302 CATTLE. 



the probang. Before passing the probang a gag is introduced into the 

 animal's mouth, and the gag should have an aperture at each end from 

 which a strap passes and is buckled at the back of the head below the 

 horns. The probang should then be oiled, and the head and neck being 

 held in a straight line by two assistants, the tongue must be partly 

 drawn out of the mouth, the probang cautiously passed along the roof 

 of the mouth into the pharynx and then into the gullet, through which 

 it is passed down. If resistance is met, gentle and continuous pres- 

 sure must be employed, under the influence of which the agent 

 will generally in a short time pass into the stomach. A probang is 

 a flexible instrument, and adapts itself to the natural curvature of 

 the gullet, so that if it is used cautiously there is not much risk of 

 injury. 



Hoven, Tympanites, or Bloating. This disease is character- 

 ized by swelling of the left flank, and is caused by the formation of gas 

 in the rumen or paunch. (See Manikin of Cow). 



Causes. Tympanites may be caused by any kind of food which pro- 

 duces indigestion. When cattle are first turned into young clover they 

 eat so greedily of it that tympanites frequently results ; turnips, potatoes, 

 and cabbage may also cause it; middlings and cornmeal also frequently 

 give rise to it. An excessive quantity of any of the before-mentioned 

 foods may bring on this disorder; or it may not be due to excess but to 

 eating too hastil3^ Sometimes the quality of the food is at fault. Grass 

 or clover wet by dew or rain frequently disorders digestion and brings 

 on tympanites; frozen roots or pastures covered with hoar-frost should 

 also be regarded as dangerous. When food has been eaten too hastily, 

 or when it is cold and wet, the digestive process is imperfectly performed 

 and the food contained in the paunch ferments, during which process 

 large quantities of gas are formed. The same result may follow when a 

 cow is choked, as the obstruction in the gullet prevents the passing up 

 of gas from the stomach, so that the gas continues to accumulate until 

 tympanite results. 



Symptoms. The swelling of the left flank is very characteristic, as 

 in well-marked cases the flank at its upper part rises above the level of 

 the backbone, and when struck with the tips of the fingers emits a drum- 

 like sound. The animal has an anxious expression, moves uneasily, 

 and is evidently distressed. If relief is not obtained in time it breathes 

 with diflaculty, reels in walking or in standing, and in a short time falls 

 down and dies from suffocation. The distention of the stomach may 



