THE COW IN HEALTH AND DISEASE 117 



will do very well for this class of injuries. 



Bloody Milk. 



Due to the enormous flow of blood through 

 the udder and the great number of blood ves- 

 sels, we frequently have bloody milk in the 

 heavy, rich milkers. Sometimes, the first 

 thing that is noticed is a slight pink tinge to 

 the milk when it is drawn and it will be some- 

 what frothy. Soon streaks of blood and small 

 clots will be noticeable. As this is due to a 

 congestion and a rupture of some of the small 

 blood vessels of the udder, it becomes neces- 

 sary to draw the milk with as little manipula- 

 tion of the udder as possible. This condition 

 is • usually brought about by feeding large 

 quantities of rich and sometimes irritating 

 feeds in an effort to stimulate a heavy milk 

 flow; therefore, the feed should be reduced to 

 about one-half and the cow should receive a 

 laxative. If it is caused by an injury, the 

 same procedure should be observed. If large 

 quantities of blood are observed and the udder 

 is tender, it is advisable to use a sterile milk 

 tube for drawing the milk for a while. The 

 teat, and tube, should be sterilized with a mild 

 antiseptic before the tube is used, or infection 

 will be introduced which is worse than the 

 ruptured blood vessel which is rarely ever of 

 any consequence if taken care of properly as 

 soon as it is noticed. 



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