Chapter 1

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,

BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY.

J. R. MOHLER, CHIEF OF BUREAU.

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SPECIAL REPORT

ON

DISEASES OF CATTLE.

BY

Drs. ATKINSON, DICKSON, EICHHORN, HICKMAN, LAW, LOWE, MARSH, MOHLER, MURRAY, PEARSON, RANSOM, TRUMBOWER, and WOODWARD.

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REVISED EDITION, 1923.

WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1923.

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Transcriber's note: Minor typos have been corrected, tables have been modified where necessary to fit within the constraints of a text file, and footnotes have been moved to the ends of the sections. Inconsistencies in spelling (e.g., D'Arboval/D'Arborval) and hyphenation (e.g., postmortem/post-mortem) have been resolved in all cases where it was possible to divine the author's intent with a reasonable degree of certainty. The occasional error which could not be resolved was marked [sic]. Italicized letters and words are enclosed by _underscores_. Subscripts are represented by an underscore and curly braces: _{2} (for example, SiO_{2}). Ligatures which cannot be reproduced in the Latin-1 character set are enclosed in [brackets] (for example, C[oe]nurus).

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[Extract from "An act making appropriations for the Department of Agriculture for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1924, and for other purposes," approved February 26, 1923. Public--No. 446.]

For printing, binding, and distribution of the publications entitled "Diseases of the Horse" and "Diseases of Cattle," $200,000: _Provided_, That said publications shall be deposited one-third in the folding room of the Senate and two-thirds in the folding room of the House of Representatives, and said documents shall be distributed by Members of the Senate and House of Representatives.

CONTENTS. Page.

Administration of medicines. By LEONARD PEARSON 7

Diseases of the digestive organs. By A. J. MURRAY 12

Poisons and poisoning. By V. T. ATKINSON 51

Diseases of the heart, blood vessels, and lymphatics. By W. H. HARBAUGH 73

Noncontagious diseases of the organs of respiration. By WILLIAM HERBERT LOWE 87

Diseases of the nervous system. By W. H. HARBAUGH 101

Diseases of the urinary organs. By JAMES LAW 113

Diseases of the generative organs. By JAMES LAW 147

Diseases following parturition. By JAMES LAW 214

Diseases of young calves. By JAMES LAW 247

Bones: Diseases and accidents. By V. T. ATKINSON 264

Surgical operations. By WILLIAM DICKSON and WILLIAM HERBERT LOWE 289

Tumors affecting cattle. By JOHN R. MOHLER 303

Diseases of the skin. By M. R. TRUMBOWER 320

Diseases of the foot. By M. R. TRUMBOWER 335

Diseases of the eye and its appendages. By M. R. TRUMBOWER 340

Diseases of the ear. By M. R. TRUMBOWER 355

Infectious diseases of cattle. Revised by JOHN R. MOHLER 358

The animal parasites of cattle. By B. H. RANSOM 502

Mycotic stomatitis of cattle. By JOHN R. MOHLER 532

Index 538

ILLUSTRATIONS.

PLATES. Page. PLATE I. Position of the first stomach (rumen or paunch) 48

II. Stomachs of ruminants 48

III. Instruments used in treating diseases of digestive organs 48

IV. Microscopic anatomy of the liver 48

V. Ergot in hay 48

VI. Ergotism 48

VII. Diagram of the circulation of the blood 86

VIII. Position of the lung 90

IX. Kidney and male generative and urinary organs 145

X. Microscopic anatomy of the kidney 145

XI. Calculi of kidney and bladder 146

XII. Fetal calf within its membranes 210

XIII. Pregnant uterus with cotyledons 210

XIV. Vessels of umbilical cord 211

XV. Normal position of calf in utero 211

XVI. Abnormal positions of calf in utero 211

XVII. Abnormal positions of calf in utero 211

XVIII. Abnormal positions of calf in utero; surgical instruments and sutures 212

XIX. Monstrosities 212

XX. Instruments used in difficult labor 212

XXI. Instruments used in difficult labor 213

XXII. Supports for prolapsed uterus 246

XXIII. Supports for prolapsed uterus 246

XXIV. Instruments used in diseases following parturition 246

XXV. Skeleton of the cow 282

XXVI. Devices for casting cattle 302

XXVII. Surgical instruments and sutures 302

XXVIII. Various bacteria which produce disease in cattle 360

XXIX. Upper or dorsal surface of the lungs of the ox 368

XXX. Broncho-pneumonia 368

XXXI. Contagious pleuro-pneumonia 368

XXXII. Contagious pleuro-pneumonia 368

XXXIII. Foot-and-mouth disease 384

XXXIV. Tuberculosis of the lungs of cattle 416

XXXV. Tuberculosis of the liver 416

XXXVI. Tuberculosis of lymph gland and of omentum (caul) 416

XXXVII. Fig. 1.--Tuberculosis of sirloin and porterhouse cuts of beef. Fig. 2.--Tuberculosis of pleura of cow, so-called "pearly disease" 416

