FEEDING SIGN ANIMALS.

Putaruru Press, Volume IV, Issue 133, 20 May 1926, Page 8

FEEDING SIGN ANIMALS.

POINTS TO BE REMEMBERED. i j Sick animals should be induced by every possible means to feed themselves. A natural appetite, however slight, is far preferable to the maintenance of strength by forcible feeding; and while this at times may be necessary to prevent collapse, it should not he persisted in a moment longer than is actually necessary. The majority of attendants on sick animals nauseate them by offering too great quantities of food or insufficient varieties. Clearing out the manger and a change of diet will frequently start an animal feeding again. BRAN AND LINSEED TEA. It is a time-honoured practice, and a very sound one, to * offer a sick horse a bran mash/but it must be borne in mind that horses very rapidly tire of wet bran, and having taken a few mashes, will often refuse to touch any more. A handful of hay chaff mixed with the bran wiil sometimes induce them to eat it up, but. generally speaking, they soon long for something crisper and more tasty. For sick cattle the use of a lot of wet bran is a mistake. If cattle have left off chewing the cud, and will keep on taking wet bran, this soon sets up fermentation in the paunch, and leads to troublesome indigestion and nausea. ■Whilst it is the general practice to give sick cows oatmeal gruel in large quantities, it is preferable to give them linseed tea. Many people, however, object to linseed tea as being more troublesome to prepare, but if properly carried out it is worth the extra trouble. Linseed tea is far more nourishing, is soothing to irritated and inflamed surfaces, and gently laxative, and can be tolerated for a far longer period without setting up indigestion than is the case with 'gruel prepared from oatmeal. AN EMERGENCY DRENCH. For an emergency drench, which can be rapidly prepared, oatmeal gruel is recommended, but as nutritive food for prolonged administration linseed to a is the best. Thsre is always a right and wrong way to prepare invalids’ foods, and special care should be taken to make them as appetising as possible. In the first place, all mangers and feeding utensils should be kept scrupulously clean. For this purpose they should, be scalded at least twice a day. A bran mash is like a pot of tea. Properly prepared, it is appetising. If not carefully prepared, it is a sodden, inappetising mess. It should be made b>" placing 3tbs. of best bran in a utensil which has just been scalded out with toiling water. Two pints of toiling water are poured on the bran, an ounce of table salt sprinkled on it, and after stirring well up it is covered, with a clean sack and left to steam for 15 minutes. If not eaten by the animal in half an hour, it should be thrown away. He may eat it when it has gone cold, b.ut he will not cat it when it has gone sour, and the sour smell left behind it may put him off his other food. Linseed (whole, in the proportion of lib. to 2 gallons of water) should be tied up in a pudding cloth and hung suspended in the water by a stick laid, across the top of the pan, and well boiled. This prevents burning and does away with the necessity of constantly stirring during cooking. When well toiled, the pan should be taken off the fire, and the pudding cloth untied, so that the boiled linseed, escapes into the boiling water. DRY FOODS. Except where the throat is sore and prevents the proper mastication and swallowing of hard and dry feed, sick horses and cattle generally can be tempted to eat a little good hay. In reasonable quantities this is an excellent diet, as it increases the flow of saliva, thus assisting digestion and increasing appetite, and in cattle very often starts the patient chewing the cud. Although, as a rule, in case of high fever, it is not advisable to feed much corn, it is wise to give a few oats to keep stock feeding, and to maintain their strength, to letting their condition run down, and seeing them emerge from an illness physical wrecks which need, a prolonged rest for convalescence. Discretion must, of course, be observed in this respect, and even in the case of animals convalescent from illness the grain al lowance must be only a small one, and should be alternated with a laxative diet such as roots, green food, if in season, and a daily hot mash. Horses which are having a feed or two of oats will eat one hot mash daily. For sick horses there food so good as lucerne, if it is in season. It is a very appetising diet, cooling and, laxative. There is an art in inducing sick animals to feed, and many horses will feed for one man and for no one else. Dainty patients sometimes can

be tempted by food Avith an appetising smell, and a small quantity of best hay scalded is often readily taken by botli horses and cattle. Care should be taken to pour off the boiling water before offering it to the animal.