88 DISEASES OF CATTLE. 



of the throat; foreign bodies and constriction of the air passages 

 leading to the lungs; fevers, etc. 



As already alluded to, it is only the careful and constant examina- 

 tion of animals in health that Avill enable one properly to appreciate 

 abnormal conditions. One must become familiar with the frequency 

 and character of the pulse and of the respirations, must know the 

 temperature of the animal in health, before changes in abnormal con- 

 ditions can be properlj^ appre'ciated. 



Terrbperature. — The temperature should be taken in all cases of 

 sickness. Experienced practitioners can approximate the patient's 

 temperature with remarkable accuracy, but I strongly recommend 

 the use of the self-registering clinical thermometer, which is a most 

 valuable instrument in diagnosing diseases. (See PL III, fig. 1.) 

 It is advisable to get a tested instrument, as some thermometers in the 

 market are inaccurate and misleading. The proper place to in- 

 sert the thermometer is in the rectum, where the instrument should 

 be rested against the walls of the cavity for about three minutes. 

 The normal temperature of the bovine is 101° to 102° F., which 

 is higher than that of the horse. A cow breathes faster, her heart 

 beats faster, and her internal temperature is higher than that of the 

 horse. Ordinary physiological influences — such as exercise, diges- 

 tion, etc. — give rise to slight variations of internal temperature ; but 

 if the temperature rises two or three degi-ees above the standard 

 some diseased condition is indicated. 



Pulse, — The pulse in a grown animal of the bovine species in a 

 state of good health beats from 45 to 55 times a minute. Exercise, 

 fright, fear, excitement, overfeeding, pregnancy, and other physi- 

 ological conditions, as well as disease, may affect the frequency and 

 character of the pulse. It assumes various characters according to 

 its rapidity of beat, frequency of occurrence, resistance to pressure, 

 regularity, and perceptibilit3\ Thus we have the (juick or slow, 

 frequent or infrequent, hard or soft, full or imperceptible, large 

 or small pulse, the character of each of which may be determined 

 from its name; also that known as the intermittent, either regular 

 or irregular. We may have a dicrotic, or double pulse ; a thready 

 pulse, which is extremely small and scarcely perceptible ; the venous, 

 or jugular, pulse ; the ' running down "^ pulse, and so o\\. (See p. 74.) 



In cattle the pulse is conveniently felt over the submaxillary artery 

 where it winds around the lower jawbone, just at the lower edge of 

 the flat muscle on the side of the cheek. If the cow is lying down the 

 pulse may bo taken from the metacarpal artery on the back part of 

 the fore fetlock. Tlie pulsations can be felt from any superficial 

 artery, but in order to ascertain the peculiarities it is necessary to 

 select an artery that may be pressed against a bone. There is a 



