243 



tumbles all over the place, first on to its shoulders, then on to its head ; 

 or, it may fall on to its side, and lie with its legs extended, the 

 abdomen distended like a drum, breathing heavily, tossing the head 

 about, rolling the eyes, and finally sinking into a deep coma. In 

 other cases, it may fall on to the breast-bone and belly, roll the head 

 from side to side, and then turn it towards the flank, resting the lower 

 jaw on the ground, and in this position it falls into a comatose 

 condition {Plate XLVIIL, 23.) 



579. Treatment. — This is not always as satisfactory as could be 

 wished, depending as it does upon the nature and severity of the 

 attack, and upon the age and condition of the patient, while the earlier 

 the attack, the more difficult is its treatment. The normal temper- 

 ature of the cow ranges from 100^ to 102°, yet, in milk fever cases, the 

 temperature, as a rule, falls to 99° or 97^^. Should the temperature 

 rise to 104° or 105°, and the animal be very wild and excitable, the 

 abstraction of from three to five quarts of blood, has a beneficial effect. 

 Formerly, I used to wash the body all over with several pails of cold 

 water ; then I scraped the animal well down, and applied a sheet 

 wrung out of cold water, over which was put two or three dry woollen 

 rugs, and to cover all, a waterproof; next, a dose of chloral hydrate and . 

 bromide of potassium, f oz. to f oz. of each, dissolved in cold milk was 

 given, followed by 2 lbs. of castor oil, and 2 lbs. of treacle, in 

 gruel, as a drench. Since ivriting the first edition of this book, the 

 treatment of milk fever in coivs has undergone a great change. Immediately 

 an animal is attacked, under the new treatment, a dose of chloral 

 hydrate and bromide of potassium, as already noted, is administered ; 

 then all the milk is drawn from the udder ; next, an injection is 

 made up by dissolving two drachms of iodide of potassium in one 

 quart of water, that has been boiled and allowed to cool down to 90^ 

 F. A fourth part of this solution is then injected by an ordinary 

 india-rubber enema syringe, to which a special teat tube is attached, 

 into each quarter of the udder. This treatment has been exceedingly 

 successful, there being fully 95 per cent, of recoveries. Great care, 

 however, must be taken, that the teat and enema syringe are 

 scrupulously clean, also the vessels used in making the injection. 



