80 THE COW IN HEALTH AND DISEASE 



out of the lungs or expiration. In the nor- 

 mal, healthy cow, the respirations are from 

 15 to 18 per minute. Several things will 

 change this however, among them being preg- 

 nancy, rumination, or chewing the cud and 

 sleeping. After making observations in 

 healthy cows one soon learns to recognize a 

 great difference in the respiratory movements. 

 A filling up of some of the area in the lungs 

 with exudate in pneumonia, pleurisy, or pain 

 of the chest walls, fluid in chest cavity, weak 

 heart, adhesions between chest walls and 

 lungs, (such as often occur after pleurisy), 

 bloating of the rumen, growths in the nose 

 and throat or swelling of the throat and fevers 

 will all cause rapid, irregular and difficult 

 breathing which is known as dysponea. A 

 very valuable symptom when properly inter- 

 preted. 



It is well to take the temperature of all sick 

 cows. The normal temperature of the cow 

 is from 101 to 102 degrees Fahrenheit, but 

 pregnancy, digestion and exercise will make 

 slight changes in the temperature, but when 

 there is a rise of 2 degrees, or more it is the 

 result of some diseased process. The ther- 

 mometer should be inserted in the rectum and 

 be allowed to remain two or three minutes. 



The secretions of the mucous membranes 

 will change with varying respiratory disor- 

 ders. With cold in the head, you will have 

 moist, wet secretions from the eyes and nose 



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