Remedy:—This must be remedied by bleeding, purging and giving the fever medicine—after purging, give emetic tartar one drachm, digitalis ½ drachm, nitre ¼ drachms twice a day until relieved, feed cautiously.
INFLAMMATION OF THE BOWELS WITH COSTIVENESS.
Inflammation of the bowels is by no means an uncommon disease among neat cattle, very often proves fatal. It is easily recognized by the peculiar symptoms.
Cause:—This disease mostly arises from exposure to cold, and especially when cattle go into rivers or ponds, after being heated and fatigued, chilling the blood. It is sometimes produced by too much dry or stimulating food.
Symptoms:—The animal is continually lying down, getting up again, strikes at his belly with his hind feet. The bowels obstinately constipated; dungs in small quantities, hard, covered with mucus at times, streaked with blood—the urine is generally voided with difficulty and heaving at the flanks, accompanied with fever, becomes fearfully weak and staggers as he walks, he leaves his company, hides himself under hedges, &c. Becomes deaf, he trembles all over, his skin is hot, back and loins tender, ears and horns hot, indicating the highest degree of general fever.
Remedy:—The first thing to be done and that which admits of no delay, is to bleed profusely. Next, purge freely; continue the purging medicines until the bowels are freely opened, then lessen the doses so as to keep the bowels open. In severe cases you must give injections until the medicines operate freely. This is a very dangerous disease and the course pursued must be decisive, or the beast is lost! The only hope you have after bleeding, is in physicing; you should by all means clyster largely and in great quantities, the epsom salts and castor oil will do no harm; thin gruel is very good! Let these hints suffice.
DIARRHEA OR PURGING.
Diarrhea or Purging:—In the first place indicates some disordered state of the bowels, or the presence of some offending matter in them, and he will endeavor to remedy this; not by attempting to arrest the discharge too speedily! First, give a mild physic, then follow with the astringent.
Remedy:—Take a strong decoction, white oak bark 3 ounces, laudanum 1½ oz., golden tincture 1 oz. Give it in thin gruel until relieved.