The disease consists of inflammation, with consequent swelling and soreness of the top of the gullet or passage between the mouth and stomach. It arises from the same causes which produce colds, and sometimes assumes an epidemic and very fatal character, especially when the spring or fall is very cold and wet and the animals graze on damp, marshy grounds. It is usually accompanied with catarrh.
Symptoms.—Difficulty of swallowing, so that solid food is partially chewed and then dropped from the mouth; fluids are gulped down, or partly return through the nostrils; or all food may be refused in consequence of the severe pain attending swallowing; the cud is not chewed; the throat and glands of the neck are swelled, hot and painful; the cough is frequent, hoarse, and indicates pain; the breathing becomes very difficult and labored, and the pulse full and quick.
Treatment.—Give twenty drops of A.A., every three or four hours, until three doses have been given, then begin with the C.C., and give every three hours of the C.C., in alternation with the A.A. As the animal improves and the fever and heat abate, the A.A., may be discontinued, and the C.C., be used alone, at intervals of four or six hours.
In all febrile diseases of cattle, it is of the utmost importance to house them in a warm, dry, comfortable stable, free from exposure, dampness, or cold drafts of air, especially in cold or moist weather.
Cough
Cough in the cow is rarely or never a disease of itself, but merely a symptom or attendant of some disease of the respiratory organs, such as Catarrh, Bronchitis, Pleurisy or Pneumonia, of which it is merely the indication. Its symptomatic importance is such that it always deserves attention, and its cause should at once be carefully investigated. In some case very grave alterations may be going on in the lungs, which will escape notice if attention be not directed to it by means of the cough. Examine the animal carefully, ascertain the state of her pulse, breathing, appetite, secretion of milk, etc., and direct treatment for such disease as is found to be present.
However, in the absence of any special indications, the E.E., should be given, a dose of twenty drops morning and night, which will generally relieve, and will not be out of place in any case.
Bronchitis, or Inflammation of the Bronchial Tubes
This disease is usually the result of exposure to cold and wet, or sudden changes of temperature; it is almost always preceded by a common cold, which has been neglected or overlooked.
Symptoms.—Cough, which becomes by degrees more painful, frequent and husky; the countenance becomes anxious and distressed; the breathing is quick, heaving and obstructed, in consequence of tough, tenacious phlegm; unwillingness to move; the breath is hot; the cough is increased by moving about, occurs in fits, and is wheezing in character; no food is eaten; the animal wastes; skin becomes dry, and is bound to the ribs; the coat stares and looks unthrifty. The animal may die from extension of the disease to the substance of the lungs.