Text book of veterinary medicine, Volume 3 (of 5)Law, James
Science
Text book of veterinary medicine, Volume 3 (of 5)
Law, James
Veterinary medicine
In view of the probability of a bacterial infection the cow should be
taken to a clean, pure, well-aired stable a day or two before calving,
having been first cleansed from adherent filth, and sponged all over
with a 4 per cent. solution of carbolic acid.
To prevent diffusion of infection Bournay recommends antiseptic
injection of the womb immediately after calving. Bissauge adds that the
stable should be disinfected after every case of parturition fever, the
manure carefully removed and the ground scraped and well watered with a
disinfectant.
For fleshy, plethoric, predisposed cows, the iodine injection of the
udder should be applied immediately after calving. A measure of this
kind which is so successful as a curative agent, and which brings such
circumstantial evidence of the production of a poison (leucomaine or
ptomaine) in the mammary gland, can hardly fail to be even more
effective as a prophylactic than as a therapeutic resort.
_Treatment._ With the state of plethora and congestion about the head in
the early stages the question of _bleeding_ at once arises. If early
enough while there is a full bounding pulse, and as yet no sign of great
loss of muscular control it is often very beneficial, as much as 6
quarts or more being withdrawn. It is well however to avoid cording the
neck, which must increase the vascular tension in the brain, and to
trust rather to digital compression of the vein. The blood should be
drawn from a large opening in a full free stream, and may be stopped
when the pulse softens. In the more advanced condition, with paralysis
and more or less dulling of the senses, or coma, bleeding may be
dangerous rather than useful. There is then serious pressure on the
brain, with serous effusion, and perhaps blood extravasation, and in any
case anæmia, and this latter may be dangerously or even fatally
increased by the lessening of the blood pressure, without any
compensating advantage in the way of reabsorption of the effusion. In
such cases eliminating agents are a safer resort.
_Purgatives_ commend themselves, but with the drawback of a too tardy
action. Now however with the peristaltic stimulants given hypodermically
this objection is largely obviated. Pilocarpin 1½ gr., and eserine 3
grs. will often secure a noticeable movement of the bowels in the course
of fifteen minutes, implying a corresponding motion onward in the bowels
more anteriorly, and even of the contents of the gastric cavities. If
there is already palsy of the muscles of deglutition, this may be
repeated several times at intervals of four or five hours. If however
deglutition is still well performed a purgative of one or two pounds
Epsom salts, with 10 drops croton oil, and 1 oz. oil of turpentine may
be given by the mouth. Should this operate, it will supplement and carry
on even more effectively the work of the hypodermic agents, and even
lessen the density, plasticity and tension of the blood and act as a
potent derivative from the brain.
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