DISEASES OF CATTLE, SHEEP, 

 GOATS AND SWINE. 



SECTION I. 



DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF LOCOMOTION. 



METHODS OF EXAMINATION. 



Accidental and local diseases of the apparatus of locomotion are 

 matters of less urgeuev in the case of cattle than in that of the horse. 

 On the other hand, general affections, such as rheumatism and osseous 

 cachexia, demand a larger share of attention, and are of the utmost 

 importance. 



As the accurate diagnosis of any disease demands careful and 

 systematic examination, the practitioner usually observes a certain 

 order in his investigations, as indicated below : — 



(1.) Inspection, from the side, from the front and from behind, re- 

 veals the existence of deformities of bones, limbs, muscles and joints, 

 articular displacements, and irregularities of conformation or of gait. 



By inspection of an animal as it walks various forms of lameness, and 

 their particular characteristics, are rendered visible. 



(2.) Palpation and pressure will detect changes in local sensibility, 

 the softness or hardness of tissues, the existence of superficial or deep 

 fluctuation, cedematous swelling, and abnormal growths like ring-bones 

 and exostoses, as well as the exact character of articular enlargements. 



(3.) Percussion is of little value in examining the apparatus of loco- 

 motion. Nevertheless, percussion of the claws, and of certain bones of 

 the limbs, or of flat bones, may afford valuable information in cases of 

 laminitis, ostitis, and periostitis. Percussion along the longitudinal 

 axes of the limb bones is also useful in diagnosing intra-articular frac- 

 tures, sub-acute arthritis, osteomyelitis, etc. 



(4.) The gait. Lame animals should be made to move, in order to 

 assist both in discovering the cause, and in estimating the gravity of the 

 condition. Sometimes it is advisable to turn the animal loose, but most 

 frequently it is moved in hand, either in straight lines or in circles. 

 B.C. ^ 



