34 NON-SPECIFIC OR GENERAL DISEASES 



the abdominal wall by the collecting of gas in the rumen occurs 

 principally on that side. The gas forms quickly and the dis- 

 tended wall is highly elastic and resonant. The animal stops 

 eating and ruminating, the back may be arched and the ears 

 droop. In the more severe cases the wall of the abdomen is 

 distended on both sides, the respirations are quickened and 

 labored, the pulse small and quick, the eyes are prominent and 

 the mucous membrane congested. Death results from asphyxia 

 brought on by the distended paunch pushing forward and inter- 

 fering with the movement of the lungs and the absorption of the 

 poisonous gases. 



Tlic ircdiment is both preventive and medicinal. This form 

 of acute indigestion can be largely prevented by practising the 

 following preventive measures: All changes in the feed should 

 be made gradually, especially if the ration fed is heavy, or the 

 new ration consists largely of green, succulent feed. Cattle 

 pasturing on clover should be kept under close observation. It 

 is not advisable to pasture cattle on rank growths of clover that 

 are wet with dew or a light rain. Bloating can be quickly re- 

 lieved by puncturing the wall of the paunch with the trocar 

 and cannula. The operation is quite simple and is not followed 

 by bad results. The instrument is plunged through the walls of 

 the abdomen and rumen in the most prominent portion of the 

 flank, midway between the border of the last rib and the point 

 of the haunch (Fig. 13). The trocar is then withdrawn from 

 the cannula. After the gas has escaped through the cannula, 

 the trocar is replaced and the instrument withdrawn. After 

 using the trocar and cannula, the instrument should be cleaned 

 by placing it in boiling hot water. It is advisable to wash the 

 skin at the seat of the operation with a disinfectant before oper- 

 ating. In chronic t^Tupanitis, it is sometimes advisable to leave 

 the cannula in position by tying a tape to the flange, passing it 

 around the body and tying. 



As a cathartic for cattle, we may give one quart of linseed oil 



