ABORTION.
—The expulsion of the fetus at a period too young to live exterior of its mother is known as abortion. This ailment may afflict cows, mares, sows, and ewes, but is most common among cows.
Abortion may be divided into two classes, namely, accidental and contagious. If we had nothing but the accidental form of abortion to contend with we would hear very little about this disease, owing to the fact that it is perfectly natural for animals to carry their young full time, regardless of how much they may be punished or abused while in this condition if their system be free from the germs of contagious abortion. On the other hand, contagious abortion is a very destructive disease, causing heavy losses to the stockmen of the United States as well as to other countries. Contagious abortion is divided into two classes, namely, acute and chronic. Cows afflicted with the acute form of abortion may lose from one to three calves. Cows, after passing from the acute to the chronic form of abortion, may carry their calves full time, but are as badly affected with the germs of contagious abortion as they were in the acute form, when they were losing their calves.
DISEASES OF THE HORSE
1 Poll Evil, 2 Swelling by Bridle Pressure, 3 Inflamed Parotid Gland, 4 Inflamed Jugular Vein, 5 Caries of the Lower Jaw, 6 Fistula of Parotid Duct, 7 Bony Excrescence, 8 Fistula of Withers, 9 Saddle Gall, 10 Tumor Caused by Collar, 11 Splint, 12 Malanders, 13 A Tread on the Coronet, 14 Sand Crack, 15 Quittor, 16 Knee Bunch, 17 Clap on Back Sinews, 18 Ring Bone, 19 Foundered Foot, 20 Ventral Hernia, 21 Rat Tail, 22 Spavin, 23 Curb, 24 Quarter Crack, 25 Thick Leg, 26 Malanders, 27 Capped Hock, 28 Swelled Sinews, 29 Grease, 30 Sand Crack, 31 Tumor of Elbow.
Perhaps the greatest damage brought about with cattle afflicted with the chronic form of abortion is the shortage of milk. Animals afflicted with accidental abortion show very few marked symptoms before they abort. Animals afflicted with contagious abortion have a number of marked symptoms, namely, little red patches of infection on the lining of the vulva, and there may also be present a catarrhal discharge. The sheath of the herd bull in the acute form of the disease has a catarrhal discharge, while the symptoms of calves is a swelling of the glands of the throat from ear to ear. These last named symptoms do not appear in accidental abortion.
Owing to the fact that the germs of contagious abortion are found in the mothers’ blood, in the genital organs of the cow and the bull, and in the stables wherein they are housed, it has been positively decided that the only reliable and effectual treatment for contagious abortion is the hypodermic treatment, which destroys the germ in the mother’s blood. The genital organs of the cow and bull should be washed out with the antiseptic solution made of 1 pint of corrosive sublimate to 1,000 parts of water, and the germs contained in the stables wherein afflicted animals are housed should be destroyed by disinfectants. In this way the disease is met at every turn, and it is impossible for the disease of contagious abortion to exist when thus handled.