352 MANUAL OF FARM ANIMALS 



If the animal is bad, it may be necessary to put a gag in the 

 mouth as follows : Take a piece of inch rope, smear it with pine 

 tar, wagon grease, or other unsavory substance, place it in the 

 animal's mouth as a bit, and fasten by tying around the horns ; 

 or, take a stick the size of a fork handle and eight or ten inches 

 long, place this in the mouth as a bit and secure with a string by 

 tying around the head. It will try to dislodge these objects by 

 movements of the tongue, jaws, and throat, thus stimulating the 

 secretion of saliva and swallowing, which opens the esophagus 

 and permits the gas to escape. At this time a little salt thrown 



Fig. 103. — Devon Herd; "Sally" in the Center, her Two-year-old 

 Bull Calf to the Right, and her Yearling Calf to the Left. Owned 

 by L. P. Sisson. 



into the mouth often proves advantageous. In severe cases, how- 

 ever, the gas must be allowed to escape without delay, and this is 

 best accomplished by the use of a trocar and canula. On the left 

 side, about halfway between the last rib and the hip, make an in- 

 cision through the skin about three-quarters of an inch long with 

 a sharp knife ; through this incision insert the trocar and canula, 

 directing downward, inward, and slightly forward, and thrust 

 the point into the paunch. If this happens to be a fat animal, 

 it will be some distance through, but thrust it home. Remove 

 the trocar, leaving the canula in place, through which the gas 



