grinds the 

 teeth, and remains standing with arched back and muzzle pro- 

 truded. Inflammation of the lining membrane of the rumen 

 not infrequently comes on, when the engorgement has remained 

 for some length of time, or it may set in after the operation of 

 rumenotomy has been performed. The animal breathes quickly, 

 is very tender to pressure on the side, shows signs of thirst, and 

 has a dry muzzle. 



The symptoms in sheep are as follows : — The sheep is excited, 

 delirious, and drowsy, and so insidious in its course is the dis- 

 ease, that even a few hours before death the animals may appear 

 to be healthy. However, the usual signs are marked enough. 

 The sheep shows general fever, difficult breathing, dilated 

 nostrils, quick and full pulse, inflammation of the conjunctival 

 and nasal membranes, dry muzzle, depressed and cold ears, heat 

 at the base of the horn in the case of horned sheep, frequent and 

 painful cough, a swaying of the body forwards and backwards. 



