Mange
Categories: Diseases and their RemediesMange, or leprosy, is one of the most unpleasant and difficult diseases
to manage of all the ailments to which cattle are subject requiring the
nicest care and attention to render it easy of cure. An animal badly
nursed will not, under the most skillful treatment, quickly recover. Its
causes are in the main, due to poor food, which produces a debilitated
condition of the system, and in connection with a want of cleanliness,
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great irritation upon the skin and causing the cow to rub herself
against every object with which she comes in contact. The hair falls
off; a scurfy appearance of the skin is perceptible; and the animal is
poor in condition and in milk. The great trouble in treating this
disease springs from its contagious character; for, no sooner is the
animal, oftentimes, once free from the acari than it comes in contact
with some object against which it has previously been rubbing, when the
acari which were left upon that object are again brought in contact
with the animal, and the disease is reproduced. If, immediately after
the proper applications are made, the animal is removed to other
quarters, and not allowed to return to the former ones for six or eight
weeks, there is, generally speaking, but little trouble in treating the
disease.
Take the animal upon a warm, sunny day, and with a scrubbing-brush
cleanse the skin thoroughly with Castile-soap and water; when dry, apply
in the same manner the following mixture; white hellebore, one ounce;
sulphur flower, three ounces; gas-water, one quart; mix all well
together. One or two applications are, generally, all that will be
required. Give internally one of the following powders in the feed,
night and morning: flowers of sulphur, two ounces; black antimony, one
ounce; nitrate of potassa, one ounce; mix, and divide into eight
powders.
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Bronchitis
The trachea and bronchial tubes are frequently the seat of inflammation, especially in the spring of the year,--the symptoms of which are often confounded with those of other pulmonary diseases. This inflammation is frequently preceded by catarrhal ... Castration
The period most commonly selected for this operation is between the first and third months. The nearer it is to the expiration of the first month, the less danger attends the operation. Some persons prepare the animal by the administration of a do... Consumption
This affection--technically known as phthisis pulmonalis--is the termination of chronic disease of the lungs. These organs become filled with many little cysts, or sacks, containing a yellowish or yellowish-white fluid, which in time is hardened, pr... Coryza
In the spring, and late in the fall, catarrhal affections are quite common, occurring frequently in a epizooetic form. Coryza, or nasal catarrh,--commonly called a cold in the head,--is not very common among cows. As its name implies, it is a local ... Cow-pox
Two varieties of sore teats occur in the cow, in the form of pustular eruptions. They first appear as small vesicles containing a purulent matter, and subsequently assume a scabby appearance, or small ulcers remain, which often prove troublesome to ... Crossing And Breeding
The raising of cattle has now become a source of profit in many sections,--to a greater extent, at least, than formerly--and it becomes a matter of great practical importance to our farmers to take the proper steps to improve them. Indeed, the que... Culture Of Grasses For Fodder
As has been already stated, the grasses in summer, and hay in winter, form the most natural and important food for milch cows; and, whatever other crops come in as additional, these will form the basis of all systems of feeding. The nutritive qua... Diarrhoea
Cattle are frequently subject to this disease, particularly in the spring of the year when the grass is young and soft. Occasionally it assumes a very obstinate form in consequence of the imperfect secretion of gastric juice; the faeces are thin, wa... Driving And Slaughtering
It is necessary that cattle which have been disposed of to the dealer or butcher, or which are intended to be driven to market, should undergo a preparation for the journey. If they were immediately put to the road to travel, from feeding on grass o... Dysentery
This disease is very frequently confounded with the foregoing. A distinction, however, exists,--since inflammation appears in this disease, while it is absent in the former. In this affection, inflammation of the large intestines takes place, which ... Enteritis
This is an inflammation of the external or internal coat of the intestines, sometimes attended with violent purging, especially when it is confined to the internal coats. Oxen in good condition are more subject to this disease than are cows. It most... Epizooetic Catarrh
Catarrh frequently assumes an epizooetic form of a very virulent character, originating spontaneously and extending over a large section of country at or about the same time. A cold spring succeeding a mild winter, is peculiarly productive of malign... Epizooetics
Diseases of this class have the same relation to the inferior animals that epidemic diseases have to man. Of course, they assume a very pestilential character. Scarcely a year passes away without diseases of this nature making their appearance in so... Fardel
This disease is properly known by the name of clue-bound. The manyplus, or omasum (third stomach), frequently becomes so choked up with food that it is hard and dry, and the operation of the digestive organs is very seriously impaired. The animal ea... Feeding And Management
No branch of dairy farming can compare in importance with the management of cows. The highest success will depend upon it, whatever breed be selected, and whatever amount of care and attention be given to the points of the animals; for experience ... Formation Of Teeth
