At the same time use the following medicine to improve the kidney action: One-fourth pound of saltpeter or nitrate of potash and one-fourth of a pound of gentian root. These are to be mixed well together and a teaspoonful given three or four times daily. Soft foods are desirable. A small amount of water should be given frequently. Small quantities at a time are preferable to large quantities at infrequent intervals.
=PLEURO-PNEUMONIA.=--This is a very contagious disease of cattle introduced in this country from Europe. At one time it was a very serious menace to the cattle industry. Thanks to the very aggressive work of the United States Department of Agriculture, the disease has, so far as is known, been eradicated from this country. No cases of the disease have been reported during the past dozen years.
=PNEUMONIA.=--See Inflammation of the Lungs.
=POLL EVIL.=--A swelling or soreness at the top of the head. Usually it is caused by an injury, like bumping the head in a doorway, or from a bruise made by the halter or bridle. It is first noticed by a swelling or soreness, which frequently causes trouble by forming an abscess; sometimes this works down and even affects the bone. Treatment is very simple if handled in time. Remove the cause and then bathe with warm water and vinegar twice a day and apply a liniment of some kind. If the abscess is formed, it should be opened with a knife at the lowest point to remove the matter. From now on for a few days bathe the opening with warm water in which has been added some carbolic acid or creolin. If the case causes much trouble, you had better consult a veterinarian, as bad cases frequently leave the neck stiff so that the animals are not able to eat off the ground.
=QUITTOR.=--A name given to a fistulous opening upon the heels and quarters of the coronary band, and is caused by treads, pricks in shoeing, bruises, and suppurating corns. Any injury which will cause suppuration within the foot will usually cause matter to form at the coronet, and may result in quittor. The disease is indicated by a swelling upon the coronet where the hair and hoof meet, great lameness, and a discharge of thin or thick curdy pus. There may be one or a number of small openings leading down into the sensitive part of the foot. The parts surrounding the quittor swell and become hard and take on an unhealthy action and are difficult to cure, and may be permanently diseased.