Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1902-05-21

1 SOON OF laLe-Dut say,
| Don't you think that idee's kind o,
! Crazy anyway?
$. L. Kiser, in Chicago Record Herald
Milk Fever.
| We are now approaching the perioo
of the year when some of the very bes,
cows on the farm are liable to die sud
denly from milk fever, q disease which
has taken off the majority of the phe
nomenal butter and milk producers OF
the United States. This disease sci,
dom occurs in heiters under three years
old, seldom in poor mixer, and
generally from few hours to three OF
four days after the birthsof the calf.
The symptoms are mainly nervous.
The cow becomes excited, moves
around the pasture as if in pain, lies
down and gets up again, turns her head
to one side, kicks at the flank, groana,
and grinds her teeth. Next she loses
control of her hind legs, staggers, lies
down, tries to rise, and finally can not
rise at all When down, usually turns
her head toward the side or flank, hut
may stretch it out straight. The bowels
and kidneys are paralyzed. leading to
the retention of the urine and contents
of the bowels. The eye ceases to be
sensitive, she is unable to take food in
to the stomach, the food ferments after
awhile, and the animal seems bloated.
The main thing to do is to. prevent
this disease. and the hest thing ia to
put heavy mixer on short pasturage
for few days before calying. DO not
keep her in the barn or stable, but let
her out. and if her bowels are costiye
give laxative food or from one-fourth
to one-half dose of Epson salts.
1t is now concluded by the most ad-
vanced veterinarians that the cause
of this disease is poison generated in
the udder by reason of the increased
flow of milk awaiting the birth of the
calf and that this poison is absorbed in
to the system; in short, that it is milk
poison. Until veterinarians got hold of
this idea, treatment was of no AVAIL
but within the last year or two a mum.
ber of good results have been reported
from injecting into each quarter of the
udder solution of iodide of potash for
the purpose OF neutralizing the poison.
This is known as the Schmidt treat.
ment and is the only treatment from
which any degree of success has been
obtained The following is the treat
ment in detail, for which we are in
debted to Bulletin No Il of the Missis.
sippi Agricultural Experiment Station:
"NVash the udder, and teats of the
animal, and hands of the operator with
soap and warm water, so as to remove
all dirt and trash. After this, wash
especially the orifice of the teats with
some strong antiseptic, say five per
cent solution of creolin or carbo!ic acid.
From two to three drains of iodide of
potash depending upon the size of the
cow are dissolved in one quart of
boiled water that is perfectly clear. 1t
is better to use distilled water 1t we can
secure It. This solution is infused into
the udder by means Of small glass
funnel, to which is attached one end of
q rubber tube of sufficient length and
ne-eighth Of an inch in diameter. The
other end of the rubber is attached to
an ordinary milk tube. Before using,
the funnel, tube and rubber should be
sterilized by placing them in cold
water and boiling. Milk each teat care
fully 80 as to remove all milk from the
udder, and then insert the milk tube
into the teat and pour in the fluid hay-
ingit about the temperature of the
body; first hold the funnel on level
with the teat while filling it, then ele-
vate the funnel SO that the potash
solution flows into the udder. Use
one fourth of it in each quarter of the
udder. Rub the udder for ten or ten or
fifteen minutes, and in about an hour
milk all out that can be removed. If
necessary, this treatment may be re-
peated in from eight to twelve hours.
If the kidneys are inactive, the urine
should be drawn away with soft rub
ber and veterinarian should be en-
ployed to do this. Professor Robert,
the author of the bulletin, warns
against trying to drench COW when
she is paralyzed. If she is bloated
sufficiently to interfere with breathing,
then puncture the paunch as for bloat
on the left side at a point equally dis
tant from the last rib, hip bone and
backbone with trocar and cannula,
if you have same, and If not, with a
knife, first dtsinfecting 1t either by
holding few minutes in boiling water
or with five per cent solution of car
bolic acid.
DR.. Leonard Pearson, of Pennsyl
vanis, in a circular sent to yeterin-
srians in reference to this disease. re-
ports that seventy-fiv per cent of the
COWS thus treated recover. The Danish
authorities report ninety per cent. DR..
J. j. Repp, of tire Iowa Agricultural
College, reports % cases out Of 1866.