Veterinary Notes for the Farmer

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 65, Issue 6, 15 December 1942, Page 353

Veterinary Notes for the Farmer

Prolapse of the Rectum in Pigs

PROLAPSE of the rectum in growing pigs is a fairly frequent occurrence and in view of the value of store pigs, the saving of individual animals is of importance. An operation which, if performed with reasonable care, is successful in dealing with this condition is described below. This complaint is caused by straining thus constipation or diarrhoea may give rise to it. Unsuitable troughs, i.e., those that are too high, cause pressure on the abdomen of young pigs when they climb up to them at feeding time, with the result that pressure on the distended belly may cause a prolapse of the rectum. The prolapse at the earliest stages may be reduced, but often the condition is not observed until the tumor has become of such a size that its reduction is impossible and an operation is the only hope of remedy. Materials Required Two surgical needles (short darning needles would do in emergency), a length of thread (a suitable thread may be made by taking half a thickness of seaming twine, i.e., about two strands and twisting them together), scissors or knife, and disinfectant solution. A needle is threaded on each end of the thread, . Method Rope loops are passed round the. hind legs above the hocks and the pig is suspended by them with head clear of the ground. In this 1 position the animal cannot strain, which is very important when operating. The ...tumor is washed with warm water and disinfectant and is then opened along the

top by cutting along its length until the healthy, pink tissue just outside the anus is reached. If faeces are present in the rectum they are removed at this stage. One needle (A) is now passed in the healthy tissue from inside to the outside (see fig. 1) and then repassed through the same tissue half an inch distant from the first exit (fig. 2). The second needle (B) is now pushed in the- opposite direction through the last puncture made (see fig. 2). The stitch is then tightened by pulling both ends of the thread and the stitching is continued in a similar manner until the circle is completed (see fig. 3). This method of stitching is similar to that employed by a saddler when he sews a leather trace. The two ends of the thread are now tied together and the needles, with superfluous thread are The tumor, likewise, is removed with scissors or knife about quarter of an inch behind the stitching,

when the stump will disappear through the anus. The patient should be placed in clean quarters and given light food for three days with a teaspoonful of Epsoms salts added to the morning ration. No further treatment is necessary, the stitches sloughing out of their own accord.

—T. H. HANKIN,

, M.R.C.V.S.,

Veterinarian, Whangarei.

Ruptured Liver HPHIS case may be of interest to breeders of horned sheep as it occurred recently in a Dorset Hom ewe running on a property near Wellington. The subject was a young, wellgrown ewe in heavy condition and in the early stages of pregnancy whereas the remainder of the flock had lambed already. The animal was found dead after showing signs of distress and staggering. The post-mortem showed a large quantity of blood, free in the abdominal cavity, and on examining the liver which was distinctly fatty a split was found running up between the lobes, and involving the capsule. The owner stated that these sheep frequently bunt each other in play, and the ram, which was running with the ewes, was particularly rough in this way and had been

seen to . bunt the ewes in the side. The fact that the ewe was in heavy condition and the liver fatty and tense undoubtedly. made her susceptible to the rough treatment, death being due to internal haemorrhage. —H. D. LE SOUEF, B.V.Sc. Veterinarian, Wellington.

Tainted Meat A CASE occurred recently of some ox beef being found tainted with an onion flavour on slaughter at an abattoir. The look of the flesh was very slightly yellowish and dull but on cutting into the muscle and fat down to the bone the smell came out strongly. It did not disappear on hanging and when cooked was still disagreeable. These particular beasts which were in excellent condition had been grazed on a property on which onions were grown extensively, and they had evidently eaten freely of the plant which was washed down the river on to the flats where the cattle were grazing.

—H. D. LE SOUEF,

8.V.5.,

Veterinarian, Wellington.

Answers to Correspondents

Hack With Cracked Forehoofs , “G.C.A.J.” (WAIROA) I have a good sort of a hack about five years’ old, not long broken in, a beautiful animal to ride and look at. It has one faultthe front feet are both badly cracked right from the coronet. Is there anything that' I could do to stop it? The front feet are inclined to be chalky. I would be very much obliged if you could let me know whether there is any way of curing him or not. LIVESTOCK DIVISION:— These may be to some extent due to neglect of the hoofs and allowing them to grow long, which might occur in a horse of this age running unbroken. However, the fact that the hoofs are apparently “chalky” may be ah indication that horn is naturally of poor quality. It may be that a heredity factor is also concerned. Careful attention to the feet may allow the cracks to “grow out” eventually, which would take nearly twelve months. Three things could be

■ tried, namely, shoeing, grooving the hoof, and a hoof dressing. (1) Shoeing: If you are within reach of a blacksmith shoeing the horse in front with a plain slipper shoe, reasonably light, is recommended. The bottom of wall of hoof just opposite the crack should be eased just sufficiently to prevent touching the shoe when fitted. If a smith is not available, attend to feet yourself by keeping them trimmed; when using a rasp do not apply it to the face or surface of the hoof, but to the bottom edge only. (2) Grooving the hoof: Make two grooves forming a V enclosing upper part of . crack. For this a farrier’s knife and some patience are necessary. Start the grooves about quarter of an inch below the coronet and one inch from crack and make them meet on the crack about half-way down hoof. They should be as deep as possible without drawing blood. Avoid injuring coronet, horn is thinner there. (3) Dressing: Frequent applications of a mixture of mutton tallow and Stockholm tar will help to prevent hoof becoming dry and “shelly.” Blistering: Blistering round coronets just above horn is sometimes recommended as a means of stimulating greater growth of horn. Leemings essence is convenient as horse need not have head tied up afterwards. However, other means should be tried first.

