CHAPTER IV.—PART III.
DISEASES OF THE ORGANS OF DIGESTION
Tympanitis—Hoove—Blown—Maw Bound
This disorder—is of two kinds; one due to the evolution of gas from the food taken, the other to the impaction of the food. In one case the gas produces enormous inflation of the rumen, or first of the four stomachs possessed by sheep, in the other, distention.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DISTENTION FROM GAS AND FOOD ──────────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────── DISTENTION FROM GAS │ DISTENTION FROM IMPACTED FOOD ──────────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────── The left flank, on pressure, feels│The left flank, on pressure, feels soft, elastic and yielding to the │solid; does not yield readily to fingers. On percussion, sound │the fingers. On percussion, or on hollow and drum-like. │being struck, sound dull. Frequent belching; the wind which │No belching or eructation of wind. escapes has an offensive smell. │ Respiration quick, short and │Respiration not much interfered puffing. │with. Position standing; head stretched │Position lying down, and is with forward, unable to move; moans, │difficulty induced to move; and appears in great distress; │looking dull and listless. eyes red and staring. │
TREATMENT.—This is the same whether the distention is from gas or impacted food. F.F. may be given, a dose every quarter or half hour. We give the method of puncturing, which, however, need never be resorted to if the F.F. be administered.
_Puncturing._—Relief is sometimes very urgently required, and this is best afforded either by plunging a trocar into the left side, or by passing a probang down the œsophagus into the paunch. If the trocar is used, let the canula on the instrument be ten or twelve inches long, so as to prevent the paunch from slipping away from the canula and causing delay, and perhaps further danger. _Chloride of Lime_ is valuable after the animal is somewhat relieved by the use of the trocar; about two drachms should be mixed with a quart of water. In case of immediate relief being imperative, and a trocar not being at hand, a long, sharp pointed pen-knife may be used for puncturing. The place for puncturing is midway between the hip and ribs, where the distended rumen is prominent; the direction is inward and downward. The puncture will be followed by an outrush of gas, fluid, and even portions of food. A quill, or some other tube, must be ready to be inserted in the hole immediately after the knife is withdrawn, otherwise the wound will close. If nothing tubular be at hand, a smooth piece of stick must be put in, or anything else that will serve the purpose of keeping open the wound till the gas has escaped. The danger of this operation is not from the wound itself, but from the escape of the contents of the paunch into the abdomen, which would cause peritonitis, or from piercing the spleen or kidney. The operation can only be regarded as a rough one, to be adopted in case of great emergency.
When distention has ceased and matters have to some extent resumed their ordinary course, the animal should remain some hours without food or water. The food afterwards should be sparing and suitable.
J.K., should be administered two or three times daily until the animal is fully recovered.
Colic—Gripes
This disease is not common in sheep; but lambs over-fed with milk, or with relishing herbs, or pastured in rank or acrid grass, are subject to it (see following section on enteritis).
TREATMENT.—F.F., a dose every half hour until relieved.
Enteritis, Inflammation of the Bowels
This disease is manifested by the following symptoms: Violent and constant pain in the bowels, producing at first uneasiness, and then rolling about on the ground; the sheep almost constantly getting up and lying down again; it sometimes lies on its back, the ground is pawed, the belly struck with the hind feet, etc. These symptoms of pain are attended with confined bowels, quick pulse, cold legs and nose; the belly is tender when pressed upon.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN COLIC AND ENTERITIS ──────────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────── COLIC │ ENTERITIS ──────────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────── The attack is sudden. │The disorder generally comes on │gradually. The pain is intermittent. │The pain is incessant and │increases. The pain is relieved by friction │The pain is aggravated by friction and motion. │and movement. Debility is not a characteristic │Debility is very characteristic. till near the end of the disorder.│
TREATMENT.—The A.A., is the appropriate remedy for this disease, and may be given, five drops every one, two or three hours, according to the urgency of the disease.
In cases of extreme distress it may be alternated with the F.F., at intervals of a half hour or hour, until relieved. But usually the first named Remedy will be quite sufficient.
Diarrhea
Purging is most common in spring, and is then occasioned by fresh grass, to which the flock are unaccustomed; lambs are subject to a severe and often fatal form of this complaint, caused by the irritation of grass eaten for the first time. In some instances it may be occasioned by cold or by a peculiar irritation of the mother’s milk.
SYMPTOMS.—The disease is manifested by discharge of various colors, and sometimes very profuse. It is accompanied with loss of appetite and wasting of flesh.
TREATMENT.—If the discharge is merely the effort of nature to rid the system of some hurtful substance, it will require no interference. But if it is excessive or wasting, three or five drops of the F.F., given morning and night, will usually be sufficient to arrest the disease.
Flukes, or Rottenness
This term is applied to the condition caused by the presence of fluke worms in the liver or bile ducts, where they sometimes exist in large numbers, causing great swelling of the liver.
CAUSE.—The disease is chiefly developed in low districts, and after damp seasons. The worms are taken in with the food and developed in the liver.
SYMPTOMS.—Depression, sadness, inertness, loss of appetite; watery, red, yellowish, purulent eyes; yellowish tint of all parts not covered with hair; fœtid smell of nose and mouth; hard skin; dull, erect hair; irregularity of excrement, which is white, watery and fœtid.
TREATMENT.—The principal remedies are A.A., at first, and then, after a day, alternate C.C., with the A.A., a dose once in three or four hours.
Constipation
This is rarely of grave consequence, and when it exists, is usually a symptom of some other disease. When present, a dose of twenty drops of the J.K., given morning and night, will soon set all right again. If there is suspicion of some inflammatory condition lurking in the system, the A.A., in like doses, will have the like effect.
Dropsy
Is known as the accumulation of water or serous fluid in the abdomen. It is usually the result of inflammation of the peritoneum or lining membrane of the abdomen. It may be known by the large and pendulous condition of the belly, and by percussing or striking one part of the belly, while the other hand is held against another part, when, if water is present, the fluctuation is easily perceived. It is caused by any exposure or food that will produce the original inflammation.
TREATMENT.—Give five drops of the H.H., three times per day.
Founder
Sheep are occasionally foundered from similar causes which produce it in other animals. It is manifested by the following symptoms: It walks slowly; head depressed; has no sprightliness; poor appetite, but great thirst. After a time this slowness of walking becomes a rigidity, so that it requires great effort for the animal to lie down or get up again. The appetite diminishes and thirst increases. In the more advanced stages, the eyelids are swollen, the eyes more or less inflamed, and the feet extremely hot; still farther advanced, there is no appetite, feet are burning and hot, the animal is in so much pain from movement that it will only walk to satisfy its raging thirst. It drags itself along often on its knees rather than walk. It moans and groans, there is severe fever, short breathing, and severe beating of the flanks.
TREATMENT.—B.B., three drops, three times per day, or morning and night if the case is not urgent. If there is heat or fever, the A.A., may be given as an intermediate remedy.