TEE AORICULT 



URAL JOURNAL. 



I have had a few cases in cattle, all 

 cows, the symptoms of which were very 

 similar to those of stomach staggers in 

 horses. The beast gets either paroxysms 

 or tits, or else more or less comatose. I 

 have been very successful with cathartics, 

 nerve stimulants, and change of veld. 



I had an uncommon case in a loot mare 

 brought down from the front. When I 

 saw this mare she had only been sick two 

 days, the symptoms were : — Temperature 

 102 degs., very poor condition with fetid 

 breath ; discharge from both nostrils ; 

 oscultation gave a very decided abnormal 

 sound in the chest on near side, in fact 

 one could hear it by standing near the 

 mare ; on percussion a very decided grunt 

 and cough. I diagnosed the case as acute 

 suppurative pneumonia, and advised that 

 the mare should be immediately destroyed, 

 which was done, and I verified my 

 diagnosis by jmst-mortem examination, 

 and found the lung and pleura extensively 

 diseased. The carcase was at once buried, 

 and every precaution taken. 



MOOI RIVER.— D.V.S. WEBB. 



Lungsickness. — One outbreak oi this 

 disease has occurred in the County during 

 the month at Mr. A. P. Van der Merwe's, 

 Springfield. 



Cases treated during the month have 

 included : — 



Tetanus in a cow. 



Laminitis, two cases. 



Dun sickness in a thoroughbred mare. 

 The case was fortunately taken in time, 

 and the mare has made a complete re- 

 covery. 



Dyspepsia in an imported Shorthorn 

 bull. 



Fistulous withers in an Australian mare. 

 Laryngitis in a Hackney stallion. 

 Flatulent colic in a Shire stallion. 

 Strangulated ventral hernia in a gelding. 

 Ventral hernia in a cow. This case I 

 have reported at length. 



Ventral hernia, a success ful operation in 

 a Shorthorn cow. 

 On May 27th, I was called in by 

 Mr. J. Wallace to attend a valuable 

 Shorthorn heifer which had, after a poke 

 from an ox's horn, suddenly developed an 

 enormous swelling on the right side, ex- 

 tending from the region of the flank down 

 under the abdomen ; the swelling was as 



large as the largest of pumpkins. The 

 diagnosis was ventral hernia. I had the 

 cow placed on her back to see if the con- 

 tents of the hernial sac could be returned. 

 This proved absolutely impossible, and as 

 the enlargement was tense, and showed 

 signs of considerable inflammatory action, 

 the result of the bruising and laceration 

 of the abdominal wall, treatment, for 

 the time being, had to consist of allaying 

 this by fomentations, support to the 

 swelling, and a limited diet. The open- 

 ing of the hernial sac into the abdomen 

 could not be felt. 



On June 27th, I attended to operate on 

 the heifer. The swelling was now quite 

 soft, and extended further beneath the 

 abdomen. The cow was thrown and 

 secured, and I again tried to return the 

 contents of the hernia into the abdomen, 

 but without success. Neither could I 

 ascertain by palpation where the laceration 

 of the abdominal wall had taken place, 

 but from the presence of a scratch on the 

 skin to the right of the flank I judged it 

 to be isomewhere in that region, so de- 

 cided to open the sac near this quarter. 

 After washing, shaving, and disinfecting 

 the skin, I made a horizontal incision of 

 about ten inches. A large quantity of 

 serous exudate escaped directly the skin 

 was severed ; no adhesions had taken 

 place. The opening through the 

 abdominal wall I found about three 

 inches above my incision through the 

 skin. The rupture was quite six inches 

 in length, and slit-Uke in shape. The 

 contents of the hernial sac consisted of 

 intestine and a portion of the uterus. I 

 found it impossible to return these organs 

 without making the abdominal wound 

 still larger, and it was, even then, only 

 with considerable difficulty that they 

 were replaced. I now proceeded to 

 suture the wound with carbolised catgut ; 

 this part of the operation presented great 

 difficulty, because I had to do the suturing 

 with one hand, whilst the other was 

 employed in retaining the viscera which 

 exhibited a marvellous tendency to slip 

 out again. Ultimately the omason came 

 into view and filled up the opening, thus 

 rendering the work of suturing much 

 easier. The continuous form of suture 

 was employed. I found, in consequence 

 of the antagonistic action of the abdominal 

 muscles, the rapture could not be com- 



