COMMON AILMENTS OF CATTLE 325 



on hand, as almost constant use will be found for it. For 

 this purpose some of the common coal tar preparations are 

 suitable, or crude carbolic acid, which can be prepared in a 

 2 per cent solution, when applied to the animal's body, or a 

 5 per cent solution in disinfecting other objects, such as the 

 floor of the barn or instruments. An abundant supply of 

 Epsom salts should also be on hand, as occasion for using 

 them will come often. In most herds entirely too little use 

 is made of this important medicine. A dose of 1 to 1^ 

 pounds of salts for the grown animal should be the first 

 treatment in nearly all cases of sickness. In every case 

 when an animal shows loss of appetite or sickness the cause 

 of which is not known, a physic should be given at once and 

 the feed reduced. A second dose after three or four days is 

 often beneficial. If the appetite of the animal has returned, 

 the ration can again be increased to the normal. 



Drenching a Cow. The common method of administer- 

 ing medicine to a cow is to mix with water and give from a 

 bottle. This is known as a "drench." When giving a 

 drench, the head of the animal should be elevated by tying 

 or held by an assistant. The operator stands on the left 

 side, and grasps the nose with the thumb and fingers in the 

 nostrils. The bottle used should be adapted for the pur- 

 pose, having a long, strong neck, such as a wine bottle. The 

 mouth of the bottle should be inserted in front of the back 

 teeth with the mouth on the tongue as far back as the middle. 

 If the animal coughs, the head should be at once lowered to 

 allow the liquid to escape from the windpipe. If this is not 

 done, the medicine may pass down into the lungs, and cause 

 pneumonia. Unless there is some special reason for doing 

 so, it is not customary to give over 1 to 2 quarts at a time. 



