The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-12-23
OVER.FEEDING ANIMALS.
Faults and Neglects Which Should Be
Avoided by Stock-Owners.

Avoided by Stock-Owners.
1t is great temptation to an mex.
perienced feeder of stock to add lit
tie more to the ration, in the hope to
push his animals on little faster. We
which exists between the feeding of an
animal and the feeding of fire. When
one has fire we'll under way he may
easily smother or extinguish it by put
ting on too much fuel; or, as the fire.
men of racing steam vessels sometimes
do. he may crowd the fire hoping to
get more steam and explode the boiler.
In very much the same manner an ami
NAL which is doing well on certain
quantity of food may be given little
more, and its growth and thrift at once
stopped by indigestion and inability to
dispose BEAUTIFULLY of the food; or, as
in the well known instances of noted
COWS pushed with rich food for the
purpose of increasing the product
OF milk and butter, the system
becomes overloaded with plethora and
fever intervenes, and the animal sud
denly gives way to the pressure and
perishes of some inflammatory disease.
Every animal has its special capacity
for taking and disposing of food. AS
it's character differs in other respects
from that of other. animals, so it differs
in regard to appetite, digestion, and
power of assimilation. Appetite and
digestion may be forced to an extreme
by giving more palatable food and by
the use of condiments and tonics, but
the assimilative function, which con-
sists of the changing of the digested
food into blood and the formation of
flesh or fat, or milk and butter from it,
is not subject to this sort of forcing,
and when an attempt is made to over
come natural abilities in this respect
disease invariably ensues and fatal re-
suits will follow unless the course is
Immediately retraced.
When an animal is BEAUTIFULLY dis
posing of a certain quantity of food,
and the quantity is suddenly increased
the digestive organs are Overwcrked
The stomach is forced to secrete an en-
larged supply of gastric fluid, which
dissolves the food, and the increased
quantity of food presented to the
absorbent organs of the intestines calls
for an increase of the secretions of the
pancreas and the spleen, besides throw
ing an additional mechanical work on
the absorbing viii of the bowels. II
nothing worse happens all these organs
so suddenly called upon to do extra
work make immediate demands upon
the supply of blood, increase the hearts
action, and are thrown into condition
of excitement and inflammation. II
this is continued the whole system be-
comes plethoric; fat is deposited in the
tissues; the excess of carbonaceous
matter passes off through the lungs,
producing increased action both of
these organs and of the heart, with
additional vital heat. This is precisely
what happens in the case of fever.
which is nothing more than accelerated
action of the heart and lungs,
quickened pulse and great heat
and Inflammation throughout the sys-
tenn, or the excess passes off in part
through the bowels and stimulates
these to unnatural action. These
simply constitute disease. All this
goes on when an animal is in process
of fattening, and this fattening is a
process of disease. and if continued
must necessarily end in serious dis
turbance of the digestive and assimila-
tive functions, and consequently dis
order of the organs charged with them.
But when the feeding is still further
dissolve the food. or the bowels can
not absorb the digested matter, the
condition becomes more serious. 1t is
the same when food is given which is
not digestible and which can not be
assimilated and healthfully disposed
Of In either case it is overlooking and
the results are the same. The stomach
and bowels are then gorged with mat
ter which they can not dispose of, and
become impacted and crowded with it.
This produces irritation and infiamma-
ton, with increased heat which dries
the impacted, undigested food. and
this remains in the system and soon
produces fatal results. Or nature, in
the endeavor to relieve the system of
the incubus, excites the bowels to ex-
traordinary action, which at times be-
comes spasmodic. and collie. cramps
and diarrhea occur.
In early winter, when, on the one
hand, animals are crowded with food
for the purpose of fattening, and, on
| the other, are forced to consume coarse.
| dry matter which has little nutriment
in it, we find these i'll results constant
ly occurring When the system be-
comes excited by the excessive nutri-
ton and the blood is loaded with car
bonaceous matter, of which fat is
formed, feverish condition is pro-
duced. Plethora of blood may then
Cypress the brain, which is the nervous
center, and cause disorder of the whole
nervous system, or it may result in the
deposit of carbonaceous matter, with
which the blood is loaded, in the tissues
or the clogged capillary vessels, SC
fine that they are very easily INSTRUCTED
with the effect of causing patches Of
Inflammation in various portions of the
| vascular tissue.
Thus we have every condition fol
the outbreak of the prevalent diseases
| of the season. Fever of the lungs, con
geston of the brain, inflammation o.
| the intestines, disorder of the liver and
| spleen, carbuncular Inflammation o
| tissues. impaction of the stomach, OIL