obtained in time, it breathes with
difficulty, reels in walking or in standing, and in a short time falls and
dies from suffocation. The distention of the stomach may become so great as
to prevent the animal from breathing, and in some instances the case may be
complicated by rupture of the stomach.

_Treatment._--If the case is not extreme, it may be sufficient to drive the
animal at a walk for a quarter or half an hour; or cold water by the
bucketful may be thrown against the cow's sides. In some cases the
following simple treatment is successful: A rope or a twisted straw band is
coated with pine tar, wagon grease, or other unsavory substance and is
placed in the cow's mouth as a bit, being secured by tying behind the
horns. The efforts of the animal to dislodge this object result in
movements of the tongue, jaws, and throat that stimulate the secretion of
saliva and swallowing, thus opening the esophagus, which permits the exit
of gas and at the same time peristalsis is stimulated reflexly.

In urgent cases the gas must be allowed to escape without delay, and this
is best accomplished by the use of the trocar. The trocar is a
sharp-pointed instrument incased in a cannula or sheath, which leaves the
sharp point of the trocar free. (See Pl. III, figs. _5a_ and _5b._) In
selecting the point for using the trocar a spot on the left side equally
distant from the last rib, the hip bone, and the transverse processes of
the lumbar vertebrae must be chosen. Here an incision about three-fourths
of an inch long should be made with a knife through the skin, and then the
sharp point of the trocar, being directed downward, inward, and slightly
forward, is thrust into the paunch. (Pl. I.) The cannula or sheath of the
trocar should be left in the paunch so long as any gas continues to issue
from it. If the cannula is removed while gas is still forming in the paunch
and the left flank becomes considerably swollen, it may be necessary to
insert it again. It is well, accordingly, to observe the cannula closely,
and if gas is found to be issuing from it, it should not be removed. When
gas issues from it in considerable quantities the sound accompanying its
escape renders the exact condition obvious. It is occasionally necessary to
keep the cannula in the stomach for several hours. When this is necessary a
piece of stout cord should be passed round the neck of the cannula
immediately below the projecting rim and then be passed round the a