THE COW IN HEALTH AND DISEASE 127 



niitis follow interference that is practiced in an 

 effort to relieve a stricture of the teat. 



Stricture of the cow's teat does not often close 

 the milk duct entirely, but, when it does, it is 

 usually in young heifers that have never calved 

 before. If the stricture is near the end of the 

 teat, the teat will fill with milk quite readily, 

 which will either draw in a very small stream or 

 will flow in several small streams in a sort of a 

 spray. If it is near the top of the teat, it will fill 

 very slowly, but it can be drawn from the teat 

 quite easily. 



A stricture located in the end of the teat will 

 often yield to repeated dilation. Sterilize a teat 

 dilator and wash the teat with an antiseptic, in- 

 sert the dilator into the end of the teat and dilate 

 to the proper opening, then let it remain in this 

 position for a couple of minutes, after which the 

 dilator should be removed for a couple of min- 

 utes. This procedure should be performed five 

 or six times, at intervals of two or three minutes 

 rest between dilations, and treatments should be 

 continued for several times at intervals of two or 

 three days. A stricture that is located high in the 

 teat should be treated only by a veterinarian, and 

 then not until he has explained to the owner of 

 the cow the danger of complications that may 

 injure that quarter of the udder. It is strictly 

 surgical in the majority of cases, but in a few 

 cases where the stricture is not too high up a 

 course of dilations are worthy of trial. 



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