10 DISEASES OF CATTLE. 



may be attended with dangerous and even fatal consequences, and it is 

 well to make it a rule not to give medicines unless they are prescribed 

 by some one who is competent to give directions in such matters. Of 

 course this rule will not apply to those who possess a sufficient knowl- 

 edge of medicine to prevent a mistake being made. In giving a drench 

 to an ox the hand should be passed in front of the horns and the fingers 

 take hold of the septum nasi (partition between the nostrils) ; the nose 

 should be raised in a slightly upward direction, and the neck of the bot- 

 tle should then be introduced at the side of the mouth so as to allow the 

 medicine to flow gradually out of the bottle. In doing this the animal's 

 neck should not be twisted to the side on which the person adminis- 

 tering the medicine stands, nor should the nose be raised higher thai/is 

 necessary to allow the draught to flow easily down the throat. The 

 neck and head ought to form a straight line of which the nose is the 

 highest point. When an animal is inclined to resist it is necessary for 

 an assistant to take hold of the horns so as to steady the head, and in 

 this way to assist the person giving the medicine. If the animal tries 

 to cough the head should be released for two or three minutes. 



Poicders. The medicines which are to be given in the form of pow- 

 der should be pulverized or finely divided, and also should be well 

 mixed together if there are several ingredients in the powder. Mate- 

 rials should not be used in making up powders which will exercise a 

 caustic or irritating action on the mouth, or which are possessed of a 

 nauseating and disagreeable taste. As powders are usually mixed with 

 food it is obvious that substances possessing a disagreeable taste will 

 be refused by the animals to which they are given. 



Electuaries are frequently used in treating sore throat, or when an 

 animal is troubled with a cough. Electuaries are usually composed of 

 a powder, such as chlorate of potash or alum, which is rubbed into a 

 thick paste with sirup or molasses and is then smeared on the animal's 

 tongue with a flat wooden spoon. Any powder, however, may be given 

 in the form of an electuary as long as it is not possessed of caustic and 

 irritating properties, or is not chemically unsuitable for giving in, this 

 way. 



Balls or pills, though frequently used in treating the diseases of the 

 horse, are not well adapted for the treatment of diseases of cattle. As 

 cattle have four stomachs, solids pass rather slowly through these capa- 

 cious digestive organs, so that very few veterinary practitioners resort 

 to this form of administering medicine, which is found to be much less 

 effectual than when it is dissolved or mixed with liquid. 



BY THE BOWEL. 



Injections of medicinal agents. When the mouth is swollen or affected 

 in such a manner that administration of medicine by that way is not 

 practicable, the agent to be used may, after proper dilution, be given 

 by the rectum, but it is usual to give a double dose when it is adminis- 