Inverted Eyelid in Lambs “A.8.C.” (TUATAPERE) : Could you give me any information on the cause and prevention of inverted eyelids in lambs? These lambs are born with one and sometime's two bottom eyelids turned in so that the wool is against the eye. This causes much mismothering and many second grade lambs as well as a few deaths. i I have about 40 to 50 each year out of about 900 lambs. It occurs in both Romney and Romney-Southdown cross lambs, also in lambs from bought-in ewes. LIVESTOCK DIVISION: This condition is not uncommon in lambs, and causes a lot of trouble in some flocks. It is almost impossible to attribute a cause to the condition, unless it arises from some hereditary factor. As it occurs in both Romney and Romney-Southdown cross lambs, and also in lambs from bought-in ewes; this would . appear to rule out any hereditary factor. Although it will remain difficult to prevent cases of the trouble cropping up in view of the lack of information as to the cause, the eyelids of affected lambs may be successfully treated if the time is available. The - eyelid should be turned out so as to prevent the eyelash from rubbing on the an-

terior surface of the eyeball. A small elliptical piece of skin below the affected eye and parallel to the lower eyelid should be removed with a pair of sharp scissors. If a stitch is now. inserted to bring the remaining edges of the skin together, it will be found that the stitch has the effect of keeping the eyelid in its proper position, and thus prevent any further trouble. No after treatment is required as a rule, as the stitch wound will heal up without trouble. In very slight cases eversion of the affected lid, together with the application of some mild antiseptic lubricant may be all that is necessary. Boracic ointment or golden eye ointment will be found quite useful.

Cow With Mastitis “W.L.” (BALCLUTHA): — A cow, though fairly aged and which has calved every year has failed this year to have a calf. She has been milked constantly to keep her in milk. I found her milk is inclined to be thick and clotted. LIVESTOCK DIVISION:— Cows in lactation that fail to get in calf, frequently milk for very long periods, providing they are. in good bodily health and well fed. A taint due to physiological changes in the animal is the strong bitter taste sometimes noted in .milk from cows which have been a long period in milk. Under

such circumstances the cow ought to

be dried off.. Should she get in'calf again, when she comes in milk, it would in all probability be found to be perfectly normal. However, from the description of the change in the milk I think the most likely thing to be wrong is that the cow is affected with a mild form of mastitis, or catarrh of the udder, due to the development of some variety of micro-organism. Under such circumstances the udder should be well massaged at least three times a day, using camphorated or olive oil as a lubricant. In addition each quarter should be well stripped out. Internally you might give a dose of medicine containing— Epsom Salts . . .. 1 lb. Ground Ginger . . . . 2 ozs. Molasses .. .. . . g ib. in a quart of water.

Mineral Deficiency “A.M.” (CLEVEDON): I have a six-year-old gelding (hack) bred on the farm. He has been exceptionally, well “done” all his life, but his teeth are wearing down badly. This country is lime deficient, but I have always applied lime liberally and there

is a good sole of grass (rye, white clover, paspalum) and no rat-tail. I do not think the hereditary factor is responsible, as a medium draught gelding bought at four-year-old had the same trouble by the time he was seven. The country is loam on clay, so there is no sand or silt to cause the trouble. LIVESTOCK DIVISION: The cause of the teeth of your gelding wearing down quickly must, in the circumstances, be attributed to lack of bone-forming minerals in the food supply of the animal in its young life. One of the essential minerals in bone formation is lime, but a second and important mineral is phosphorus. If either one is lacking, the tendency to the formation of soft skeletal tissues results. In this case it would appear as if the lime element is of more importance. To correct a mineral deficiency in the diet of a young growing animal such a supplement as sterilised bone flour - is recommended. If the young animal is being fed any concentrates such as crushed oats and bran, it is relatively an easy matter to add a tablespoonful of sterilised bone flour to the feed daily. However, as this animal is six years old with the teeth

already formed, it' is not likely that the mineral matter would now have much effect in preventing the wear of the teeth already formed. If, however, it is necessary to give supplementary feed during the winter months, sterilised bone flour could be tried out, being added to the chaff or other feed. Bran is a valuable supplement in the rearing and feeding of horses, as it is particularly rich in phosphate.

Sheep Dipping Practical points in sheep dipping, including the design and construction of sheep dipping baths, is the subject of the Department of Agriculture’s Bulletin 181. Mr. J. E. Duncan, Wool Instructor, has in this bulletin endeavoured to cover concisely all the aspects of dipping. It is designed to fill a definite want, as most of this information has formally been scattered or available from commercial firms only. This bulletin is free and copies may be obtained from the Department of Agriculture, Wellington.