SPECIAL REPORT 



ON 



DISEASES OF CATTLE 



ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICINES. 



By Leonard Pearson, B. S., V. M. D., 



Dean of the Veterinary Department, University of Pennsylvania, and State 



Veterinarian of Pennsylvania. 



Medicines may be administered to cattle in many ways. The chan- 

 nel and method of administration depend on whether a general or local 

 effect is desired, the condition of the animal, and the nature of the med- 

 icine that is to be given. It is the easiest method, and therefore cus- 

 tomary, to give ordinary remedies by the mouth, either with the food, 

 or with drink, or separately. There are, however, some conditions in 

 which medicines administered in this way will not act promptly 

 enough, or wherein a desired effect of the medicine on a distant part 

 of the body is wholly lacking, unless it is applied in some other way. 



The various methods of administering medicines to cattle will be 

 considered below. 



By the mouth. — The simplest way to give medicines by the mouth 

 is to mix them with the food or water. This can be done when the 

 medicine is in the form of a powder or fluid, if but a small quantity 

 is to be given, if it does not have a taste that is disagreeable to the 

 animal and is not so irritant as to injure the lining membranes of the 

 mouth and throat. 



The usual method of administering bulky or unpalatable doses is to 

 mix them with a fluid vehicle, such as water, milk, molasses, or beer, and 

 give from a bottle. A dose given in thiswayis known as a "drench." 

 In administering a drench the head of the animal should be elevated 

 a little by an assistant. This is best accomplished when standing on 

 the left side of the cow's head and by grasping the nose with the thumb 

 and fingers of the right hand inserted in the nostrils; with the left 

 hand beneath the chin the head is further raised and supported. If 

 the animal is unruly, it may be tied in a stall or placed in a stanchion. 



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