272 DISEASES OF CATTLE. 



appears after the calf has been some time on solid food, as the paunch 

 then extends down to the right over the navel, and thus forms an 

 internal pad preventing the protrusion of intestine. 



The symptoms of umbilical hernia are a soft swelling at the navel, 

 with contents that usually gurgle on handling, and can be entirely 

 returned into the abdomen by pressure. The diseases of the navel 

 hitherto considered have not gurgling contents, and can not be com- 

 pletely returned into the abdomen. The only exception in the case of 

 the hernia is when the walls of the sack have become greatly thickened ; 

 these will, of course, remain as a swelling after the bowel has been 

 returned 5 and when the protruding bowel has contracted permanent 

 adhesions to the sac it is impossible to return it fully without first sev- 

 ering that connection. 



Treatment is not always necessary. A small hernia, like an egg, in a 

 new-born calf, will usually recover of itself as the animal changes its 

 diet to solid food and has the paunch fully developed as an internal pad. 



In other cases apply a leather pad of 8 inches square attached around 

 the body by two elastic bands connected with its four corners, and an 

 elastic band passing foin its front border to a collar encircling the neck, 

 and two other elastic bands from the neck collar along the two sides of 

 the body to the two bands passing up over the back. (Plate xxiv, 

 Fig. 6.) 



For small hernias nitric acid may be used to destroy the skin and 

 cause such swelling as to close the orifice before the skin is separated. 

 For a mass like a large goose-egg one-half ounce of the acid may be 

 rubbed in for three minutes. No more must be applied for fifteen days. 

 For large masses this is inapplicable, and with too much loss of skin the 

 orifice may fail to close and the bowels may escape. 



The application of a clamp like those used in castration is a most 

 effective method, but great care must be taken to see that all the con- 

 tents of the sack are returned so that none may be inclosed in the 

 clamp. (Plate xxiv, Fig. 7.) 



Another most effective resort is to make a saturated solution of com- 

 mon salt, filter and boil it, and when cool inject under the skin (not 

 into the sack) on each side of the hernia a dram of the fluid. A band- 

 age may then be put around the body. In ten hours an enormous 

 swelling will have taken place, pressing back the bowel into the abdo- 

 men. When this subsides the wound will have closed. 



DROPSY OF THE NAVEL. 



A sack formed at the navel, by contained liquid accumulated by rea- 

 son of sucking by other calves, is unsightly and sometimes injurious. 

 After making sure that it is simply a dropsical collection it may be 

 deeply punctured at various points with a large-sized lancet or knife, 

 fomented with hot water and then daily treated with a strong decoc- 

 tion of white-oak bark. 



