SPECIAL REPORT ON DISEASES OF CATTLE
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ny ways. The channel and method of administration depend on whether a general or local effect is desired, the condition of the animal, and the nature of the medicine that is to be given.
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gestion and cause local injury to the digestive organs, but may cause general poisoning of a severe and fatal type. The following molds have been shown (Dammann) to be dangerous in respe
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robang to push down any soft material, such as oats or chaff, as this generally condenses and renders firmer the obstructing substance by pressing its particles or elements together, so t
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e._--From the fact that this disease is largely one of regions, it is generally believed that some condition of the soil and water and of the local vegetation is responsible for it. It is
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aults in feeding than as a disease in itself. It occurs in almost all general fevers unless the bowels are involved in local disease, in obstructions of all kinds, from feeding on dry, bu
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he contents of the sac can not be returned into the abdomen, and this generally arises from the fact that some part of the contents of the sac has grown to or become adherent to the edges
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ote action may be exerted by the same drug. Poisons which act locally generally either destroy by corrosion the tissues with which they come in contact or by inhalation set up acute infla
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of chronic gastrointestinal catarrh, with indigestion, diarrhea, and general weakness and loss of condition. _Treatment._--The antidote for arsenic is a solution of hydrated oxid of iro
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onite is given whether indicated or not. Fortunately the dose used is generally small, and for this reason the damage done is much less than it would otherwise be. Aconite is one of the m
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the growth of bacteria, and bacteria may produce poisons in feeds. In general it may be said that any feed that is moldy, musty, or putrid is possibly dangerous. Silage, properly cured, d
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d often irregular. Respiration is difficult and rapid. There is great general weakness and depression. Death comes suddenly. _Treatment._--Treatment consists in supporting the animal by
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t of the diseases under consideration in this chapter. _Attitude and general condition._--The feeling of pain in animals suffering from serious affections of the organs of respiration is
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mucous membrane of the bronchial tubes. When a primary disease, it is generally the result of what is commonly known as "catching cold." It may be secondary to or complicated with many of
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without much uncertainty. The first signs may be those of frenzy, but generally at the start the animal is dull and sleepy, with little or no inclination to move about; the head may be pr
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and up on account of the paralysis of the hind quarters. This form is generally attributed to feeding on feeds containing insufficient protein and ash. It is most likely to occur in cows
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passing of a catheter is an operation which demands special skill. _General symptoms of urinary disorders._--These are not so prominent in cattle as in horses, yet they are of a similar
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his advanced stage to relieve dropsy and give tone to the kidneys and general system (oil of turpentine, 2 teaspoonfuls; bicarbonate of soda, 1 teaspoonful, repeated twice a day). Pure wa
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ere are exceptions, they are so rare that they do not invalidate this general rule. It is true that stone in the kidney or bladder is often found in the summer or in animals feeding at th
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sting the special cause of each as found in the feed, water, soil, or general conditions of health. This classification affords no guide to their location or symptoms, as calculi of the s
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c., in Cornell University._ [Revised by Adolph Eichhorn, D. V. S.] GENERAL DISCUSSION. Diseases of the generative organs are practically confined to animals which are kept for reprodu
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and general obstacles to conception should be carefully investigated and removed. The vigorous health which comes from a
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will refuse the male persistently, but these in no way invalidate the general rule. The bull, no matter how vigorous or how ardent his sexual instinct, can not be made to pay any attenti
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med these findings. _Cause._--The _Bacterium abortus_ of Bang is now generally recognized as the causative agent of the disease of cattle. Formerly it was thought that abortion was due t
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w, however, is not substantiated by other investigators, it being now generally accepted that the disease is only rarely responsible for abortion, and further, that it exerts no apparent
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either in the flank or with a trocar and cannula through the anus. GENERAL DROPSY OF THE CALF. This occurs from watery blood or disease of some internal organ, like the liver or kidne
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re beset with similar drawbacks, and are to be dealt with on the same general principles. (Pl. XVII, fig. 4.) With the back turned to one side the body should be rotated until the back tu
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se. No part is wedged into the pelvic passages as a complication. The general principles are the same as in faulty presentation fore and hind, and no time should be lost in making the man
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eet engaged in pelvis. A very serious malpresentation, in which it is generally impossible to save the fetus if delivery is far advanced. The indications are to force back the hind feet.
