NUTRITION 



37 



Sheep : 250 parts oil-cake will produce 100 parts increase in 

 weight ; 300 parts clover chaff will produce 100 parts increase 

 in weight ; 4,000 parts swedes will produce 100 parts 

 increase in weight. 



Pigs : 500 parts barley-meal will produce 100 parts increase in 

 weight. 



Pathological. 



Disorders of nutrition occur with every departure from the normal 

 condition, though much more apparent in some disorders than others. 



Fever. — The tissues are readily broken down in supplying fuel for 

 the increased metabolism which is giving rise to the abnormally 

 great production and loss of heat ; both the fats and proteins suffer, 

 and in some disorders it is remarkable how rapidly wasting occurs 

 the moment the reserve is used up. In acute lung cases this is very 

 obvious — in a fortnight the patient may be a wreck. The increased 

 nitrogenous metabolism which this indicates suggests an increased 

 secretion of urea, but exact work in this direction is still much 

 needed. During fever there is an increased production of C0 2 , and 

 absorption of oxygen ; uric acid is formed by the herbivora, and the 

 urine becomes acid. 



Marked muscular waste may occur in the absence of fever ; any- 

 thing which causes a drain on the system, such as internal parasites, 

 tuberculosis, internal growths, etc., may reduce the animal to little 

 more than a skeleton. Starving, underfeeding or overworking of 

 animals are obvious causes of metabolic change, while defective 

 teeth in horses are a frequent cause of the same. 



The food supply may be deficient in proteins or carbohydrates, 

 or both, or there may be an excess. Disorders from the latter cause 

 are very evident in the horse. Lymphangitis and hemoglobinuria 

 are diseases of the horse intimately associated with overfeeding and 

 idleness, and have no parallel in any other animal. An excess of 

 salts in the food may be productive of considerable trouble. One 

 form of intestinal calculus in the horse is due to the amount of 

 ammonio-magnesium-phosphate existing in the bowel through feed- 

 ing too largely on bran. 



Broken Wind is referred to at p. 152 as having its origin in errors 

 in dieting and management, such as a bulky and innutritious food 

 supply, or heavy work on a distended stomach. Apart from these 

 there may be other disorders of nutrition responsible for this con- 

 dition, for even under good management the production of the disease 

 is not entirely controlled, though very greatly reduced. 



Local loss of nutrition, such as occurs in lameness, is referred to 

 at p. 349. 



