The Farmer's Veterinarian: A Practical Treatise on the Diseases of Farm StockBurkett, Charles William
Science
The Farmer's Veterinarian: A Practical Treatise on the Diseases of Farm Stock
Burkett, Charles William
Veterinary medicine
Many animals choke, and, not being able to relieve themselves, die.
Thousands of farm animals, especially in the West and Southwest, die
annually from cold, and not a few from heat. All these things enter into
the case and must be considered in reaching a reasonable conclusion.
=Observe the Discharges.=--The next thing to do is to observe the
discharges from nose, mouth and other natural openings of the body.
External scars and wounds often bear a close relation to the disease and
these should be considered in examining the carcass. How do the eyes
look? Is there a discharge from the ears? Is the swelling of the abdomen
and the bloating more pronounced or different than should be the case in
ordinary death? Practice will indicate the lesson that each of these
teach.
=Accidents and Injury.=--Farm animals are often killed by stray shots
from the guns of hunters and trespassers. A casual observation will
indicate if death has been due to this. Again, animals may die from
distemper or be eaten up with lice or troubled with itch or mange--you
will note these facts as you go along with your work.
In the South, where Texas fever is so prevalent, you should look for
ticks, as these bring death to thousands of animals each year. Look for
the wee tiny ones--they cause the trouble. When cattle are fairly
covered with the large ticks death does not ordinarily follow, since the
animal has practically become immune to the poison caused by the tick.
These large ticks, however, are filled with blood and nutriment, both
obtained from the animal, and hence they may rob the animal of blood and
nutriment that it ought to have itself.
=After Removing the Skin.=--The skin is now to be removed, so that the
color of the tissues and the nature of the blood may be noted. If the
blood be thin or black, with a disagreeable odor, you can expect some
germ trouble like blood poisoning or an infectious and contagious
disease. If the white tissues are yellow you may be reasonably certain
that the liver has not done its work as it would have done had it been
in a thoroughly healthy condition.
In removing the skin and making other observations be cautious that you
do not prick your fingers with the knife, since you may convey in this
way disease to yourself. If by accident a cut or prick is made,
cauterize the wound at once, so as to destroy any germs transmitted in
this way to you.
EXAMINING THE INTERNAL ORGANS
The next step is to examine the internal organs. To do this, place the
animal on its side, remove the upper front leg and the ribs over the
chest region. The ribs should be removed as near as possible to the
backbone so as to give an unobstructed opening over the important
organs. This large opening now allows you free access for examination,
and an unimpaired view all about the vital organs, if these are entirely
exposed.
[Illustration: ROUND WORMS IN HOG INTESTINE
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