32 DISEASES OF CATTLE. 



wall of the stomach, and then the operator should remove two-thirds of 

 the contents of the rumen. This having been done the edges of the 

 wound should be sponged with a little carbolized warm water, and the 

 lips of the wound in the rumen being turned inward they should be 

 brought together with catgut stitches. The wound penetrating the 

 muscle and the skin may then be brought together by silk stitchesl 

 which should pass through the entire thickness of the muscle and 

 should be about 1 inch apart. The wound should afterwards be dressed 

 once a day with lotion and the animal covered with a tight linen sheet 

 to protect the wound from insects and dirt. The lotion to be used in 

 such a case is made up as follows : Sulphate of zinc, 1 dram ; carbolic 

 acid, 2 drams; glycerin, 2 ounces; water, 14 ounces; mix. 



LOSS OF CUD. 



It is very common among farmers, when a cow or ox is ailing, to say 

 that the sick animal has lost its cud. If it is meant that the animal, 

 does not ruminate or chew the cud, and that it consequently must be 

 sick, no fault can be found with the expression. In most cases, how- 

 ever, the remark is not intended to convey the idea that the animal 

 does not ruminate, but that the loss of cud is a disease in itself. We 

 may here observe that loss of cud is a symptom of suspended rumina- 

 tion (Plate n) and shows that the animal's digestive functions are not 

 performed as regularly as usual. It is a symptom of a great many 

 diseases, and when its existence is detected it should lead the observer 

 to try and discover other symptoms, so that on those he may base a 

 correct opinion as to the nature of the disease from which the animal 

 suffers. 



VOMITING. 



This is not to be confounded with rumination, though some writers 

 have advanced the opinion that vomiting is merely a disordered and 

 irregular rumination. It is not of common occurrence in cattle, though 

 as it sometimes occurs it is well that a description of it should be 

 given. 



Symptoms. Animals which vomit are frequently in poor condition. 

 After having eaten tranquilly for some time the animal suddenly 

 becomes uneasy, arches the back, stretches the neck and head and 

 then suddenly ejects 10 or 12 pounds of the contents of the rumen. 

 After having done this, uneasiness subsides and in a short time the 

 animal resumes eating as if nothing had happened. 



Causes. The causes of this disordered state of the digestive system 

 in cattle are rather obscure. It is evident that the vomited matter pro- 

 ceeds from the rumen, and it appears to show some temporary nervous 

 disorder of that part. It has been found to occur when there was can- 

 cerous disease of the fourth stomach, and experimentally it has been 



