A TROUBLESOME DISEASE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1624, 16 December 1912, Page 10

A TROUBLESOME DISEASE.

SERIOUS DAIRY FARM COMPLAINT. ADVICE AS TO TBBATJIENT. During the course of a conversation with a representative of The Dominion Mr. C. J. Rcakes, Director of the Livo Stock Division of the Agricultural Department, remarked that dairyfarmers generally would be well advised in giving special attention just now to the dissoso known as vaginal catarrh. In 1911 occasional cases of the disease wcro met with, and farmers were warned to take all possible precautions regarding it, At the present time outbreaks are occurring in the North Island with more frequency than is pleasant, i indicating that the. disease is becoming more troublesome, and' Mr. Eeakes is anxious that all owners of dairy cattle shculd be alive to the position, and do ail in their power to help the Department to deal with it. If any cows are found in the herd' showing symptoms which raise the slightest suspicion in .the mind of the -.'owner, the beast should be at once isolated, arid the nearest officer of the Live- Stock Division communicated with, or else a telegram sent to the Director' of the Division in Wellington. The cases at present receiving attention are located in tho Manawatu, Wanganui, and Waikato districts.', Description of the Disease. ■ The disease, according to a report by Messrs. lieakes and lieid, of the Agricultural Department, is characterised oy inflammation of the'mucous membrane lining the vulva and vagina of cows, generally accompanied by a slight muco-puru-lent discharge from the genital opening. Tho symptoms are usually acute, and seem as a rule to run a comparatively rapid course—affected animals sometimes appearing to recover spontaneously (without treatment) 'in from ten to fourteen days. The-recovery, however, is often more apparent than-real, for although the acute inflammatory symptoms subside and the. purulent discharge ceases, sufficient irritation remains to cause a degree of discomfort, manifested by straining and discharge of. a more, or . less slimy or watery nature. Cows affected •in this manner are found to be difficult to get in calf—they return to the bull at irregular intervals, to not hold, and occasionally abort.. Loss of condition and diminution of the milk-secretion also follow in consequence of the general uneasiness occasioned by the presence of the disease. The condition is ,a source of muchanxiety to owners, who aro often perplexed as to the nature of tho trouble, and are at a loss to .find. a. suitable remedy. As a rule, the first symptoms noticeable are local irritation about the vaginal region, giving rise to frequent urination, accompanied by slight straining, switching of • the tail, and general restlessness. If the lips of .the vulva, be now parted and the lming-mombrans examined it will be. seen -to be-swollen, red, and inflamed. ,Very ..soon ismall blister-like, elevations or vesicles form, which burst,''and leave superficial ulcers. These "quickly, heal, a ■small, scar remaining to .mark their former situation. A thin muco-purulcnt discharge from the vagina occurs, and is especially noticeable whenever the animal strains. The discharge has usually '.a. characteristic penetrating odour. "Whenever, cows are observed to bo suffering in this manner attention should immediately be given to the bull, for it appears that he. is chiefly, responsible for spread of the' ■ trouble. Sometimes casual observation Will show the sheatli swollen, and in some cases a purulent discharge, drips from the .opening. Further examination will determine the presence of inflammation of the-part, .similar in appearance, to. that aff&ting 'the'' vagina of ' tlie' cows. 11 :'' The' penis is frequently- seen to be ulcerated, .'sometimes to. a.very maTkcd.-.extent. The disease-does not seem to distress the bull under ordinary conditions, but, when called upon to serve-a cow, pain is sometimes exhibited, and the act is only accomplished with difficulty or may not be performed' at all. The bull's pizzle may in certain cases be in a very bad state, and. yet escape' observation unless specially examined. The Treatment. ■ Treatment of this condition consists in the isolation or segregation of affected cattle. These should receive daily douches, by means of, a flexible rubber tube, of a l-in-50 solution of Jey.es' or Lawes' fluid, or. of non-poisonous sheepdip. To relieve the local irritation a little zinc-oxide ointment or and lead (1 part of acetate of lead to dO parts of oil) may afterwards be applied to the inflamed and swollen membrane, where it' can lie readied. The injections should be continued for some time after all signs of the disease have disappeared. At the same time the tail, buttocks, and parts soiled by the vagina'l discharge should bo well washed with the l-in-50 disinfectant solution mentioned above. It has been found beneficial to give cows which have been affected, and have entirely recovered, two or .three injections with warm 5-per-icnt. solution of bicarbonate of soda before putting , them, to tho bull. The injections may be made a day or two beforehand, tho last, one being given three or four hours'before service. Treatment of the bull is most important,. and very often any form of treatment adopted towards the cows depends for its success upon, also effectually dealing with the trouble in the. male animal. The bull should bs placed in a crush, and the sheath and its contents thoroughly cleansed and irrigated with warm lj ; sol solution, using an ordinary enema syringo for this purpose. This treatment should be repeated daily until tho discharge entirely and the organ again assumes its normal appearance. . In cer-tain-cases where the bull is very badly affected it may even bs necessary to destroy the animal.- In ,one instance which came under the notice of the Department several cows were suffering from this disease.' They could not be got in calf, and kept returning to the bull. The bull, a. bad-tempered, intractable beast, of no great value, could not be satisfactorily examined. Under such conditions any effective treatment seemed hopeless. The Department accordingly ■ advised tho owner to have him destroyed. Though somewhat taken. back at this drastic proposal, the owner, a small farmer, finally consented, and tho bull , was snortiy afterwards killed. Post-mortem examination showed extensive lilceration of the sheath and its contents,' the latter being in a very bad state. Tho condition of the cows soon yielded to proper methods of. treatment, and now that the bull no 'longer acted as a means of infection they remained in good health. The owner reported later that ho had had no further trouble. Although this disease appears to be directly communicable, as yot no specifio j organism has been isolated from cases j coming under observation; but further investigation will be undertaken in regard to it, and meanwhile farmers should keep on the safe side, and treat- all cases as being of a contagious nature.