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461. When allowed to treat the cases, my great object was to try 

 and assist nature in preventing the animals from aborting, and, for 

 this purpose, I found that half ounce doses of chlorate of potash, given 

 once a day, had a marvellous effect, as the following instance v/ill 

 show : — On one occasion when foot and mouth disease broke out, the 

 stock belonging to Sir Wilfrid Lawson, Bart., at Brayton, were con- 

 siderably affected. In order that the disease might run its course 

 speedily, all the cattle — affected and unaffected — were brought together 

 and put into the large park. These were dosed daily with chlorate of 

 potasli, given in bran mashes. The result of this treatment was that, 

 out of about two hundred head of cattle, only ninety-eight took the 

 disease, and all of them recovered ; thirty-five of the affected cows 

 were in calf, and they all went up to their- full time — not one aborted ; 

 there were no sore udders, the calves were a fine crop, and both 

 mothers and offspring did well. I have subsequently, on several 

 occasions, tried the chlorate treatment with a like success. When the 

 feet are much affected, heavy animals suffer greatly. I have seen 

 bulls and heavy shorthorn cows lie for weeks. A thick bed of dry 

 sawdust or moss litter answers well in such cases; and when the bones 

 of the feet are exposed, and the claws spread apart, antiseptic dress- 

 ings should be secured over the parts with the figure-of-eight bandage. 

 Milk from the ailing cows quickly affects young calves and pigs, and 

 this often fatally. It should, therefore, never be given to animals until 

 it has been well boiled, yet I have seen farm servants drink the milk 

 fresh from such animals without any ill effects. 



462. Red-Water, Black-Water, Muir-Ill, or Hoemo- 

 Albuminuria. — This disease is mostly found affecting the cow, yet 

 I have seen two cases of it in the horse. In both of these latter subjects, 

 the urine was of a dark, port wine colour, but there was little or no 

 accompanying constitutional disturbance, the animals merely appearing 

 dull and languid, with a great absence of appetite, for two or three 

 days. Both cases readily yielded to saline laxative medicines, 

 supplemented with boiled barley and bran mashes, containing a little 

 salt. These animals had been grazed on pastures on which red-water 

 in cattle was very prevalent, several of the cows on the pasture being 



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