XXXVIII. Tuberculosis of cow's udder 416

XXXIX. Actinomycosis 450

XL. Actinomycosis of the jaw 450

XLI. Actinomycosis of the lungs 450

XLII. Section of muscle from a blackleg swelling 464

XLIII. Necrotic stomatitis (calf diphtheria) 464

XLIV. Normal spleen and spleen affected by Texas fever 504

XLV. Texas fever 504

XLVI. The cattle tick (_Margaropus annulatus_), the carrier of Texas fever 504

XLVII. The cattle tick (_Margaropus annulatus_) 504

XLVIII. Portion of a steer's hide showing the Texas fever tick (_Margaropus annulatus_) 504

XLIX. Fig. 1.--Tick-infested steer. Fig. 2.--Dipping cattle to kill ticks 504

L. Facsimile of poster comparing ticky and tick-free cattle 504

TEXT FIGURES.

FIG. 1. Hornfly (_HÊmatobia serrata_) in resting position 504

2. Hornflies (_HÊmatobia serrata_) on cow horn 505

3. Buffalo gnat 506

4. Screw worm (larva of _Chrysomyia macellaria_) 506

5. Screw-worm fly (_Chrysomyia macellaria_) 507

6. The warble fly (_Hypoderma lineata_) 508

7. Short-nosed blue louse (_HÊmatopinus eurysternus_) of cattle 512

8. Long-nosed blue louse (_HÊmatopinus vituli_) of cattle 512

9. Red louse (_Trichodectes scalaris_) of cattle 513

10. Egg of short-nosed blue louse (_HÊmatopinus eurysternus_) attached to a hair 513

11. Mite which causes psoroptic scab of sheep 514

12. Portion of the wall of the first stomach with conical flukes (_Paramphistomum cervi_) attached 519

13. Twisted stomach worms (_HÊmonchus contortus_) 519

14. Twisted stomach worms (_HÊmonchus contortus_) enlarged 520

15. Embryo of twisted stomach worm (_HÊmonchus contortus_) coiled on tip of grass blade 521

16. A drenching tube made from an ordinary tin funnel, a piece of rubber hose, and a piece of brass pipe 522

17. Piece of lining of fourth stomach showing cysts of the encysted stomach worm (_Ostertatia ostertagi_) 523

18. A tapeworm (_Moniezia planissima_) which infests cattle 524

19. The common liver fluke (_Fasciola hepatica_) 526

20. The large American fluke (_Fasciola magna_) 526

21. Portion of grass stalk bearing three encysted cercariÊ of the common liver fluke (_Fasciola hepatica_) 527

22. Hydatids (_Echinococcus granulosus_) in portion of hog's liver 528

23. Thin-necked bladder worm (_TÊnia hydatigena_) from abdominal cavity of a steer 529

24. Lung worms (_Dictyocaulus viviparus_) of cattle 530

SPECIAL REPORT

ON

DISEASES OF CATTLE

ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICINES.

By LEONARD PEARSON, B. S., V. M. D.

Medicines may be administered to cattle in many ways. The channel and method of administration depend on whether a general or local effect is desired, the condition of the animal, and the nature of the medicine that is to be given. The easiest method, and therefore the most common, is to give ordinary remedies by the mouth with the food, with drink, or separately. There, are, however, some conditions in which medicines administered in this way will not act promptly enough, or wherein a desired effect of the medicine on a distant part of the body is wholly lacking unless it is applied in some other way.

The various methods of administering medicines to cattle will be considered below.

BY THE MOUTH.--The simplest way to give medicines by the mouth is to mix them with the food or water. This can be done when the medicine is in the form of a powder or fluid, if but a small quantity is to be given, if it does not have a taste that is disagreeable to the animal and is not so irritant as to injure the lining membranes of the mouth and throat.

The usual method of administering bulky or unpalatable doses is to mix them with a fluid vehicle, such as water, milk, molasses, or broth, and give from a bottle. A dose given in this way is known as a "drench." In administering a drench the head of the animal should be elevated a little by an assistant. This is best accomplished when standing on the left side of the cow's head and by grasping the nose with the thumb and fingers of the right hand inserted in the nostrils; with the left hand beneath the chin the head is further raised and supported. If the animal is unruly, it may be tied in a stall or placed in a stanchion. The medicine can now be poured into the mouth by inserting the neck of the bottle between the lips on the right side. Care must be taken to avoid getting the bottle between the back teeth. The mouth of the bottle should be inserted as far as the middle of the tongue and the contents poured slowly. If the cow coughs, the head must at once be lowered to permit the fluid to escape from the larynx. If medicine is given during coughing, some of the dose may pass down the windpipe to the lungs and cause a severe or a fatal pneumonia. This is especially to be guarded against when the throat is partly paralyzed or insensitive, as in parturient paresis (milk fever). In this disease it has often happened that drenches have been poured into the lungs, thus killing the cow.