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even gangrene are shown in the mass. At the moment of protrusion the general health is not altered, but soon the inflammation and fever with the violent and continued straining induce ex
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nt, simple or associated with putrefaction of its liquid contents and general poisoning, or it may extend so that the inflammation affects the lining membrane of the whole abdominal cavit
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s, dullness, drowsiness, suspension of rumination and appetite, and a general indifference to surrounding objects. Soon the cow lies down, or falls and is unable to rise, but for one or t
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tained with such offensive products should be thoroughly washed. The general treatment of contagious mammitis does not differ from that of the simple form, except that antiseptics should
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septic germ and is associated with fetid discharge from the navel and general putrid blood poisoning. In estimating the causes of the disease we must not omit debility of the calf when th
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t the presence of some of the septic bacteria, and the results on the general system are a high fever and softening of the liver and spleen and no tendency to abscesses of the internal or
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n this way. The same may come from disease in the cow's udder, or any general disease of the cow with attendant fever, and in all such cases the tendency is to rapid change and unwholesom
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appears desirable to describe some of the characteristics of forms in general and of a few classes into which they may be divided, leaving the special study of individual bones to the ill
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is one in which other structures surrounding the bones are injured. GENERAL SYMPTOMS OF FRACTURE.--When a fracture of one or more of the large bones of a limb occurs, symptoms are sure
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side will be less prominent than the other. Careful manipulation will generally move the parts so that crepitus may be recognized. If the fracture is through the posterior part of the bon
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ed three or four times at intervals of three weeks. The lameness will generally begin to disappear about the third or fourth month if the above-described treatment proves beneficial. Shou
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ack may be used. Various types of dehorning shears or clippers are in general use. One type of dehorner has a stationary knife edge with its cutting edge shaped like a very wide V, and op
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fully dealt with under another heading. We would add, however, that, generally speaking, the animal, after being castrated, should either be regularly exercised or be allowed freedom so
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ions of the tumor by a pathologist will be found most satisfactory. GENERAL TREATMENT OF TUMORS. For benign tumors treatment is required only when it damages the animal's value or when
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By M. R. TRUMBOWER, D. V. S. [Revised by John R. Mohler, V. M. D.] GENERAL DISCUSSION. The skin consists of two parts--a superficial layer, the epidermis, or cuticle, and the deep, or
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lved. We must endeavor to remove the cause by giving attention to the general health of the animal and to its environment. Feeding should be moderate in quantity and not too stimulating i
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e spontaneously or follow a scar after an injury. _Symptoms._--Kelis generally appears below the knee or hock, and may occur singly or in numbers. There are no constitutional symptoms. I
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d for a little distance forward on its outward surface, the cornea is generally said to be fitted into the sclerotic like a watch glass into its rim. The venous canal of Schlemm runs circ
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r of refraction is lost--the animal can not see. _Causes._--Cataract generally arises from a diminution (atrophy) or other change in the nutrition of the lens; it may occur as a result o
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RFY EARS. Cattle are subject to scurfy ears, which may be owing to a generally morbid condition of the skin, or may be confined to the ears alone. The affected animal shows an inclinatio
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he usual manner, by an inflammation of the lungs and pleurÊ, which is generally extensive, and which has a tendency to invade portions of these organs not primarily affected and to cause
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ay bloat and later be affected with a severe diarrhea. Such cases are generally fatal in 7 to 20 days. Very often the attack comes on slowly and the symptoms are much less clear. In the
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. It is then a difficult undertaking, simply because the contagion is generally widely disseminated before any measures are adopted, and because a great majority of cattle owners will nev
