LIVESTOCK AILMENTS.

Matamata Record, Volume XI, Issue 933, 2 July 1928, Page 7

LIVESTOCK AILMENTS.

THEIR TREATMENT. No. I. (By J. Lyons, M.R.C.V.S., Director of the Live-stock Division, in the Journal of Agriculture). In a country such as ours, where ma,ny, of those, engaged in the primary industries are of necessity com-: pelled to settle in somewhat inaccessible districts, and where transport is not always what could be desired, the lack of veterinary advice and assistance is at times acutely felt, and there are occasions when the farmer must be at a loss to know what to do in order to save- the life of a valuable animal. Under such circumstances he is tempted to act on any advice given, whether it is correct or not, and more often than otherwise the dumb animal has to suffer. With a view to assisting settlers who find it difficult to obtain veterinary advice when required, the writer proposes to contribute to the Journal a series of notes on the common ailments of stock in this country, together with simple advice on their treatment. Incidentally it is hoped that such advice will help towards lessening suffering among the lower 1 animals.

.In order to be in a position to prescribe for ailments occurring among .animals tlie practitioner must have a knowledge of anatomy, physiology, pathology, and also be acquainted with?the action the medicines prescribed have on the animal. Without this knowledge one is more or less working in the dark, and much harm may be done, particularly in regard to medicine. It is ' amazing the faith many stockowners have in so-called remedies of which they are entirely ignorant. These remedies in some cases may result in neither good nor ill, while in others they may be actually harmful; and yet owners will persist in using such preparations for their stock, oblivious of the fact that they do not know what the remedies contain or the action they have on the animal’s system. It is not intended to assert that all patent or proprietary medicines are harmful; many of them may serve a useful purpose. A word of warning is necessary, however, against those preparations which are advertised as specifics against diseases for which science has not yet discovered a remedy, and those for which the claim is made that they will cure all and' every disease to which our live stock is subject.

In connection with the first-named category may be particularly mentioned the remedies guaranteed to cure abortion and mammitis in cattle which one sees advertised in many of our agricultural papers. When the nature of these diseases is taken into consideration it is not difficult to understand how stockowners are deceived by agents selling such remedies. Abortion is due to an organism, and when once this gets into the system the cow becomes a carrier of the disease for life. This does not mean, however, that she will abort every time she get in calf. She may do so for one or two seasons, after which she usually carries her calf the full time. Should an animal which has aborted be treated with one of the so-called remedies and carry her calf the full time the remedy gets the credit. The result would, have been the same without treatment, and so a testimonial may be given where it is not merited. The same remarks may be applied to mammitis, although in this disease the organism may not remain permanently in the system.

If • farmers would ' .consult their j veterinary surgeon or chemist, both | of whom are better able to prescribe for their animals than the vendors of patent medicines, they would be

better served at a much less cost. It would be pleasing to think that a warning such as thils would have the desired effect. It is to be feared, Jiow.ever, that the individual with the ready tongue and plausible manner (whether by word or in advertisements) will too often continue to profit at the farmer’s expense.

Before proceeding to a description of the symptoms and treatment of the more common diseases the importance should be emphasised of good nursing on the part of the stockowner or attendant, withouf which the best efforts of the physic .cian or surgeon may be unavailing. Tympany (Hoven) in Cattle. /Tympanites is purely a diatetic com-, plaint, and is caused by the fermentation of food in the first stomach and generation of gases therefrom. It must not be inferred from this that all foodstuffs are given to fermentation. When undergoing the process of digestion it is only in certain classes of food that fermentation takes place, and then only when fed under certain conditions. It is a wellknown fact that cows placed in clover pastures or pastures containing a fair sprinkling of clover in the spring of the year—when such pasture is succulent and damp—are apt to become blown; whereas' later in the season the same pasture, when it has lost much of its succulence and the weather is dry, may be fed with impunity. In a climate such as ours, where the conditions are practically always more or less damp during the early spring months, such pastures must be fed with discretion if accidents are to be avoided and the best results obtained from the herd. It is a common occurrence in many districts throughout New Zealand where clover is abundant for the cows in dairy herds to be in a more or less tympanitic state for weeks together, and mortality is not infrequent, more especially in damp weather. Under such conditions an adequate return. cannot be expected from these herds. Much of the trouble could be avoided under a better system of animal husbandry. If the animals were kept overnight in a bare paddock or one which is free from clover, and given a quantity of good sweet hay (oaten hay fo* preference), so that the damp clover pastures were not taken on an empty stomach, the condition would be much less prevalent than at present, and it would also be found that an increased yield resulted. Although

careful dieting will go far in eliminating tympanites among our dairy herds, the complaint, under ordinary farming conditions, cannot be completely avoided at all times. ; n Treatment.—This will depend to a greatv extent on the severity of the case. In some instances, when the tympany is not of an acute nature, if the! animal is given a few handfuls of good oaten hay or dry bran the swallowing of the material eaten sets up regurgitation, and the gas is expelled.

In the more acute cases the animal is so distressed that it will not partake of anything in the nature of food, and. drenches have to be administered. For. this purpose nothing seems to answer better than a wineglassful of turpentine in a pint of raw linseed-oil. The mixture should be well shaken before administration. Hyposulphite of soda and tincture of ginger, 2oz of each given in a quart of water, will also be found beneficial. In very acute cases where there is danger of suffocation through the distended stomach pressing the lungs and the animal is in extremis, relief must be given quickly, otherwise fatal results will follow. In such cases the animal’s stomach must be punctured and the gas allowed to escape, and for this purpose a trocar and cannula should be used. The puncture should be made on the left side at the most prominent part, which will be found to be a few inches behind the last rib. While the puncture is being made the instrument should be held fin a downward and forward direction, and when the puncture is completed the

trocar should be withdrawn and; the gas allowed to escape through-/ thecannula. A long thin-loaded knife | will also answer the purpose, but itis not so satisfactory and should only , | be used when the trocar is not available. When the stomach is tapped by the knife method the gas does not j come away so freely. This- is due to the fact that as the gas escapes from the stomach the organ recedes. The opening in the walls of ihe stomach is thus dragged away Jrom the opening in the abdominal wall, which prevents the escape of gas. After a severe case of tympany it is always advisable to give the animal a dose of physic. A good prescription is 21b to lib of Epsom salts (according to the size of-the animal) to - which two tablespoonfuls of ground ginger have been added/; the whole to be mixed in three pints of warm gruel or water and adminis- ; tered, after which the animal should v be kept short of food for a few days. If this precaution is not taken, impaction of the stomach is liable to follow on account of the distortion to which it has been subjected.

Although clover pasture when fed in a wet or damp condition' is by far thb most frequent cause of tympany, this is by no means the : only case. There are other feeds which are also dangerous; in fact, any sudden change in feeding is also a causative ■factor. Turnips, green oats, ensilage, and brewer’s grains are all liable under certain conditions to cause the complaint. Special care should be taken when feeding soft white turnips in damp weather. (To be continued).