j DISEASES OF THE DOMESTIC ANIMALS 



Depraved Appetite — The Licking Habit — Pica. 



Occurs in cattle owing to improper food; pregnancy; disease, 

 as tuberculosis, osteomalacia, chronic digestive disorders, etc. 

 Cattle eat all sorts of objects, as manure, wood, plaster, shoes, 

 clothing, etc. Pica is thought to be due to some peculiar composi- 

 tion of the soil and therefore of the water and vegetation. It is 

 more commonly seen in old countries and in animals living on 

 swampy grounds. Death occurs after months from presence of 

 foreign bodies in the stomach, with gradual emaciation and gastro- 

 enteritis. 



Treatment consists in the care of the primary disease. Gener- 

 ous feeding with plenty of salt. Patients should be in the open air. 

 Apomorphine, gr. ii, given under the skin once weekly, for three in- 

 jections, is said to be a specific. A tonic powder may be given 

 in tablespoonful doses on the food twice a day in addition to 

 apomorphine, as 3J Pulv. Zingiber., gentian, et ferri carb aa §iv; 

 bone flour i lb.; sodii chlorid. §viii. TTL. Gastrotomy often is neces- 

 sary to remove foreign bodies from the stomach. 



In Calves and Lambs the habit is caused by insufficient nourish- 

 ment from the mother. Calves lick hair from each other, and lambs 

 lick off wool from their mothers. This results in the formation of 

 hair balls in the stomach which produce obstruction and death 

 within a day or two. The treatment embraces better feeding for 

 mothers, which should be given plenty of salt, and calves should 

 be muzzled and lambs segregated when not suckling. The animal 

 from which the wool has been eaten should also be isolated from the 

 flock, as its appearance stimulates other sheep to crop the wool 

 from its back. Apomorphine under the skin (gr. i) is most 

 effective. 



In Horses, pica is commonly due to indigestion, and on general 

 principles such remedies as laxatives (carron oil or Carlsbad salts 

 in doses of a few ounces daily on the feed), bitters, and sodium 

 bicarbonate or dilute HC1 are indicated. It is more common in 



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