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ot or ground itch of cattle, the inflammation of the skin and toes is general and not in certain spots, as in foot-and-mouth disease. The mouth remains unaffected, and the presence of the
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gives off the odor of rancid butter. The internal hemorrhages are not general, although they may occur. A microscopic examination of the juices from the tumefaction will show the blackleg
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animals or to damage the surroundings. The cow remains quiet and the general muscular contraction gives her a rigid appearance. There is an absence of paralysis which marks the advanced
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imals together, drafts of air which cause colds and catarrhs, and, in general, everything which prevents the animals from developing and maintaining the highest condition of health. None
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nd when the disease had yet made but little progress. It is now quite generally employed. The tuberculin test came into existence through the most careful and thorough scientific experim
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reameries, with the offal of the abattoirs, with the household refuse generally, and behind tuberculous cattle. If tuberculosis is common among cattle, it is likely to be transmitted to h
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tely fatal in cattle after eight to nine weeks; 4 likewise produced a generalized tuberculosis, but which certainly had a more chronic course, while 1 of the cultures caused only an infil
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fresh condition under a microscope magnifying up to 250 diameters the general structure is made out without much difficulty. These grains consist of collections of minute, roundish masses
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se. Actinomycosis is not infrequent in cattle in the Southwest and is generally supposed to be the result of eating the prickly fruit of the cactus plant, causing wounds of the mucous mem
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ys already described. If the disease begins in the skin, it agrees in general with the subacute form in prolonged duration, and it may occasionally terminate in recovery if the swellings
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_Symptoms and lesions._--The symptoms of blackleg may be either of a general or of a local nature, though more frequently of the latter. The general symptoms are very much like those bel
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of the multiplication of the bacilli at the point of inoculation. The general affection is an intoxication, or poisoning, of the whole system produced by a soluble toxin elaborated by the
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death, can be removed without pain to the animal. The intestines are generally normal, but, together with the peritoneum, they may be inflamed, and the lungs are usually the seat of an e
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d show very plainly. (Pl. XLVI, figs. 6 and 7.) _Prevention._--It is generally accepted that if southern cattle are entirely free from that species of tick known as _Margaropus annulatus
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apsed to leave no doubt that eradication has been accomplished. As a general rule it has been found that if dipping is begun in March and systematically and thoroughly done, all cattle b
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thereby retard the final recovery. Medical treatment of the sick has generally been unsatisfactory, although in chronic cases and those occurring late in the fall beneficial results have
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t damage the horn, and congregate there only to rest. In view of the general practice of dehorning cattle, the name hornfly is less distinctive than it once was. Moreover, hornflies rest
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sed that the ox warbles of this country were all of the one kind. The general appearance, life history, and effects of the European species are much the same as those of the American form
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gh this parasite has been accused of producing serious effects, it is generally considered harmless. Several species of roundworms may occur in the fourth stomach. Two of these are of sp
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of the animal may be comparatively good. It is rare that one sees a generalized edema in slaughtered cattle as a result of fluke invasion, and even in the heaviest infections of you
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iption, symptoms, and treatment, 464-469 dropsy-- general, cause and treatment, 180 of abdomen, description and treatment,
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bones, description and treatment, 277 general symptoms and treatment, 272, 273 hip point, causes and treatment,
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id, description and treatment, 350 general treatment, 309 kidney, description,
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,
BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY.
J. R. MOHLER, CHIEF OF BUREAU.
* * * * *
SPECIAL REPORT
ON
DISEASES OF CATTLE.
BY
Drs. ATKINSON, DICKSON, EICHHORN, HICKMAN, LAW, LOWE,
MARSH, MOHLER, MURRAY, PEARSON, RANSOM,
TRUMBOWER, and WOODWARD.
* * * * *
REVISED EDITION, 1923.
[Illustration: USDA seal]
WASHINGTON:
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE.
1923.
