CHAPTER X 



Diseases of Farm Animals 



ABORTION.— The expulsion of the fetus at a 

 period too young to live exterior of its mother is 

 known as abortion. This ailment may afflict cows, 

 mares, sows, and ewes, but is most common among 

 cows. 



Abortion may be divided into two classes, 

 namely, accidental and contagious. If we had 

 nothing but the accidental form of abortion to con- 

 tend with we would hear very little about this dis- 

 ease, owing to the fact that it is perfectly natural 

 for animals to carry their young full time, regard- 

 less of how much they may be punished or abused 

 while in this condition if their system be free from 

 the germs of contagious abortion. On the other 

 hand, contagious abortion is a very destructive dis- 

 ease, causing heavy losses to the stockmen of the 

 United States as well as to other countries. Con- 

 tagious abortion is divided into two classes, namely, 

 acute and chronic. Cows afflicted with the acute 

 form of abortion may lose from one to three calves. 

 Cows, after passing from the acute to the chronic 

 form of abortion, may carry their calves full time, 

 but are as badly affected with the germs of con- 

 tagious abortion as they were in the acute form, 

 when they were losing their calves. 



Perhaps the greatest damage brought about with 

 cattle afflicted with the chronic form of abortion is 

 the shortage of milk. Animals afflicted with acci- 

 dental abortion show very few marked symptoms 

 before they abort. Animals afflicted with contagious 



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