46 SPECIAL CATTLE THERAPY 



you know no more; first, last, and all the time, ''she 

 simply won 't eat. ' ' 



The prognosis must be very guarded. The cow may 

 begin to eat again very shortly after you have pre- 

 scribed for her, and then again she may not come 

 back to feeding for a week or more. 



In my practice I have tried many different rem- 

 edies for this condition. Laitil we discover the cause 

 or the nature of this ailment, our treatment will be 

 more or less empirical, and to my knowledge the 

 pathology in persistent anorexia has never been ex- 

 plained. My best results have come from agents acid 

 in reaction; lately, I use dilute acetic acid, giving two 

 ounces morning and evening for two or three days, 

 with an equal amount of water. 



PICA 



This name has been given to a diseased condition 

 affecting cattle that is characterized chiefly by a de- 

 praved appetite. 



It is doubtful whether pica is in itself a disease. 

 It is highly probable that it is only a symptom of 

 certain pathological changes which are the result of 

 disturbance in ceitain metabolic processes. 



The habit of ingesting indigestible objects can al- 

 most be said to be normal in cattle. Therefore, it 

 would appear that an exaggeration of this habit could 

 be easily induced under conditions which would have 

 a tendency to disturb the anabolic equilibrium; such 

 conditions, for instance, as might l)e induced by an 

 unbalanced ration. 



Pica is a condition which affects the family cow most 

 frequently; it is only rarely seen in herd animals. 