* * * * *
Transcriber's note: Minor typos have been corrected, tables have been
modified where necessary to fit within the constraints of a text file, and
footnotes have been moved to the ends of the sections. Inconsistencies in
spelling (e.g., D'Arboval/D'Arborval) and hyphenation (e.g.,
postmortem/post-mortem) have been resolved in all cases where it was
possible to divine the author's intent with a reasonable degree of
certainty. The occasional error which could not be resolved was marked
[sic]. Italicized letters and words are enclosed by _underscores_.
Subscripts are represented by an underscore and curly braces: _{2}
(for example, SiO_{2}). Ligatures which cannot be reproduced in the Latin-1
character set are enclosed in [brackets] (for example, C[oe]nurus).
* * * * *
[Extract from "An act making appropriations for the Department of
Agriculture for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1924, and for other
purposes," approved February 26, 1923. Public--No. 446.]
For printing, binding, and distribution of the publications entitled
"Diseases of the Horse" and "Diseases of Cattle," $200,000:
_Provided_, That said publications shall be deposited one-third in
the folding room of the Senate and two-thirds in the folding room of
the House of Representatives, and said documents shall be distributed
by Members of the Senate and House of Representatives.
CONTENTS.
Page.
Administration of medicines. By LEONARD PEARSON 7
Diseases of the digestive organs. By A. J. MURRAY 12
Poisons and poisoning. By V. T. ATKINSON 51
Diseases of the heart, blood vessels, and lymphatics.
By W. H. HARBAUGH 73
Noncontagious diseases of the organs of respiration.
By WILLIAM HERBERT LOWE 87
Diseases of the nervous system. By W. H. HARBAUGH 101
Diseases of the urinary organs. By JAMES LAW 113
Diseases of the generative organs. By JAMES LAW 147
Diseases following parturition. By JAMES LAW 214
Diseases of young calves. By JAMES LAW 247
Bones: Diseases and accidents. By V. T. ATKINSON 264
Surgical operations. By WILLIAM DICKSON and WILLIAM HERBERT LOWE 289
Tumors affecting cattle. By JOHN R. MOHLER 303
Diseases of the skin. By M. R. TRUMBOWER 320
Diseases of the foot. By M. R. TRUMBOWER 335
Diseases of the eye and its appendages. By M. R. TRUMBOWER 340
Diseases of the ear. By M. R. TRUMBOWER 355
Infectious diseases of cattle. Revised by JOHN R. MOHLER 358
The animal parasites of cattle. By B. H. RANSOM 502
Mycotic stomatitis of cattle. By JOHN R. MOHLER 532
Index 538
ILLUSTRATIONS.
PLATES.
Page.
PLATE
I. Position of the first stomach (rumen or paunch) 48
II. Stomachs of ruminants 48
III. Instruments used in treating diseases of digestive organs 48
IV. Microscopic anatomy of the liver 48
V. Ergot in hay 48
VI. Ergotism 48
VII. Diagram of the circulation of the blood 86
VIII. Position of the lung 90
IX. Kidney and male generative and urinary organs 145
X. Microscopic anatomy of the kidney 145
XI. Calculi of kidney and bladder 146
XII. Fetal calf within its membranes 210
XIII. Pregnant uterus with cotyledons 210
XIV. Vessels of umbilical cord 211
XV. Normal position of calf in utero 211
XVI. Abnormal positions of calf in utero 211
XVII. Abnormal positions of calf in utero 211
XVIII. Abnormal positions of calf in utero; surgical instruments
and sutures 212
XIX. Monstrosities 212
XX. Instruments used in difficult labor 212
XXI. Instruments used in difficult labor 213
XXII. Supports for prolapsed uterus 246
XXIII. Supports for prolapsed uterus 246
XXIV. Instruments used in diseases following parturition 246
XXV. Skeleton of the cow 282
XXVI. Devices for casting cattle 302