The quantity of fluid to be given in a drench depends upon the effect desired and the nature of the medicine. In impactions of the stomach very large quantities of fluid may be given--as much as a gallon or several gallons at a time. Usually, however, it is not customary or desirable to give more than from 1 to 2 quarts at a dose, and not more than a pint unless it is necessary on account of the irritant quality of the drug that has to be shielded with a large quantity of the vehicle.

Soluble medicines should be completely dissolved before they are given; insoluble ones should be finely divided by powdering or by shaking, and should be well agitated and mixed immediately before they are given. In the latter case a menstruum with considerable body, such as molasses or flaxseed tea or milk, will help to hold solids or oils in suspension until swallowed.

_Balls_ are large pills adapted for the larger animals. Powders or gums are sometimes mixed with an adhesive substance and rolled into balls for the purpose of convenience of administration. Balls are not used so much and are not so well adapted to the medication of cattle as of horses. The process of solution is slower in the paunch of a cow than in the stomach of a horse; if the cow is so sick as to have stopped ruminating, a ball may get covered up and lost in the mass of material in the paunch and so lie for days, producing no effect whatever.

_Capsules_ are shells or envelopes made of soluble gelatin in which powders or liquids may be inclosed. Capsules and balls are administered by being placed on the tongue well back in the mouth while the tongue is drawn forward and the mouth is held open by a block of wood between the back teeth. The ball should be dropped, the tongue released, and the block removed as nearly simultaneously as possible, so that the backward carriage of the tongue will throw the ball into the throat and lead to its being swallowed. In introducing the ball care must be taken to avoid having the hand cut or crushed. After a little experience it is possible to do away with the block of wood.

BY THE STOMACH.--Medicines are introduced directly into the first stomach by the use of an esophageal tube or through the cannula of a trocar passed into the paunch through the side. This method is used in the treatment of diseases of digestion.

BY THE RECTUM.--Medicines are usually administered by the rectum for the purpose of controlling the bowels and for the treatment of local diseases. Sometimes, however, medicines that have a general effect are given in this way when, for any reason, it is not possible or convenient to give them through the mouth. Only drugs that are readily absorbed should be given per rectum for a general effect and in somewhat larger dose or more frequently than when given by the mouth. Such stimulants as ether, alcohol, or the aromatic spirits of ammonia, diluted with from four to six times their bulk of warm water, may be used in this way.

Rectal injections, or enemata, are used in the treatment of constipation. If it is the purpose of the injection to soften hardened fecal masses, the water should be comfortably warm and may have a little clean soap in it. If it is the purpose of the injection to stimulate sluggish bowels to contraction, the water may be cold.

In giving rectal injections a rectal syringe may be used, or, better, a piece of one-half to three-quarter inch rubber hose 5 feet long with a tin funnel attached to one end. The hose is soaped or oiled and introduced slowly and gently into the rectum 2 or 3 feet. The fluid is then slowly poured into the funnel and allowed to gravitate into the rectum. The same apparatus may be used for feeding by the rectum.

BY THE VAGINA.--Medicines are inserted into the vagina, and through the vagina into the womb, in a manner similar to that of rectal administration. Most of the medication made use of in this way is for the local treatment of these organs. Following calving, during outbreaks of abortion, and in an infectious disease of the vagina, such injections become necessary.

BY THE UDDER.--Injections into the udder are now regularly made in the treatment of parturient paresis (milk fever). For this purpose a 1 per cent solution of iodid of potassium is commonly employed, although some other solutions and oxygen gas are also used. In making this injection so many precautions are necessary in relation to the sterilization of the apparatus and the teats and skin that this work should be left to a skilled veterinarian. The introduction of even a minute quantity of infectious dirt may cause the loss of the udder. For making this injection one may use one of the prepared sets of apparatus or a milking tube and funnel connected by a piece of small rubber hose. The apparatus should be boiled and kept wrapped in a clean towel until needed. The udder and teats and the hands of the operator must be well disinfected, and the solution must be freshly made with recently boiled water kept in a sterile bottle. The udder should be emptied of milk before the injection is made. After all these precautions have been observed the milking tube may be inserted and through it one-half pint of solution introduced by gravity air pressure or by syringe. There is practically no danger in this mode of treatment if it is properly carried out.

Injections into the udder are sometimes made in the treatment of garget, but so far with indifferent success.

