22 DISEASES OF CATTLE. 



be displaced in different directions so as to produce the symptoms 

 before described. Enlarged postpharyngeal lymphatic glands are 

 not rare in tuberculosis and by pressing upon the wall of the pharynx 

 and restricting the lumen of this organ they cause difficulty in both 

 breathing and swallowing. Such enlarged glands may be differ- 

 entiated from tumors by passing the hand into the cow's throat after 

 the jaws are separated by a suitable speculum or gag. 



Treatment. — The method of treatment followed in such cases is to 

 separate the animal's jaws with an instrument termed a gag, and then, 

 after drawing the tongue partially forward, to pass the hand into the 

 pharynx and to gently twist the tumor from its attachment. One 

 veterinarian who has had considerable practice in treating this form 

 of disease scrapes through the attachment of the tumor gradually 

 with his thumb nail. In cases where the attachment is too strong to 

 be severed in this way an instrument like a thimble, but possessing 

 a sharp edge at the end, might be used to effect the same purpose, or 

 the base of the tumor may be severed by the use of a crushing instru- 

 ment known as an ecraseur. 



This accident usually happens from attempting to swallow too 

 large an object, such as a turnip, potato, beet, or an apple or pear, 

 though in rare cases choking may occur from bran, chaff, or some 

 other finely divided food lodging in and filling up a portion of the 

 gullet. This latter form of the accident is most likely to occur in 

 animals which are greedy feeders. 



Symptoms. — The symptoms will vary somewhat according to the 

 part of the gullet or throat in which the obstruction is located. In 

 most cases there is a discharge of saliva from the mouth ; the animal 

 coughs frequently, and when it drinks the water is soon ejected. The 

 cow stops eating and stands back from the trough, the expression is 

 troubled, breathing is accelerated, and oftentimes the animal bloats 

 as a result of the retention of gas in the paunch. These symptoms, 

 however, are not always present, for if the obstacle does not com- 

 pletely close the throat, or gullet, gas and water may pass, thus amel- 

 iorating the discomfort. If the obstruction is in the neck portion of 

 the gullet, it may be felt as a lump in the left jugular gutter. 



Treatment. — If the object is in the throat, it is advisable to put a 

 gag in the animal's mouth, and, while the head is held in a horizontal 

 direction by two assistants, to pass the hand into the pharynx, grasp 

 the foreign body, and withdraw it gradually and steadily. When the 

 substance is lodged in the upper part of the gullet, pressure should 

 be made by an assistant in an upward direction against the object 

 while the operator passes his hand into the pharynx, and if the assist- 

 ant can not by pressure dislodge the substance from the gullet, the 