XXVII. Surgical instruments and sutures 302
XXVIII. Various bacteria which produce disease in cattle 360
XXIX. Upper or dorsal surface of the lungs of the ox 368
XXX. Broncho-pneumonia 368
XXXI. Contagious pleuro-pneumonia 368
XXXII. Contagious pleuro-pneumonia 368
XXXIII. Foot-and-mouth disease 384
XXXIV. Tuberculosis of the lungs of cattle 416
XXXV. Tuberculosis of the liver 416
XXXVI. Tuberculosis of lymph gland and of omentum (caul) 416
XXXVII. Fig. 1.--Tuberculosis of sirloin and porterhouse cuts
of beef. Fig. 2.--Tuberculosis of pleura of cow,
so-called "pearly disease" 416
XXXVIII. Tuberculosis of cow's udder 416
XXXIX. Actinomycosis 450
XL. Actinomycosis of the jaw 450
XLI. Actinomycosis of the lungs 450
XLII. Section of muscle from a blackleg swelling 464
XLIII. Necrotic stomatitis (calf diphtheria) 464
XLIV. Normal spleen and spleen affected by Texas fever 504
XLV. Texas fever 504
XLVI. The cattle tick (_Margaropus annulatus_), the carrier of
Texas fever 504
XLVII. The cattle tick (_Margaropus annulatus_) 504
XLVIII. Portion of a steer's hide showing the Texas fever tick
(_Margaropus annulatus_) 504
XLIX. Fig. 1.--Tick-infested steer. Fig. 2.--Dipping cattle
to kill ticks 504
L. Facsimile of poster comparing ticky and tick-free cattle 504
TEXT FIGURES.
FIG.
1. Hornfly (_HÊmatobia serrata_) in resting position 504
2. Hornflies (_HÊmatobia serrata_) on cow horn 505
3. Buffalo gnat 506
4. Screw worm (larva of _Chrysomyia macellaria_) 506
5. Screw-worm fly (_Chrysomyia macellaria_) 507
6. The warble fly (_Hypoderma lineata_) 508
7. Short-nosed blue louse (_HÊmatopinus eurysternus_) of cattle 512
8. Long-nosed blue louse (_HÊmatopinus vituli_) of cattle 512
9. Red louse (_Trichodectes scalaris_) of cattle 513
10. Egg of short-nosed blue louse (_HÊmatopinus eurysternus_)
attached to a hair 513
11. Mite which causes psoroptic scab of sheep 514
12. Portion of the wall of the first stomach with conical flukes
(_Paramphistomum cervi_) attached 519
13. Twisted stomach worms (_HÊmonchus contortus_) 519
14. Twisted stomach worms (_HÊmonchus contortus_) enlarged 520
15. Embryo of twisted stomach worm (_HÊmonchus contortus_)
coiled on tip of grass blade 521
16. A drenching tube made from an ordinary tin funnel, a piece of
rubber hose, and a piece of brass pipe 522
17. Piece of lining of fourth stomach showing cysts of the encysted
stomach worm (_Ostertatia ostertagi_) 523
18. A tapeworm (_Moniezia planissima_) which infests cattle 524
19. The common liver fluke (_Fasciola hepatica_) 526
20. The large American fluke (_Fasciola magna_) 526
21. Portion of grass stalk bearing three encysted cercariÊ of the
common liver fluke (_Fasciola hepatica_) 527
22. Hydatids (_Echinococcus granulosus_) in portion of hog's liver 528
23. Thin-necked bladder worm (_TÊnia hydatigena_) from abdominal
cavity of a steer 529
24. Lung worms (_Dictyocaulus viviparus_) of cattle 530
SPECIAL REPORT
ON
DISEASES OF CATTLE
ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICINES.
By LEONARD PEARSON, B. S., V. M. D.
Medicines may be administered to cattle in many ways. The channel and
method of administration depend on whether a general or local effect is
desired, the condition of the animal, and the nature of the medicine that
is to be given. The easiest method, and therefore the most common, is to
give ordinary remedies by the mouth with the food, with drink, or
separately. There, are, however, some conditions in which medicines
administered in this way will not act promptly enough, or wherein a desired
effect of the medicine on a distant part of the body is wholly lacking
unless it is applied in some other way.