It is of the utmost importance to be able to judge of the age of a cow. Few farmers wish to purchase a cow for the dairy after she has passed her prime, which will ordinarily be at the age of nine or ten years, varying, of course, according to care,... Foul In The Foot
This is caused by hard or irritating substances making their way in between the claws of the foot, causing inflammation, and sometimes ulceration, in the parts. The pasterns swell, and the animal becomes lame. The foot should be thoroughly washed... Garget
This is a hard, knotty condition of the udder, which sometimes follows calving, in consequence of the sudden distention of the bag with milk; and the inflammation which supervenes causes a congealed or coagulated condition of the milk to take place,... Gastro-enteritis
This disease--otherwise known as wood-evil, or moor-ill--arises from eating the buds of oak, young ash, and other trees, which are of a very highly stimulating or irritating character. As the intestinal canal is liable to inflammatory action from ir... Gestation
The usual period of pregnancy in a cow is nine calendar months, and something over: at times as much as three weeks. With one thousand and thirty one cows, whose gestations were carefully observed in France, the average period was about two hundred ... History And Breeds Ox
It is quite certain that the ox has been domesticated and in the service of man from a very remote period. We are informed in the fourth chapter of Genesis, that cattle were kept by the early descendants of Adam; Jubal, the son of Lamech--who was ... Hoose
This disease--known also as catarrh--is occasionally the sequence of coryza, but more frequently it arises from an impure atmosphere; consequently, in cow-houses where animals are crowded together in numbers, it is most frequently found. Scanty prov... Hoove
Hoove, or blown, so common, and often so speedily fatal in cattle, is the result of fermentation in the rumen, or paunch, in consequence of the animal's having eaten large quantities of wet grass, luxuriant clover, turnips, etc. An accumulation of g... Hydatids
Worms in the brain occasionally occur, causing great uneasiness to the animal and generally proving fatal. The symptoms are, loss of appetite; suspended rumination; a fevered condition of the system; horns and ears hot; respiration disturbed; coat... Inflammation Of The Bladder
Inflammation of the bladder generally accompanies inflammation of the kidneys, though it is sometimes found disconnected and alone. It is occasionally caused by calculous concretions in the bladder,--which should be removed,--causing very acute abdo... Inflammation Of The Haw
The ox, like the horse, has a membrane of semilunar form in the inner corner of the eye, which is capable of being thrown over the entire eyeball, for the purpose of cleansing the eye from any foreign substance which may get into it. This membrane i... Inflammation Of The Kidneys
This disease--sometimes called nephritis--occurs occasionally in cattle in consequence of their eating bad or unwholesome food, or of the abuse of diuretics, etc. The symptoms are very insidious in their approach. The loins are very tender upon p... Inflammation Of The Liver
Diseases of the liver are of very common occurrence,--a fact with which all beef-butchers are familiar. Perhaps no organ in the animal economy is so liable to disease. The obscurity of the symptoms and the good condition of the animal prevent its di... Laryngitis
This disease is of rare occurrence in cattle. In it, the mucous membrane lining the larynx is in a very irritable condition; the least pressure upon the parts affected causes intensely excruciating pain; the respiration becomes quick, painful, and l... Lice
Cattle are very subject to lice, particularly when they are neglected, half-starved, and in poor condition. Good care and good feeding--in connection with the treatment recommended in mange, to which the reader is referred--will comprise all that is... Mange
Mange, or leprosy, is one of the most unpleasant and difficult diseases to manage of all the ailments to which cattle are subject requiring the nicest care and attention to render it easy of cure. An animal badly nursed will not, under the most skil... Milking
The manner of milking exerts a more powerful and lasting influence on the productiveness of the cow than most farmers are aware. That a slow and careless milker soon dries up the best of cows, every practical farmer and dairyman knows; but a careful... Murrain
This is one of the most malignant diseases to which cattle are liable. Fortunately, however, true murrain is comparatively rare in this great stock-raising country. The entire system seems to partake of the disease. The first indication of its ap... Native Cattle
The foregoing comprise the pure-bred races in America; for, though other and well-established breeds--like the Galloways, the long horns, the Spanish, and others--have, at times, been imported, and have had some influence on our American stock, yet ... Navel-ill
Inflammation of the navel in calves occasionally occurs, causing redness, pain, and sudden swelling in the part affected. This disease, if not promptly attended to, speedily carries off the creature. Treatment.--Foment the part well with warm hop-... Obstructions In The Oesophagus
Choking in cattle is of common occurrence, in consequence of turnips, potatoes, carrots, or other hard substances, becoming lodged in the oesophagus, or gullet. These obstructions can sometimes be removed by careful manipulations with the hand; b... Open Joints
Opening of the joint generally results from accidents, from puncturing with sharp substances, from kicks, blows, etc. These injuries cause considerable nervous irritation in the system, and sometimes cause lock-jaw and death. Treatment.--Close up... Parturition
