Foreign Bodies
Hair ball, wool ball in cattle, kids and lambs. They are occasionally found in Rumen and Reticulum and even Abomasums in young bovine, sheep and goat. They are composed usually of animal hair and are often cylindrical, ovoid or globular in shape. In the older animals, they are sometimes covered with a smooth layer of mucus and coloured gray or black. The coloring matter is obtained from the contents of the stomach. Inver young animals, the hair balls may appear in tufts. They are formed by the animals licking. Themselves or the course of their dams imp other animals and swallowing the hair in quantity. In rare cases, the hair balls may attain the size of cricket ball.
Symptoms: are often noted in young animals. The animal has an irregular appetite or is disinclined to feed, has irregular bowels and re-current tympani is may be shown. Sometimes, small pieces of hair may be passed in. feces. Additional symptoms include cough, quick abdominal breathing and rising temperature. In theater stages, feeds may be refused and followed by fatal results. In older cattle, no symptoms may be seen. Occasionally, they consist of recurrenttympanitis, irregular appetite and rumination. Thetympanitis there is due to regurgitation of hairball into esophagus. Often, in these animals, hairballs are only recognized postmortem and caused no symptoms during life. In young calves, similar symptoms to those of hair ball may be noted which may be caused by binder twine or ropes or tufts of straw.
Treatment: In light cases in calves, give arose of oil or liquid paraffin. Sometimes the hairpin these cases, comes away in small tufts but where the symptoms are pronounced and obstinate gastronomy should be performed and formed body removed. A similar condition is noted in sheep, that is wool eating and is noted in finer breeds of sheep and is ascribed to confinement or some deficiency in food. The condition is most important in lambs, a few weeks old. The lambs gnaw at the wool of their dam particularly at udder, tail and belly.
Dam: means female parent of young animals, especially of domestic animals.
Symptoms: Lambs become stunt andanaemic. Bowels are irregular and death may occur from obstruction.
Treatment: Where animals are in confine-mint, put them to pasture and change food of dam. Give some licks containing lime and salt. The wool eaters should be isolated. Where sump-toms are pronounced and obstinate, gastrotomyshould be performed and foreign body removed.