174 DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM. 



Sjmiptoms. 



The sheep is dull, breathes hard, exhibits abdominal pain, 



the body back of the ribs commences to enlarge, especially in 



the region of the left flank where the rumen is situated, the 



swelling on this side being more bulging and projecting higher 



than it does on the other. 



Creatment. 



This may be both medicinal and operative. In many cases 

 agents which, when swallowed, arrest the process of fer- 

 mentation, will be all that is necessary to effect a speedy cure. 

 The writer has found the following one of the most effective 

 agents to remedy this condition, and it is always worthy of trial 

 before using the trocar. Take tincture of colchicum seeds and 

 place 20 to 30 drops on the sheep's tongue, repeating in 20 min- 

 utes if necessary. This is in the line of homeopathic treatment, 

 but experience has proved its success, and being simple to ad- 

 minister, is a desirable remedy to use. Bi-carbonate of soda is 

 also administered for this trouble, and if the colchicum is not 

 obtainable is a good article to use, as all households have a supply 

 of cooking soda on hand. The dose should be one tablespoonful 

 dissolved in half pint of warm water and given as a drench. If 

 the bloating is very severe, the trocar should be used without de- 

 lay. Plunge it into the highest bulging portion of the left flank. 

 This will permit the escape of the gases. Then administer the 

 colchicum or soda treatment to arrest the fermentative changes 

 taking place in the viscus. 



If this trouble arises from eating wet grasses in the early 

 morning or from the ingestion of too succulent a diet, correct 

 the same, seeing that dry hay is fed or the animals kept in the 

 pens in the early morning till the dew has disappeared from the 

 grass. 



Lo99 of the Cud. 



This is not a disease, but an effect of derangement of some 

 part of the system. An animal suffering from any serious sick- 