The various methods of administering medicines to cattle will be considered
below.
BY THE MOUTH.--The simplest way to give medicines by the mouth is to mix
them with the food or water. This can be done when the medicine is in the
form of a powder or fluid, if but a small quantity is to be given, if it
does not have a taste that is disagreeable to the animal and is not so
irritant as to injure the lining membranes of the mouth and throat.
The usual method of administering bulky or unpalatable doses is to mix them
with a fluid vehicle, such as water, milk, molasses, or broth, and give
from a bottle. A dose given in this way is known as a "drench." In
administering a drench the head of the animal should be elevated a little
by an assistant. This is best accomplished when standing on the left side
of the cow's head and by grasping the nose with the thumb and fingers of
the right hand inserted in the nostrils; with the left hand beneath the
chin the head is further raised and supported. If the animal is unruly, it
may be tied in a stall or placed in a stanchion. The medicine can now be
poured into the mouth by inserting the neck of the bottle between the lips
on the right side. Care must be taken to avoid getting the bottle between
the back teeth. The mouth of the bottle should be inserted as far as the
middle of the tongue and the contents poured slowly. If the cow coughs, the
head must at once be lowered to permit the fluid to escape from the larynx.
If medicine is given during coughing, some of the dose may pass down the
windpipe to the lungs and cause a severe or a fatal pneumonia. This is
especially to be guarded against when the throat is partly paralyzed or
insensitive, as in parturient paresis (milk fever). In this disease it has
often happened that drenches have been poured into the lungs, thus killing
the cow.
The quantity of fluid to be given in a drench depends upon the effect
desired and the nature of the medicine. In impactions of the stomach very
large quantities of fluid may be given--as much as a gallon or several
gallons at a time. Usually, however, it is not customary or desirable to
give more than from 1 to 2 quarts at a dose, and not more than a pint
unless it is necessary on account of the irritant quality of the drug that
has to be shielded with a large quantity of the vehicle.
Soluble medicines should be completely dissolved before they are given;
insoluble ones should be finely divided by powdering or by shaking, and
should be well agitated and mixed immediately before they are given. In the
latter case a menstruum with considerable body, such as molasses or
flaxseed tea or milk, will help to hold solids or oils in suspension until
swallowed.
_Balls_ are large pills adapted for the larger animals. Powders or gums are
sometimes mixed with an adhesive substance and rolled into balls for the
purpose of convenience of administration. Balls are not used so much and
are not so well adapted to the medication of cattle as of horses. The
process of solution is slower in the paunch of a cow than in the stomach of
a horse; if the cow is so sick as to have stopped ruminating, a ball may
get covered up and lost in the mass of material in the paunch and so lie
for days, producing no effect whatever.
_Capsules_ are shells or envelopes made of soluble gelatin in which powders
or liquids may be inclosed. Capsules and balls are administered by being
placed on the tongue well back in the mouth while the tongue is drawn
forward and the mouth is held open by a block of wood between the back
teeth. The ball should be dropped, the tongue released, and the block
removed as nearly simultaneously as possible, so that the backward carriage
of the tongue will throw the ball into the throat and lead to its being
swallowed. In introducing the ball care must be taken to avoid having the
hand cut or crushed. After a little experience it is possible to do away
with the block of wood.
BY THE STOMACH.--Medicines are introduced directly into the first stomach
by the use of an esophageal tube or through the cannula of a trocar passed
into the paunch through the side. This method is used in the treatment of
diseases of digestion.
BY THE RECTUM.--Medicines are usually administered by the rectum for the
purpose of controlling the bowels and for the treatment of local diseases.
