CHOKING IN CATTLE. 
75 
frequently vomited. She would eat greedily; but would soon 
afterwards reject what she had eaten. I informed Mr. B. that it 
was my opinion the cow was choked at the lower part of the throat, 
or else had a stricture there. I took my probang, and went on 
with him to see her, and found the symptoms as described. There 
was much inflation of the rumen, and on giving her a little food, 
she soon vomited it up again ; and there was a quantity of rejected 
food^inderneath her head. I applied my ear to her side, in the 
region of the lower part of the throat, and to the front of the thorax, 
and I could distinctly hear discharges of gas pass by the obstructed 
body in the throat. I informed Mr. B. that the cow was choked. 
He could not, however, believe that a cow could be choked for 
three weeks. I endeavoured to convince him to the contrary; but 
he still held to his opinion. I told him that, if a pocket had not 
formed in her throat, I would convince him in a few minutes she 
was choked, by affording her relief. I then introduced my pro- 
bang down the throat, and ascertained that she was choked within 
a few inches of her stomach. In the course of about three minutes, 
by gentle pressure with the probang, she was perfectly relieved. 
The rumen expelled its gas, and she returned to her natural ap- 
pearance. I then ordered all litter and hay or straw to be carefully 
removed out of her reach, and that she be confined to gruel diet; 
and left word I would see her on the following day, the 7th. Being 
busy, however, that day, I did not see my patient. But Mr. B. 
came to my house, and informed me the cow appeared well : and 
added, she would pull down the boothstake (the part she was tied 
to) unless she were allowed to have something more to eat. I told 
him she was doing quite well, and I would see her in the morning. 
8 th . — Doing well; taking her gruel herself; ruminating, and 
desiring solid food. Ordered gruel diet to be continued until I saw 
her again. With this Mr. B. was dissatisfied, and pressed me to 
give her some medicine, and allow her to have solid food. I in- 
formed him that the part of the throat where she had been choked 
was dilated, and that the muscles thereof had lost their power of 
contraction to a very great extent, and that I had more confidence 
in nature righting herself, if he would only feed her as directed, 
than in any medicine that could be given ; and further, that if he 
gave her solid food before the muscles of the throat had regained 
their tone, she would be again choked in the same place, and that 
the external muscular fibres thereabouts would be ruptured, and 
the case become incurable. “ Well, then,” said he, “ shall I give 
her a pint of linseed oil I” I told him he could please himself about 
that, as it would neither do her good nor harm. I then left him, 
quite dissatisfied with my orders and judgment as to the real 
disorder. 
