304 DISEASES OF CATTLE. 



only, where the rumen is excessively overloaded and distended. 

 The animal is placed with its right side against a wall and firmly 

 held in position by strong assistants. The incision is made in the 

 same place that the trocar is inserted for puncturing that organ in 

 cases of hoven. The opening is increased in size until the operator's 

 hand can be inserted into the rumen. Before any of the contents 

 are removed from that organ a linen cloth should be placed from the 

 outer wound into the rumen in order to prevent any of the ingest a 

 from getting into the abdominal cavity. After removing a portion 

 of the contents of the rumen some practitioners introduce such medi- 

 cine as may be indicated before closing the wound. Clean the 

 wound and close the opening in the rumen with uninterrupted (PI. 

 XXVIII, fig. 8) carbolized catgut suture^s. Next close the external 

 wound, consisting of the integument, muscle, and peritoneum, with 

 stout, internipted (PI. XXVIII, fig. 6) metallic sutures. No food 

 should be given for several hours after the operation, and then gruels 

 only. (See "Distention of rumen with food," p. 27.) 



TREATMENT OF ABSCESSES. 



An abscess may be detected, if situated externally, by heat, pain, 

 redness, and swelling in the early stages, and. if further developed, 

 by the fluctuation which will be present. When any of these symp- 

 toms are absent, the suppuration should be encouraged by the means 

 of hot fomentations and poultices. Care must be taken that the 

 abscess is not opened too soon, or it may to some extent cause it to 

 scatter, and the escape of pus will be lessened. The time to open 

 an abscess is just before it is readj' to break, and should be done with 

 a sharp lance, a crucial incision sometimes being necessary. The 

 cavity should be syringed out with an antiseptic solution. Care 

 should be taken not to allow the wound to close too rapidly, and to 

 prevent this a tent of lint or oakum should be introduced. 



It is probably not going too far to say that as a general rule 

 wounds of the bovine species, unless sufficiently serious to endanger 

 the animal's life, are left uncared for. The poor suffering creatures 

 are too often, even in fly time, left to endure untold torture from 

 wounds not at first of much importance, but which, from the con- 

 stant irritation caused by flies, dirt, etc., often develop into hideous, 

 unhealthy sores, which can not fail, even when they do heal, to leave 

 extensive and lasting blemishes as records of the owner's thriftless- 

 ness and inhumanity. 



The comparatively low market value of all but the full-blood and 

 pedigreed animal precludes an owner (save in a few exceptional 



