26 DISEASES OF CATTLE. 



DISTENTION OF RUMEN OR PAUNCH WITH FEED. 



This form of indigestion is caused by the animal gorging itself 

 with feed, and arises more from tlie animal's voracious appetite than 

 from any defect in the quality of the feed supplied to it. The con- 

 dition is, however, more se\'ere if the feed consumed is especially con- 

 centrated or difficult of digestion. In cases of this kind there is 

 comparatively no great formation of gas, and the gas which is formed 

 is diffused through the stomach instead of accumulating in a layer 

 in its upper part. On pressing the flank with the closed fist the 

 indent of the hand remains for a short time in the flank, as if the 

 rumen Mere filled with a soft, dough}^ mass. 



This form of indigestion should be treated b}^ stimulants, such as 

 aromatic spirits of ammonia. 



If the formation of gas is not great and the distention with solid 

 material is somewhat limited, the animal may be drenched through 

 a piece of ordinary garden hose, one end inserted in the mouth, 

 and the other end fitted with a funnel, giving 1^ pounds of Epsom 

 salt or Glauber's salt dissolved in 2 gallons of water, at a single dose. 

 Immediately after this treatment the left side of the animal, extend- 

 ing below the median line of the abdomen, should be powerfully 

 kneaded with the fist, so that the impacted food mass will be broken, 

 allowing the water to separate it into small portions which can be 

 carried downward for the process of digestion. But if the treatment 

 fails and the impacted or overloaded condition of the rumen con- 

 tinues, it may become necessary to make an incision with a sharp, 

 long-bladed knife in the left flank, commencing at the point where 

 it is usual to puncture the stomach of an ox, and prolong the incision 

 in a downward direction until it is long enough to admit the hand. 

 When the point of the knife is thrust into the flank and the blade 

 cuts downward, the wall of the stomach, the muscle, and the skin 

 should all be cut through at the same time. Two assistants should 

 hold the edges of the wound together so as to prevent any food from 

 slipping between the flank and the wall of the stomach, and then the 

 operator should remove two-third 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 stitches, 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 a lotion and 

 the animal covered with a tight linen sheet, to protect the wound 

 from insects and dirt. The lotion to be u.sed in such case is made up 

 as follows: Sulphate of zinc, 1 dram; carbolic acid, 2 drams; glycerin, 



