130 DISEASES OF THE STOMACH AND BOWELS 



t 



hay, alfalfa, dried out, brittle corn fodder, wheat straw, rye 

 straw, etc. Food which is bulky containing an unpro- 

 portionate amount of woody material, as swamp grasses, 

 tree tops. Food which is spoiled (moldy meal or bran, 

 bad ensilage). Residuary foods, such as brewer's grains, 

 distillery slop, sugar beet pulp, kitchen offal, (c) Lack of 

 water. During drought or through negligence the cattle 

 are not given sufficient pure drinking water. 



Predisposing causes would include anjlhing which pre- 

 vents the free movement of the rumen interfering with its 

 peristalsis. Lack of exercise, ingestion of large quantities 

 of very cold water, sudden change from green food to dry; 

 more rarely general weakness, peritoneal adhesions, diseases 

 of the wall of the rumen (actinomycosis, tumors or catarrh). 



Symptoms. — ^The sjTiiptoms usually noted by the owner 

 are the patient does not eat well, fails to chew its cud, 

 stands back from the manger mth its hind feet in the 

 gutter, or, if with the herd in the field, is off by itself. The 

 patient usually stands listless, with feet drawn up under 

 the body or on the other hand spread apart, back arched, 

 facial expression anxious. In some instances colicky pains 

 appear causing the patient to switch its tail, kick its hind 

 feet against the abdomen, turn its head toward the sides, 

 show restlessness, and alternately, lie down and get up. 

 As a rule, cattle suffering from impaction of the rumen 

 do not lie down much and if they do usually on the right 

 side. The abdomen appears more rotund than usual and 

 there is a slight filling of the hollow of the left flank. The 

 paunch movements are either absent or very feeble. On 

 palpation over the flank or through the rectum the contents 

 of the paunch feel doughy to hard and may receive finger 

 imprints much as unset cement. The temperatiu-e and 

 pidse are normal at least in the earlier stages. The bowels 

 are usually constipated although in some cases, depending 

 upon the character of the food or an existing bowel catarrh, 

 diarrhea may be present. Milk secretion falls off. In 

 individual cases the patient will show weakness of the hind 

 parts, staggering gait, may be unable to rise and show symp- 

 toms resembling to a marked degree those of parturient 

 paresis. 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



