2 TIMELY HINT 125 



There is no ready means of telling whether the lump in the udder 

 and the inflammation are due to mammitis or to tuberculosis, and on 

 this account mammitis frequently serves as a cloak to hide cows which 

 are dangerous. Where doubt exists regarding the nature of the 

 disease the tuberculin test should be made to ascertain whether the 

 trouble is tuberculosis or not. - 



Milking cows by means of milking machines has proved to be 

 favorable to the spread of contagious garget. This is due to the fact 

 that one is not always able to identify the disease and separate the 

 infected animals. Periodical outbreaks occur in almost every district 

 and it seems wise to study the disease carefully in an effort to keep 

 it under control. Fortunately garget has not been observed to spread 

 among range cows. 



SYMPTOMS 



Garget makes an appearance intermittently in almost every herd 

 of cows. Its symptoms may be divided into general and local. 



General symptoms: The general symptoms of garget or mammitis 

 .in a cow are indicated by weakness and dullness; the pulse quickens, 

 - breathing is augmented and the temperature increases from two to 

 '.'. four degrees. Usually the appetite is impaired and sometimes rumi- 

 nation is suspended. Cows rapidly become thin due to the intense 

 suffering and high fever. The characteristic pose is that of placing the 

 hind leg on the affected side back of the ordinary position. These 

 general symptoms may . appear before much enlargement or derange- 

 ment of the udder or the milk is noticed. Usually the cow is some- 

 what constipated and a stiffening of the rear quarters is noticed. Cows 

 often walk with a straddling gait when affected in the hind quarters. 



Local symptoms: Mammitis usually affects one quarter of the 

 udder at a time. The affected part becomes enlarged, hard, heated, 

 fed- and tender. The milk is yellowish blue in the early stages and 

 becomes curdled, stringy and dense as the case advances. The curd- 

 ling is accompanied with an increase of acid in the milk. The amount 

 of milk given by the affected quarter is decreased very materially on 

 account of the general debility of the animal and because of the local 

 inflammation. In advanced stages the udder increases in size and 

 hardness, developing areas with a soft doughy feeling which are con- 

 verted finally into rumaing sores. Sometimes the infection spreads to 

 other quarters, but seldom affects more than half of the udder. In 

 less pronounced cases there may be little change in the milk, but this 

 may have a salty flavor and upon examination would reveal a large 

 number of germs. The teat is tense, swollen, very tender and reddish 

 in color. 



KTXDS .OF MAMMITIS. 



There are two forms of this disease, namely, the infectious and 

 ..the (apparently) non-infectious forms. In the early stages it is a 

 difficult matter to diagnose the form present, but prompt treatment 

 should be given in either case. 



Infectious mammitis: This form is due to bacteria of the strepto- 

 coccus group which have found their way into the udder, and which may 



