CACHEXIA. 305 



the bull is admitted among the cows, for a second 

 attack on the bull will render him useless. 



Cachexia, — This, properly speaking, may be denomi- 

 nated a bad habit of the body, from faulty digestion, 

 and assimulation of the food taken into the stomach. 



Symptoms. — Morbid or diseased appetite, the animal 

 at every chance will lick the earth, stones, lime walls, and 

 other substances, which cows in health would not touch. 

 This disease, like many others, occasionally takes an 

 epizootic form, and attacks animals over a large tract of 

 of country. More particularly, the animal's coat stares, 

 followed by a mucous discharge from the eyes and mouth ; 

 milk almost disappears, and what there is of it is very 

 blue and thin. At this stage of the disease, the animal 

 is thin; the membranes of the mouth, nose and eyes are 

 white and pale, showing the bloodless state to which the 

 beast is reduced. There is now stiffness of the joints 

 consequent upon infiltration of serum into the burs^e of 

 the joint, causing much swelling. In. certain parts of 

 England it is called the "cripple." The animal is now 

 reduced to a skeleton, and dies within a few months to a 

 year from the first appearance of the disease. 



Treatment. — The first thing to be done is to have the 

 animals removed to high and dry pasture lands, which 

 may be the means of cutting short the disease, before 

 much injury has been done to them. Give to each 

 animal plenty of salt, and the preparation of soda and 

 lime, with good food of a nutricious quality. A few doses 

 of commercial sulphuric acid highly diluted, say half an 

 ounce by weight, given once a day in half a bucket of 

 cold water, and if necessary, a few doses of iron and 

 gentian, will cut short the disease. 



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