Montreal Daily Star, 5 July 1877, page 2

Cruelty to Cows

A case of considerable importance was before the Recorder yesterday.  On complaint of Mr John Watkins, a cattle dealer was brought up charged with having left a cow, put up for sale at the Viger market, unmilked, and consequently suffering.  There is a practice on the part of some cattle dealers of purposely leaving cows unmilked for twenty-four hours, or longer, after their arrival, in order to give them an attractive appearance to purchasers, and any one aware of the delicacy of the structure of the udder of the cows knows that the suffering caused by such unnatural overloading is intense.  The prosecution failed to make out the case, owing to the defendant securing four witnesses who swore that the cow suffered no inconvenience, that her appearance was quite natural, and that there were cows which part naturally with their milk.  The Recorder was obliged to take the evidence thus offered, but at the same time he severely commented upon it, and called upon the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the press to take to the subject up in such a form that a stop would be put to a practice which has not a little to do with the supplying of the public with diseased milk.

We trust the Inspector of the Society, Mr Gailey, will take immediate steps toward watching this practice, and secure veterinary examination of cows appearing to suffer from want of milking, so that there may be competent evidence to oppose to that of persons interested in the perpetuation of a most undesirable system.

 

cow