330 



and fatten, suffer most from this form of the malady. The affection is 

 usually fully established, before being noticed, then, on examination, 

 and drawing of the teats, the gland is found full of curdled matter. 

 Treatment — For this class of cases splitting the teat with a 

 bistoury, or cutting it off, half-way up, gives the quickest relief, 

 and forms the best exit for the pus. The latter operation may seem 

 cruel, but really it is more cruel to leave the matter pent up in the 

 gland, and to irritate the parts by squeezing it out of the teat four or 

 five times a day ; besides the teat is of little consequence when the 

 animal is being prepared for the fat market. The udder should be 

 rubbed night and morning with carbolic oil, and if there is a great 

 deal of fever and general disturbance the animal must be treated with 

 cooling medicines, such as two ounce doses of hyposulphite of soda 

 or four ounces of Epsom salts, and half an ounce of saltpetre, along 

 with a few ounces of aromatic cordials, (see Appendix — Carminatives) 

 which ma}' be given night and morning, in treacle gruel until the 

 bowels respond. 



806. When the dairy cow is affected, one or more of the quarters 

 may be attacked, either before or after calving ; the udder becomes 

 hard and painful with the teats pointed, and these, on being pressed, 

 yield a quantity of curdled milk and watery fluid. If the inflammation 

 is not arrested at this stage, the complaint may go on until matter is 

 formed, or abscesses form and burst in various parts of the udder, 

 giving rise to great trouble. Again, the gland may become hard and 

 indurated, or even gangrenous. There is no complaint that will, in 

 such a short time, produce so much constitutional disturbance and 

 high fever, and cause the animal to lose flesh so fast, as an acute 

 attack of inflammation of the udder. The disease is occasionally also 

 accompanied with stiffness or lameness of the hmd-legs. Treatment. — 

 When first observed, and before matter is formed, the affected quarters 

 must be fomented with hot water for from forty or sixty minutes, four 

 times in the twenty-four hours. Immediately after the hot fomentations, 

 the parts must be washed well with cold water for five minutes, and 

 then rubbed perfectly dry with a soft cloth, after which apply equal 

 parts of carbolic oil and liquid extract of belladonna ; cover up with 



