Milk-fever is thought by many to be incurable. Mr Sorely, veterinary
surgeon, late of Alford, has been most successful in its treatment; and
if the cows are not very far gone before he is called, he generally
effects a cure. I would recommend those not acquainted with the
treatment of this dreadful calamity to communicate with him. The
symptoms are known by the cow getting restless, lifting her legs and
setting them down again, a wild appearance, and attempting to poke her
keeper: then succeeds a quick motion in the flank; she begins to
stagger, falls, but recovers herself again. This is repeated several
times, till she is at length no longer able to rise. Her head will be
turned to one side; she loses the sense of feeling, and although
pricked with a sharp instrument gives no sign of pain; and if not
relieved, death closes the scene. If the sense of feeling returns, it
is the first sign of recovery. The moment that milk-fever is observed
the veterinary surgeon should be called in. There is little risk with a
heifer with her first calf, and I never bleed or physic a heifer in
calf, because she has not attained her growth. In her case "the
additional nutriment goes to increase of size, instead of becoming the
foundation of disease."
Red-water is also a very fatal complaint among cows. They generally
take it about the thirteenth or fourteenth day after calving. Many
farms are almost exempt from this disease. It is very fatal, but if
taken in time it can generally be cured; heavy losses are, however,
experienced every year by it. I have only had two or three cases of
red-water, and I do not therefore enlarge upon it. My observation has
led me to believe that the theory of the late Mr Peter Smith,
veterinary surgeon, Alford (who gained the Highland Society's prize for
the best essay on red-water in cows), is correct, that the disease is
generally most prevalent on farms where the land is black and of a
moorish tendency. The veterinary surgeon should be called in
_instanter_. Garget in the udder, or weed, is also to be guarded
against. After calving, some cracks and sores appear in the udder; they
get very troublesome. The teats must be drawn and clean milked out;
blood will sometimes appear with the milk; the cow must be secured, if
necessary, to effect this. The udder should be bathed with warm water,
and well rubbed over with hog's lard, and to this treatment the
complaint will generally yield. The too hastily drying the cow, and
frequent carelessness in not milking clean out, are the general causes
of this complaint. It may, however, assume a more serious aspect; the
milk gets coagulated in the udder, and the result will be the loss for
yielding milk of one, two, or more of the quarters of the udder, if the
proper remedies are not instantly adopted. Mortification sometimes
ensues; diseased portions will break off from the udder, and it may end
in the death of the animal. Putting the calf to suckle the cow will be
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