In natural labor--as has been suggested in a former part of this work--the aid of man is rarely required in bringing away the calf. But it not infrequently happens that, from malformation or wrong presentation, our assistance is required in order to... Phrenitis
Inflammation of the brain is one of those dreadful diseases to which all animals are liable. It is known to the farmer as frenzy, mad staggers, etc. The active symptoms are preceded by stupor; the animal stubbornly stands in one position; the eye... Pleurisy
This is an inflammation of the pleura, or the serous membrane which lines the cavity of the chest, and which is deflected over the lungs. Inflammation of this membrane rarely occurs in a pure form, but is more generally associated with inflammation ... Pleuro-pneumonia
This disease, as its name implies, is an inflammatory condition of the lungs and the pleura, or the enveloping membrane of the lungs and the lining membrane of the chest. It is sometimes called contagious, infectious, and epizooetic pleuro-pneumonia... Pneumonia
There are two conditions of the lungs known as pneumonia,--one, the inflammatory, and the other, the congestive stage. The former may follow an attack of bronchitis, or it may have a spontaneous origin. The congestive is generally the result of cold... Points Of A Good Cow
After satisfaction is afforded touching the age of a cow, she should be examined with reference to her soundness of constitution. A good constitution is indicated by large lungs, which are found in a deep, broad, and prominent chest, broad and well-... Points Of Fat Cattle
Whatever theoretical objections may be raised against over-fed cattle, and great as may be the attempts to disparage the mountains of fat,--as highly-fed cattle are sometimes designated,--there is no doubt of the practical fact, that the best butche... Pregnancy
The symptoms of pregnancy in its early stage were formerly deemed exceedingly unsatisfactory. The period of being in season--which commonly lasts three or four days, and then ceases for a while, and returns in about three weeks--might entirely pass ... Protrusion Of The Bladder
This sometimes occurs during the throes in difficult cases of parturition in cows, and the aid of a skillful veterinary surgeon is requisite to replace the inverted bladder. ... Puerperal Fever
This disease--milk fever, or dropping after calving--rarely occurs until the animal has attained mature age. The first symptoms make their appearance in from one to five or six days after parturition. It appears to be a total suspension of nervous f... Quarter Evil
In some sections of the country, this disease--known by the other names of black quarter, and joint murrain--is quite common among young cattle, and is generally fatal in its termination. There is little or no warning of its approach. The first anim... Rabies
Hydrophobia in cattle is the result of the bite of a rabid dog, from which bite no animal escapes. The effects produced by the wound made by the teeth of such an animal, after the virus is once absorbed into the circulation of the blood, are so pois... Red Water
This disease derives its name from the color of the urine voided in it. It is one of the most common complaints of horned cattle, and one of the most troublesome to manage. Symptoms.--Respiration hurried; rumination ceases; a high degree of fever... Rheumatism
This is a constitutional inflammatory affection of the joints, affecting the fibrous tissue and serous, or synovial membrane. It is caused by exposure to cold and wet; being quite common in low, marshy sections. Symptoms.--Loss of appetite; upon f... Soiling
Of the advantages of soiling milch cows--that is, feeding exclusively in the barn--there are yet many conflicting opinions. As to its economy of land and feed there can be no question, it being generally admitted that a given number of animals may b... Spaying
To secure a more uniform flow and a richer quality of milk, cows are sometimes spayed, or castrated. The milk of spayed cows is pretty uniform in quality; and this quality will be, on an average, a little more than before the operation was performed... Strangulation Of The Intestines
This disease in cattle,--popularly styled Knot, or Gut-tie,--in consequence of the peculiar arrangement of the abdominal viscera, is of very rare occurrence. When, however, it does occur, the symptoms accompanying are those of inflammation of the in... The Ayrshire
This breed is justly celebrated throughout Great Britain and this country for its excellent dairy qualities. Though the most recent in their origin, they are pretty distinct from the Scotch and English races. In color, the pure Ayrshires are general... The Barn
The farm barn, next to the farm house, is the most important structure of the farm itself, in the Northern and Middle States; and even at the South and Southwest, where barns are less used, they are of more importance in the economy of farm manageme... The British Ox
In the earliest and most reliable accounts which we possess of the British Isles--the Commentaries of Caesar--we learn that the ancient Britons possessed great numbers of cattle. No satisfactory description of these cattle occurs in any ancient auth... The Dutch
This short horned race, in the opinion of many--as has been previously remarked--contributed largely, about a century ago, to build up the Durham or Teeswater stock. It has been bred with special reference to dairy qualities, and is eminently adapte... The Hereford
These cattle derive their name from a county in the western part of England. Their general characteristics are a white face, sometimes mottled; white throat, the white generally extending back on the neck, and sometimes, though rarely, still further... The Jersey
These cattle are now widely known in this country. Many of them have been imported from an island of the same name in the British Channel, near the coast of France, and they may now be considered, for all practical purposes, as fully acclimated. The...