BY THE NOSTRILS.--An animal may be caused to inhale medicine in the form of gas or vapor or to snuff up a fine powder. Sometimes, for the purpose of local treatment, fluids are injected into the nose.

A medicine inhaled may have either a local or a general effect.

Medicated steam, carrying the volatile products of compound cresol solution, carbolic acid, balsam of Peru, compound tincture of benzoin, tincture of iodin, etc., may be liberated beneath the nostrils of a cow so that she must inhale these soothing vapors; but such treatment is not so common for cattle as for horses. In producing general anesthesia, or insensibility to pain, the vapor of chloroform or ether is administered by the nostrils. As a preliminary to this it is necessary to cast and confine the animal. Great care is necessary to avoid complete stoppage of the heart or breathing.

BY THE TRACHEA.--Medicines are injected into the trachea, or windpipe, in the treatment of some forms of diseases of the lungs, and especially in that form of bronchitis or pneumonia that is caused by lungworms. For this injection a large hypodermic syringe, fitted with a very thick, strong needle, is used. The needle is to be inserted about the middle of the neck and between the cartilaginous rings of the trachea.

BY THE SKIN.--Although a number of drugs, notably mercury, are so readily absorbed by the skin of cattle as to render poisoning easy, medicines are not given in this way for their general or constitutional but only for their local effect.

Diseases of the skin and superficial parasites are treated or destroyed by applications in the forms of washes, ointments, dips, and powders. Liniments and lotions are applied to the skin for the relief of some near-lying part, such as a muscle, tendon, or joint. Blisters are applied to the skin for the purpose of obtaining the effect of counterirritation upon a neighboring region or organ. Cold water may be applied to the skin to reduce the temperature and to diminish congestion or inflammation in a superficial area or to reduce the temperature of the whole body. High fever and heat strokes are treated in this way.

BY THE TISSUE BENEATH THE SKIN.--Hypodermic or subcutaneous injections are often made for the purpose of introducing a drug, reagent, or vaccine directly into the connecting tissue beneath the skin. Introduced in this way, the substance is quickly absorbed, none of it is lost, and its whole effect is obtained, often within a few minutes.

There are numerous precautions necessary in making a subcutaneous injection, most of which have to do with cleansing and sterilization. It is also important to select a proper site for the injection, so that blood vessels, joints, and superficial nerves, organs, or cavities may all be avoided. With due regard for the necessary precautions, there is practically no danger in such an injection, but it should be attempted only by those who are able to carry it through in a surgically clean way. Only certain drugs can be given subcutaneously, and dosage must be accurately graduated.

BY THE VEINS.--Certain medicines act most promptly and surely when introduced directly into the blood by injecting them into a vein, usually the jugular. Some vaccines and antitoxins are administered in this way. Intravenous injection should be practiced only by experienced veterinarians.

DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS.

By A. J. MURRAY, M. R. C. V. S.

[Revised by R.W. HICKMAN, V. M. D.]

CHARACTER OF FEEDS AND FEEDING.

Diseases of the digestive organs are very common among cattle, and may often be traced to defects in feeding. The first three stomachs of the larger ruminants hold the feed for a long time, during which period it is subjected to macerating, mixing, and straining processes in preparation for entrance into the fourth or true stomach. The straining is accomplished through the medium of the manyplies or book, while the paunch, or rumen, with its adjunct, the waterbag, is concerned in the macerating, kneading, and mixing, as well as in regurgitation for rumination or the chewing of the cud. The action of the first three stomachs is merely preparatory to digestion. Thus it would seem that as a result of their complex anatomical and functional arrangement the feed of the ox, when of good quality and wholesome, is in the most favorable condition possible for the digestive process when it reaches the fourth stomach, where true digestion first takes place. The location and arrangement of the stomachs are shown in Plates I and II.

If the feed is of improper character, or is so given that it can not be cared for by the animal in a normal way, false fermentations arise, causing indigestion, and possibly, later, organic disease. In feeding cattle there are a number of important considerations apart from the economy of the ration, and some of these are noted below.

Feeds must not be damaged by exposure to the weather, by frost, by molds, or by deleterious fermentations.

Damaged feeds retard or prevent digestion, and sometimes they contain or cause to be generated substances that irritate the digestive tract, or are distinctly poisonous to the animal. For example, hay that was rained on severely during curing has not only lost a part of its nutritive value through a washing-out process, but what remains is not so readily available as in good hay. Roots that have been frozen are likely to irritate and injure the digestive tract. Grass eaten with frost on it may cause severe indigestion. All moldy feeds are not injurious, for some molds appear to have no influence on the process of digestion, but those of other species may not only retard digestion and cause local injury to the digestive organs, but may cause general poisoning of a severe and fatal type.

The following molds have been shown (Dammann) to be dangerous in respect to the production of the morbid conditions enumerated: