ABSTRACTS
123
A substitute for colostrum, should the dam die, may be : whip one egg in one-half pint
warm water, add one-half teaspoonful of castor oil and stir in one pint of milk for each
feeding.
Hand feeding.—Milk used for calf feeding should be at body temperature, i.e.
98-100° F. It is best warmed by adding a little hot water. It had better be too warm
than too cold. The calf may be taught to drink by allowing it to suck two fingers and
then gradually lowering the hand into the milk. This may be discontinued after three
days and the calf allowed to drink normally. About three pints of milk per feeding may
be allowed after four days.
Scours are generally due to excessive feeding. At the first appearance of scours
small doses of castor oil should be administered and the subsequent feeding should con-
sist of boiled water instead of milk. Follow this with one part water plus two to four
parts milk three times daily. Lime water or free access to chalk is beneficial.
Important points in the feeding of calves are : regularity in quality, quantity and
time of feeding. The pails should always be scrupulously clean and the milk sweet and
at the proper temperature. Changes in feed should always be slow. [J. N. W.]
The use of Neo-Prontosil in strangles. K. L. DOUGLAS and R. V. L.
WALKER (1939), Canadian J. Comp. Med., 3, 166
T HE authors have recorded the effect of Neo-Prontosil in an outbreak of strangles
that occurred in a cavalry depot where the horses were being intensively trained as
escort remounts to be used during Their Majesties' visit to Ottawa.
The characteristic symptoms of the disease, its mode of transmission, possible
complications that follow, the causative agent, predisposing causes, prevention and treat-
ment are described. The affected horses in the outbreak were isolated, treated with a
mild laxative in conjunction with a diuretic and febrifuge to aid in body eliminations.
The animals were lightly groomed, their legs massaged and blankets put on to stimulate
circulation and poultices were applied to the swollen areas. This usual treatment
was augmented by the administration of Neo-Prontosil, one of the sulphanilamide pre-
parations which have proved beneficial in other streptococcal infections. It was injected
intramuscularly in the gluteal region in smaller divided doses of 25 c. c. four times daily
in order to maintain a more equal amount of the drug in the blood stream continuously.
Three infected animals were given Neo-Prontosil treatment in addition to the usual
symptomatic treatment, keeping two controls which received the latter treatment only.
Both the controls developed typical strangles with suppuration. One of these responded
to the symptomatic treatment and made a complete recovery 16 days after the first in-
fection was noticed, while the second did not respond to this treatment and later
developed into an atypical form of the disease and had to be discarded. All the three
animals receiving 5, 8 and 13 injections of Neo-Prontosil respectively, returned to normal
within five to nine days after the date of first infection. Their swellings completely
receded without abscess formation and no other serious complication ensued.
The authors conclude that in strangles recognized in early stages, Neo-Prontosil
apparently controls the infection, rapidly bringing about complete recovery and prevent-
ing the suppuration usually present (B. S.)
Streptococcus infections of animals and their treatment. A. W. STABLE
-ORTH (1938), Vet. Rec., 50, 1203-14
S TREPTOCOCCI have been repeatedly isolated from several disease conditions of
man and animals and have been variously classified according to their morphological,
cultural and biochemical characters. Those streptococci which possess the ability to lyse
red blood cells have been divided into a number of groups on the basis of their antigenic
properties. This system has been found to be related to the usual habitat of the strep-
tococci belonging to the respective groups. Thus, nearly all the pathogenic strep¬
tococci isolated from human beings belong to Group A, those from chronic bovine mastitis
to Group B, all equine strains to Group C, and most strains from dogs to Group G. Groups
E—K contain streptococci which are usually non-pathogenic. Some of these broad
groups are further divided into sub-groups and serological types.