Page:Australian enquiry book of household and general information.djvu/272



HE first symptoms of an unhealthy condition will be found in the breathing and the pulse, therefore these are the first that should be noticed and attended to. When in health a horse will heave the chest from nine to twelve times in a minute, and an ox from eleven to fifteen.

Failure of appetite, though one of the surest indications of ill health, is not always one of the first. The feel and appearance of the skin and hair, and the heat of the body, must all be taken into consideration, and often the different positions assumed by the animal are a guide.

A person who handles cattle a good deal will very often tell the state of their health from feeling the skin on the inside of the ears, the legs, at the flank and other parts of the body. The blood of all domestic animals in health is uniformly at 98 degrees, a variation of this is a sure sign of illness.

When in health all domestic and farm animals are quiet (and if properly fed), contented and happy, sleeping after their food or lying down quietly. But when ill they invariably move about, are restless, uncomfortable and keep changing their position—a sure sign of pain or uneasiness somewhere. In health the muzzle of cattle is moist, or, what farmers call “dewy,” but when ill it is dry, and either very hot or very cold. In health, a dog’s nose is cold and moist, also a cat’s. You can tell by the feel of a cat’s fur when she is ill or out of health; it will be hard and rough instead of soft and smooth.

—On the cord which runs across the bone of the lower jaw in front of the curved portion; or, on the bony ridge which extends upward from the eye; onor [sic] inside the elbow. In