VETERINARY DEMONSTRATION.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXII, Issue 4322, 26 September 1921, Page 3

VETERINARY DEMONSTRATION.

interesting lecture VALUABLE KNOWLEDGE GAINED. On Friday afternoon, at Mr P. R. Hubbard’s farm, Paeroa, the farmers of this district were given a very -fine opportunity of gaining veterinary knowledge o£ dairy cattle, backed up by clear and competent demonstrations. The demonstrator was Mr Robert F. Hardy, veterinarian, representing the Ring Proprietary, Ltd., Auckland, and employed by the N.Z. Cooperative Dairy Co., Ltd. There were about sixty farmers present.

Mr Hardy prefaced his remarks by referring to the thousands of pounds that dairymen in the aggregate were losing every, year through lack of knowledge of how to treat ordinary functional troubles in cattle; even the individual farmer suffered substantial losses. By taking the precautions he was about to advocate, these losses could be cut down by two-thirds this year, and entirely eliminated next year. In a preliminary reference to abortion, for which “Abortoids” were the remedy, Mr Hardy made i-t plain that “Abortoids” would not deal primarily with a cyst in the ovary of a beast Cysts, ,as every farmer knew, were common to cows that were oven-far,. The method of treatment was to insert the hand into tjie rectum, grasp the"ovary through the walls of the rectum, and by gentle pressure of the thumb and forefinger, squeeze the cyst out. Care had to be taken in all these operations to see that the hands and forearm were celan, even to the underparts of the finger-nails, the nails themselves being cut short. The hand and forearm should be smeared with separator* oil. The ovary should be felt for through the bottom wall of the rectum.

Terrible risks were run by lack of regard for hygenic principles. The droppings of cows which had suffered abortion contained millions of abortive germs. Cattle, especially heifers, depasturing on the fields, got these germs into the digestive system, and ultimately into the organs of reproduction. It was said that a cow over threesuccessive seasons of abortion was immune and not liable to abort at the fourth year ; "but he would point out that such a cow might carry her calf the full period, and deliver same alive. This progeny would be sickly, and when, if it lived, the time came for her if a heifer, to come .to profit, would most certainly abort, the abortive germs being transmitted to her constitutionally from her dam. Strong condemnation of the pink and blue tabloids' was made by the demonstrator. These tablets tended to irritate the fine membrane ancl form granular segments. It was impossible tp get any tube or instrument into the euterus if no.t done within from 24 hours to three days of calving, and it was often found that where the rubber tube had been used for irrigation purposes a deposit had settled at the entrance tp the euterus. The use of “Abortoids” would remove this deposit. These “Abortoids” were a safe compound, of a gelatinous consistency, and were a powerful germicide ; their gelatinous nature caused them to adhere to the sides of the canal, where they dissolved, entering and spreading over the whole of the euterus, .thus giving the greatest possible scope for absorption, and killing all. the germs that were the cause of the trouble.

Continuing, Mr Hardy referred to garget and torn teats. Hot water fomentations well rubbed in was a first requirement to .allay the inflammation, after which a salve should be applied. “Granuala Vaginitis,” he said, “is a disease of the vagina, characterised by the presence of minute granuals bn the lining of the vagina, and is a very common cause of premature birth, and along with leucorrhoea, oi whites, which is noticeable as a peculiar white discharge of an acrid nature emanating from the vagina, make it impossible to impregnate cows in these conditions. The use of “Abortoids” will correct these troubles, and so make it possible for the animals to receive and retain. “Pye Metria.” —Another’ cause of trouble in the dairy cow, arising fltom the retention of portions of the afterbirth, along with chronic inflamation of the walls of the euterffk, frequently causes sterility in the animal and makes it impossible to. impregnate such. “Abortoids” inserted as'far as possible will deal with 'this trouble effectively.”

Garget led to mammitis. Cows so suffering should not be milked with the machine, and should be milked last. Referring to "blowing,” the speaker warned his hearers against the use of the knife, as this was liable vo cause dangerous hernia. There were two remedies much safer than the knife. One was to puli the animal’s tongue forward two or three times, so as to make it belch and throw the trouble out, Another method was to get a wooden roller, about three inches in diameter, and containing an auger hole of about 2% inches . crosswise through it, to insert this roller crosswise in the mouth, and lie back to the horns to keep it in position. Through the guger hole a. piece of tubing could be inserted, and pushed down the throat, and it would be found that the gas in the bowels would blow out through the tube. This gas was carbo-hydrogen in its nature, and very inflammable. A warning was given against the use of “Abortoids,” either in the sheath of the bull for cleansing purposes, or on the cows, within eiglu -days of serving. The powerful germicide contained in the "Abortoids would, if used within .eight days as stated, kill the life in the protoplasm oil the bull, and thus the cpw would be sterile. The remainder of the lecture was devoted to emphasising the need of absolute cleanliness, and the destruction by deep burial, or burning, of al l imparities and infectious matter

about the sheds. In fact, inspectors should be put on by the Government to enforce the carrying out of hygemc principles. An owner of hawthorn hedges, whether he had an orchard or not, was forced to cut the hedges in order to prevent disease occurring which would get to his neighbour’s orchard. The same principle applied to dairy farms, where cattle were coming and going from the saleyards and private sales. One dairy herd might contaminate the whole district. At Netherton a similar demonstration was given, and a hearty vote of thanks, on the motion of Mr G. Death, was accorded to Mr Hardy f.or his able and lucid exposition. These valuable "Abortoids” may be secured from the Farmers’ Union Trading Co., Ltd., Paeroa and Netherton branches.