4 TIMELY HINT 125 



and other sources into the open teat ; overstocking ; driving cows with 

 distended udders; exposure to severe weather or lying on the cold 

 ground, especially after freshening: eating injurious foods such as 

 weeds; chills; over heating; and injury from cactus pricks. Sudden 

 change in the feed, such as changing from a laxative, cooling ration 

 of a bulky nature to one of a more heating and more concentrated 

 nature, will also predispose to the disease. 



Milk from cows affected with garget should never be used for 

 human consumption. It should be collected in a separate pail and 

 boiled or buried so as to inhibit the spread of the germs. The practice 

 of milking the affected quarter on the floor or ground is bad, for 

 where this is done any bedding or substance thus contaminated may 

 easily carry the infection to other cows. Where diseased cows have 

 been kept it is important that the premises be treated systematically 

 with commercial antiseptics such as carbolic acid, creolin, or corrosive 

 sublimate. 



PREVENTION. 



Prevention is always of first importance. Animals should be main- 

 tained under proper sanitary conditions so that there will be no lodging 

 place for the disease-producing germs. Special attention should be 

 given to cleanliness and general treatment so that the cows will not 

 be injured. Give them sufficient room in stalls, yards and pastures. 

 Keep them in pasture during the summer, and clean the milk barn 

 thoroughly so that germs will not accumulate there. The chief pre- 

 ventive measure is to avoid the introduction of the disease in the herd. 

 This can be done by making careful inquiries of the dealers in regard 

 to animals before purchasing, and by then isolating them over a short 

 period to make certain that they carry no infection with them. When 

 the disease is found in the herd the affected cows should be isolated 

 and treated separately to prevent the spread of germs. Wash the 

 hands carefully before and after milking such cows and leave them 

 until the last to be milked. Milking regularly and with strict cleanli- 

 ness will also help to prevent the disease. Care should be taken in 

 drying the cows to make certain that the affected portions do not 

 become inflamed. When a cow freshens she should not be fed all she 

 will eat until she has become accustomed to the feed and it is certain 

 that her system demands an increase. Begin the grain ration carefully 

 and give small amounts of light, easily digested food such as bran, 

 ground oats and alfalfa. Such concentrated foods as cottonseed meal, 

 corn meal or other rich substances are dangerous and should be fed 

 with care. 



TREATMENT 



Ordinarily cows infected with garget will overcome the disease 

 in five to eight days if given good sanitary attention. After this time 

 the symptoms may gradually disappear. For this reason several of 

 the best stockmen in Arizona recommend leaving the cows alone. 

 This is a poor practice as the yield of milk will remain below normal. 



