RED WATER IN CATTLE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2896, 15 September 1909, Page 20

RED WATER IN CATTLE.

ANOTHER OUTBREAK IN SOUTHLAND. "Dairyman/* Kensington, writes : — "Being interested in dairying I would take it as a favour if you would through the columns of your valuable paper give a cure for red water in cows. A good many cows have died here lately with this complaint. If you could publish any information either with regard to its cause, prevention, or cure I am sure you would be conferring a benefit on many who are now suffering loss through this trouble affecting their herds." Two years ago, when dairy-farmers in the Wyndham district and other parts of Southland were losing valuable cows owing to this scourge, we suggested that the veterinary branch of the Agricultural Department sh.iuld make a special study of the disease, but so far as can be ascertained nothing has been done in this direction. Owing to the late hour at which our correspondent's communication came to hand we shajl not deal at length this week with the subject. The causes given for red water are almo3t as varied as the individual writers who have discussed the disease, while the remedies suggested are equally \aried. In Professor Webb's "Advanced Agriculture" it is stated that "red water in cattle is now almost a thing of the past in many parts. It was -found on undrained, sour, and mossy lands, and was due- to the want of a proper quantity of o!kaline matters in the food. Chloride of sodium — common salt — was the body most required in order to keep up the balance between the solid and fluid portions of the blood. Draining where practicable is the best preventive. The next is the dressing of the lands with from six to 10 hundredweight of rough crushed rock salt to the acre. Whenever this treatment has been adopted the disease has entirely disappeared. The following appear? in, the Australasian Live Stock Annual: — For cures in which it is plain, from the healthy state of the excreta, • that the liver is not primarily affected, the treatment for red water should be directed to the relief of the kidneys by means of demulcent drinks, such as gum water and linseed tea in large quantities. When, however, from the presence- of diarrhoea, as well as blood in the water, there is evidence that the liver and digestive organs are deranged, the treatment will be more expensive. The first rule of treatment in the more complete state of derangement is that no solid food should be given so long as the extremely irritated and inflamed condition of the alimentary canal continues. The best nourishment then is to be found in some kind of soup or broth, made by boiling up any refuse or trimmings of meat in a copper with plenty of water. It is at first difficult to induce a cow to take this sort of food, but if it be made rather thin at the commencement, and the animal be kept from drinking water for a time, sho will soon take the new form of nourishment. Skim milk is a good substitute for soup, and the addition of feggs will usually be found to. hare the effect of mitigating or stopping the diarrhasa". When this has beeji to some extent checked it will be time to begin the administration of mild drugs with <he object of stimulating the liver and restoring in this way the healthy action of the bowels. For correcting the sluggishness of the liver one of the best correctives is .that pf Taraxacum. This may be put in along with the milk which the animal takes; say, three times per day, each dose consisting of an ounce of the fluid extract. The change to the solid food as the stomach recovers tone should be gradual, and for effecting this objeot a good plan- is to give thicker gruel. Sulphate of ir6n is very useful for this purpose, and a convenient" mixture is that known as Dun's tonic drench. The recipe for making this is as follows: — Take of gruel or ale loz, sulphate of iron 60gs, ginger This will make about one dose for. a. cow,

The treatment in the lectures given by Professor Thompson is common, salt in gruel, with the usual dose of hyposulphate of bicarbonate cf soda dissolved in the drinking water, foiowecJ with pennyweight doses of nitrous ether and balsam of copaiba repeated every 12 hours. The following recipe was sent to us recently by a farmer, who stated that he had found it a success : — Melt £lb hog's lard with two tablesponofuls of common salt in about one quarter of fairly hot water; put in bottle, shake up well, and give to animal. Three doses will cure