OVERLOADING OF THE RUMEN IN THE OX. 



115 



alimentary matters after a prolonged abstinence, or the absorption 

 of water of a very low temperature, are the principal causes of the 

 overloading of the rumen. 



Symptoms. These vary with the causal conditions, especially 

 with the quantity and digestibility of the food ingested. 



The animals keep away from their manger, arch the back, and 

 expel normal excrements in small quantity and at short intervals ; 

 they will also move the tail, strike the abdomen with the hind feet, 

 carry the head from one flank to the other, and complain ; some- 

 times they lie down and almost immediately stand up again. The 

 countenance is anxious and haggard ; the eyes are prominent and the 

 conjunctiva is injected. At certain times we observe stupefaction ; 

 the animals are indifferent to everything happening around them. 



Inappétence is complete and rumination has stopped ; the thirst 

 is often increased ; we can observe ptyalism with motions of empty 

 mastication, eructations, nauseas, and even true vomiting. The 

 muzzle has a normal appearance. 



The volume of the abdomen is increased, especially at the height 

 of the left flank. The rumen is filled with packed alimentary 

 matters ; they are sometimes quite hard, but mostly soft. Per- 

 cussion of the left flank gives a dull sound ; later, it allows us 

 to define the accumulation of a more or less considerable quantity 

 of gas in the upper part of the rumen. Pressures upon the ab- 

 domen are painful, and the animal seeks to avoid them. The 

 degree of fulness of the rumen can also be determined by rectal 

 exploration. The peristaltic movements are lost or diminished ; 

 the hand applied upon the left flank is able to recognize the inertia 

 of the walls of the rumen ; the bruits of friction due to the activity 

 of this organ are no longer perceptible ; defecation is rare and not 

 abundant, and the excrements are dark and hard. 



The temperature is not increased and is regularly distributed ; 

 the pulse is accelerated and the artery distended. Respiration is 

 not free ; it becomes very painful in decubitus and when the animal 

 descends a hill : these symptoms may lead us to suspect the exist- 

 ence of lung trouble. 



Course. The course of the disease has nothing constant. When 

 the rumen is too much overloaded death may happen by asphyxia 

 or apoplexy, exactly in the same way as in acute meteorism. In 

 other cases overloading is followed by a gastro-enteritis, but most 

 frequently, especially when the fodder ingested is not too great in 



