CATTLE DISEASES.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 August 1922, Page 7

CATTLE DISEASES.

THEIR TREATMENT. AN INTERESTING LECTURE. (From Our Oakura Correspondent.) A gathering of about 50 farmers met together at the hall on Monday evening to hear a most interesting and instructive lecture on the treatment of cattle diseases delivered by Mr. Wood, MJR.C.V.S. Having apologised for his absence on the previous Monday, owing to an urgent call from Mokau, the lecturer introduced the subject by saying that a proper discourse on such a topic would occupy his time for the next six months/ and even, then the last word would be left unsaid. Instead, he intended to confine his remarks to about half-a-dozen medicines which can be used to prevent contagious abortipn. “Prevention,” said Mr. Wood,” is much better than, cure.” Unlike many lecturers who-use large technical terms of little or no meaning, to their hearers, Mr- Wood. employed the simplest of language, and on a number of occasions illustrated his remarks with drawings. Many farmers, he said, when a cow is •found lying in a disabled condition, perhaps in a cold, wet paddock, immediately administer a dose of medicine without waiting to find out what is really the matteit Just as a doctor does when called in to see a patient,' we should first look for symptoms. If the cow is feverish, a drench should hot be given until the temperature has fallen, or the effect of the medicine will be completely lost. If the surroundings are unfavorable the animal should be removed to a more suitable place, so that Lt might have comfort during its illness. “No farmer,” said Mr. Wood, “should be without a thermometer at any time.” Dealing with tuberculous cattle the speaker ssdd that he did not believe there are more than three per cent, of such cases in the Dominion- In England attempts were still being made to cure the disease, but the safest plan to adopt was to destroy the effected animals. SOLUTION FOR ALL TROUBLES. I There yvere sdihe people .zlio condemned all medicines, but most of these people had either used wrong drugs or had not administered them at the right time.. The lecturer’s opinion was that given time and opportunity to test the results of experiments all diseases could eventually be overcome. But, on the other hand, there were men who kept a large medicine chest and were constantly looking out for opportunities of openj ing it. The second class of man, said ; Mr. Wood, was just as bad as, if not /more dangerous than, the first.

Then now and again they met with the farmer who kqpt old books which ; treated on the subject of diseases in arAnals, and who referred to them when occasion arose. Such books, said Mr. Wood, were out of date and should be discarded- More modern authors contradicted a number of cure.s. given by their predecessors as sound. For instance. the old j|ish method.was to bleed the animal white and then feed, it .on new milk until it had recovered. Such' a' practice w.as quite antiquated and could not be recommended. '■

“How many cow owners do we find,” continued the speaker, “who give medicine and just leave the cow to itself while waiting for the medicine to operate?” Cows,- like human beings, must be carefully nursed for at least, 24 hour after a dose of operating medicine had been given. They should not try cures with long sounding names, and composed of a number of ingredients the effects of which might counteract one another. “Try a few simple mixtures at first and watch results,” he said.

In dealing with the fact that wounds often heal naturally. Mr. Wood told a rather amusing story of an experience he met with a number of years ago whilst practising for himself- He was called to see a cow suffering from a tumour in the neck, and was asked to examine the tumour when removed from the animal. Just as all was ready to perform the operation off bolted the unwilling patient into a swamp, .dragging with it a farm hand, who held on like grim death until they both came to a halt on a sort of island in the middle of a swamp surrounded on three sides by deep water. The only expedient was for the veterinary surgeon to follow and carry out the operation on the spot. After a. short time the tumour- was removed, the wound stitched and the surgeon turned round to place the tumour in safe keeping for analysis. What was his dismay to find that the owner’s dog had swallowed all. and the cow had bolted again into the bush to be lost for about three weeks. At the end of that time it was found again so completely recovered that afterwards it was almost impossible to find the place in which the tumour originally grew.

FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE. “You may be very thankful,” said Mr. Wood to his audience, “that, owing to strict Government precautions, foot and mouth disease, so prevalent in the Old Country, is banned from New Zealand. Were it to break out here the absence of frost would allow it to spread, and there would be a state of war amongst the cattle causing untold loss-” Red water in cattle, Air. Wood thinks, is caused by carelessness on the part of many farmers, who allow their cows to eat too much watery food, causing fermentation, just as a large quantity of water drunk by human beings brings on vomiting. Turnips and mangolds are very good food if eaten in small quantities at first, and the amount added to gradually. Anthrax, strangles and tuberculosis could not be cured without a knowledge: of bacteriology. If tetanus set in it was very dangerous to cut the abscess before it had ripened. It a cow were slightly affected with tuberculosis its presence may not be detected with the aid of tuberculin, and good feeding, not to the extent of forming unnecessary fat, would prevent the spread of the tuberculous area. “Alcohol.” continued Mr. Wood, “should never be given to cows unless there is no other medicine available. Alcohol prevents healing from taking place instead of helping it- Thin gruel has a far greater effect.” The lecturer concluded his remarks, which occupied three hours without a {dull moment, by giving a number of recipes for medicines, and on the motion' ■of Mr. Bell, who*aqted as chairman, was warmly applauded for the valuable advice he had imparted.