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
=AFTERBIRTH, RETENTION OF.=--This is a condition resulting from the
failure of the mother to pass the membranes after the birth of her
young. It happens most frequently in cases of abortion, or when birth
occurs before time. There is usually more or less of a mass of the
membranes hanging from the opening, which occasionally reaches to below
the hock, or even to the ground. When fresh it looks somewhat like the
intestines, but if exposed to the air for some time it is grayish in
color, especially when it begins to decompose. The odor is very
offensive, and the discharge soils all the hind parts of the animal. In
these cases the health of the animal suffers, and fever frequently
results, with a loss of appetite and flow of milk. The fever and
inflammation of the parts may go so far as to cause the death of the
animal.
The afterbirth should never be allowed to remain over three days in the
cow, nor over twenty-four hours in the mare. In the mare, sow, or bitch
gently pulling on the membranes, at the same time twisting them easily,
will often bring them out without injury to the animal. With the cow it
is different. Here the membranes are “buttoned” on in tufts, and the
pulling, and especially the twisting, usually makes matters worse and
injures the uterus.
After removing the membranes there always remains in the uterus a
quantity of fluid, which should be washed out with water a little cooler
than the blood of the animal, adding about a teaspoonful of carbolic
acid or other good antiseptic to each gallon of water and mixing well.
The hands and arms of the operator should be absolutely clean, and
during the operation should be kept covered with carbolized oil or
carbolized soap and water. In mares, especially, care should be taken
not to injure the parts, as inflammation sets in very much quicker than
in the cow. Several gallons of the above solution should be injected as
soon as the condition is noticed, and a warm bran mash fed to the animal
occasionally will help her general health.
=ANEMIA.=--A deficiency of red blood corpuscles. The animal is scanty of
flesh, hide bound and in a general run-down and debilitated condition.
The disease is sometimes called hollow horn. Treatment consists of
better food and care. The feed should be of a nature such as will enrich
the blood and build up the system. Food of a succulent nature, like
roots, green grass, or ensilage, will help out. A tonic, made as
follows, will be helpful: Two teaspoonfuls of sulphate of iron, 1
teaspoonful of powdered nux vomica, and 4 tablespoonfuls of ground
gentian root. Add this to the food each day for a week or ten days.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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