^5- THE MAiNAGEiSlEJsiT AND i-tEDING OF CATTLE 



altliough prejudice to using such food will, no doubt, 

 militate against its being so used. 



Measures to prevent bloat are of more value than 

 remedial measures, notwithstanding the service which 

 these can render. The former include the following: 

 (I) Feed cattle liberally on such fodder dry as they 

 relish before turning them in to graze on pastures that 

 are much liable to produce bloat, and use increased cau- 

 tion when the pastures are wet. (2) Do not graze them 

 longer at first than 20 minutes, and increase the time of 

 grazing daily for, say, a week, after which it should 

 usually be safe to give them uninterrupted access to the 

 grazing. (3) Give them free access all the time to such 

 cured hay as they relish or to pastures with dry grass 

 in them along with the green. At such times they will 

 eat considerable quantities of dry food as they seem to 

 crave it. 



In severe cases remedial measures cannot be too 

 promptly given. Relief is given at first by tapping the 

 paunch to allow the gas to escape. This is best done 

 by the aid of a trocar and cannula, the former for tap- 

 ping the paunch and the latter for allowing the gas to 

 escape after it has been inserted in the opening. Fre- 

 quently a small opening is first made through the skin 

 with a knife over the most prominent part of the 

 swelling, which will be about half-way between the hook 

 point and the last rib. In this opening the trocar and 

 cannula are inserted at the same time and with a down- 

 ward and more or less forward pointing are thrust into 

 the paunch. The trocar only is withdrawn, leaving the 

 cannula to give vent to the gas. The trocar may be 

 further used, if necessary, to push down the contents 

 of the stomach that may have come into the cannula. 

 Cattlemen should have these implements on hand, 

 as there is usually not time to secure the services of a 

 veterinarian except where after-complications arise. 

 They can be secured through any druggist. In their 