Sometimes, however, medicines that have a general effect are given in this
way when, for any reason, it is not possible or convenient to give them
through the mouth. Only drugs that are readily absorbed should be given per
rectum for a general effect and in somewhat larger dose or more frequently
than when given by the mouth. Such stimulants as ether, alcohol, or the
aromatic spirits of ammonia, diluted with from four to six times their bulk
of warm water, may be used in this way.
Rectal injections, or enemata, are used in the treatment of constipation.
If it is the purpose of the injection to soften hardened fecal masses, the
water should be comfortably warm and may have a little clean soap in it. If
it is the purpose of the injection to stimulate sluggish bowels to
contraction, the water may be cold.
In giving rectal injections a rectal syringe may be used, or, better, a
piece of one-half to three-quarter inch rubber hose 5 feet long with a tin
funnel attached to one end. The hose is soaped or oiled and introduced
slowly and gently into the rectum 2 or 3 feet. The fluid is then slowly
poured into the funnel and allowed to gravitate into the rectum. The same
apparatus may be used for feeding by the rectum.
BY THE VAGINA.--Medicines are inserted into the vagina, and through the
vagina into the womb, in a manner similar to that of rectal administration.
Most of the medication made use of in this way is for the local treatment
of these organs. Following calving, during outbreaks of abortion, and in an
infectious disease of the vagina, such injections become necessary.
BY THE UDDER.--Injections into the udder are now regularly made in the
treatment of parturient paresis (milk fever). For this purpose a 1 per cent
solution of iodid of potassium is commonly employed, although some other
solutions and oxygen gas are also used. In making this injection so many
precautions are necessary in relation to the sterilization of the apparatus
and the teats and skin that this work should be left to a skilled
veterinarian. The introduction of even a minute quantity of infectious dirt
may cause the loss of the udder. For making this injection one may use one
of the prepared sets of apparatus or a milking tube and funnel connected by
a piece of small rubber hose. The apparatus should be boiled and kept
wrapped in a clean towel until needed. The udder and teats and the hands of
the operator must be well disinfected, and the solution must be freshly
made with recently boiled water kept in a sterile bottle. The udder should
be emptied of milk before the injection is made. After all these
precautions have been observed the milking tube may be inserted and through
it one-half pint of solution introduced by gravity air pressure or by
syringe. There is practically no danger in this mode of treatment if it is
properly carried out.
Injections into the udder are sometimes made in the treatment of garget,
but so far with indifferent success.
BY THE NOSTRILS.--An animal may be caused to inhale medicine in the form of
gas or vapor or to snuff up a fine powder. Sometimes, for the purpose of
local treatment, fluids are injected into the nose.
A medicine inhaled may have either a local or a general effect.
Medicated steam, carrying the volatile products of compound cresol
solution, carbolic acid, balsam of Peru, compound tincture of benzoin,
tincture of iodin, etc., may be liberated beneath the nostrils of a cow so
that she must inhale these soothing vapors; but such treatment is not so
common for cattle as for horses. In producing general anesthesia, or
insensibility to pain, the vapor of chloroform or ether is administered by
the nostrils. As a preliminary to this it is necessary to cast and confine
the animal. Great care is necessary to avoid complete stoppage of the heart
or breathing.
BY THE TRACHEA.--Medicines are injected into the trachea, or windpipe, in
the treatment of some forms of diseases of the lungs, and especially in
that form of bronchitis or pneumonia that is caused by lungworms. For this
injection a large hypodermic syringe, fitted with a very thick, strong
needle, is used. The needle is to be inserted about the middle of the neck
and between the cartilaginous rings of the trachea.
BY THE SKIN.--Although a number of drugs, notably mercury, are so readily
absorbed by the skin of cattle as to render poisoning easy, medicines are
not given in this way for their general or constitutional but only for
their local effect.
Diseases of the skin and superficial parasites are treated or destroyed by
applications in the forms of washes, ointments, dips, and powders.
Liniments and lotions are applied to the skin for the relief of some
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Full text in the local archive
Bibliographic record from the archive catalogue.