CHAPTER XII. 

 MODE OP GIVING MEDICINE. 



Animals are all more or less difficult to give medicine to, 

 therefore the stockman must be careful to give it in such 

 a way as to annoy the patient as little as possible and yet 

 avoid wasting the medicine. Different methods have to he 

 followed with the various farm animals, the stronger 

 animals such as horses and cows require a certain amount 

 of restraint in order to give the drugs successfully. 



To get the effect of medicines they must be introduced 

 into the body. 



Medicines are taken into the system by three channels: 



1. Through the digestive tract, in such cases being 

 given by the mouth, in the form of powders, drenches 

 or balls, and per rectum, by injection into the bowel. 



2. Through the organs of respiration, causing the ani- 

 mal to breathe the drug, this is known as the inhalation 

 method, and is useful in such diseases as strangles (colt 

 distemper) or worms in the air passages (sheep and 

 calves). 



3. Through the skin, the medicines being absorbed. 

 There are subdivisions of this, the absorptive method, 

 the first one of which is employed by stockmen, the others 

 being used by the veterinarian whenever necessary; they 

 are: («) epidermically, rubbing into the skin (epider- 

 mis), the general way of using blisters; (&) endermically, 

 the drug being applied under the skin, the rowel and 



