time should be lost in giving relief by an ounce dose of castor oil,
assisting its action by injections of soapsuds or oil. Whatever meconium is
within reach of the finger should be carefully removed. It is also
important to give the cow a sloppy, laxative diet.

INDIGESTION.

This may occur from many different causes, as costiveness; a too liberal
supply of milk; milk too rich; the furnishing of the milk of a cow long
after calving to a very young calf; allowing a calf to suck the first milk
of a cow that has been hunted, driven by road, shipped by rail, or
otherwise violently excited; allowing the calf too long time between meals,
so that impelled by hunger it quickly overloads and clogs the stomach;
feeding from the pail milk that has been held over in unwashed (unscalded)
buckets, so that it is fermented and spoiled; feeding the milk of cows kept
on unwholesome feed; keeping the calves in cold, damp, dark, filthy, or
bad-smelling pens; feeding the calves on artificial mixtures containing too
much starchy matter; or overfeeding the calves on artificial feed that may
be appropriate enough in smaller quantity. The licking of hair from
themselves or others and its formation into balls in the stomach will cause
obstinate indigestion in the calf.

_Symptoms._--The symptoms are dullness, indisposition to move, uneasiness,
eructations of gas from the stomach, sour breath, entire loss of appetite,
lying down and rising as if in pain, fullness of the abdomen, which gives
out a drumlike sound when tapped with the fingers.

The costiveness may be marked at first, but soon it gives place to
diarrhea, by which the offensive matters may be carried off and health
restored. In other cases it becomes aggravated, merges into inflammation of
the bowels, fever sets in, and the calf gradually sinks.

_Prevention._--Prevention consists in avoiding the causes enumerated above
or any others that may be detected.

_Treatment._--Treatment consists in first clearing away the irritant
present in the bowels. For this purpose 1 or 2 ounces of castor oil with 20
drops of laudanum may be given, and if the sour eructations are marked a
tablespoonful of limewater or one-fourth ounce calcined magnesia may be
given and repeated two or three times a day. If the disorder continues
after the removal of the irritant, a large tablespoonful of rennet, or 30
grains of pepsin, may be given at each meal along with a teaspoonful of
tincture of gentian.