Part 27

Symptoms. These resemble those of catarrhal inflammation, but are usually attended by greater hyperthermia, and the colicy symptoms are more marked. There is also greater tenderness in the epigastrium and left hypochondrium, and icterus is more marked. When it occurs as an extension of strangles or pyæmia the symptoms of these affections elsewhere are pathognomonic. When the abscess bursts into the stomach there may be vomiting of bloody mucus (hæmatemesis) which is not necessarily followed by a fatal result.

Lesions. As these are seen only in fatal cases, the presence of an abscess is the characteristic feature. This is usually submucous, or less frequently subperitoneal, and may vary in size from a hazelnut upward. The tendency appears to be to open into the stomach, though it may burst into the peritoneum and cause general infection of that membrane. In case of parasites, the spiroptera or œstrus larva may be found in the abcess cavity having a narrow opening into the stomach. In certain cases the abscess on the pyloric sac has been found opening into the duodenum. Congestion, thickening, puckering into rugæ and laceration of the adjacent mucosæ may be a marked feature, a circumscribed catarrhal gastritis complicating the local phlegmon.

Treatment. This is less hopeful than in catarrhal gastritis, but should be conducted along the same lines. The same careful diet, with daily antiseptics and bitters may prove valuable in limiting the inevitable suppuration, and, if the pus should escape into the stomach, in healing the lesion. Sulphites of soda, sulphide of calcium, chamomile, and quinia, are to be commended and pepsin may be added to secure at once proteid digestion and antisepsis. Laxatives may be required to counteract constipation or expel irritants, and these may be combined with the antiseptics already named or with salol, eucalyptol, sodium salicylate or other non-poisonous agent of this class.

TOXIC GASTRITIS IN SOLIPEDS.

Causes: caustics or irritants acting on mucosa, accidently, or maliciously. Symptoms: colics, pinched face, small rapid pulse, hurried breathing, hyperthermia, sometimes salivation, color of buccal mucosa, odor, congestion of tongue, thirst, urination, icterus, albuminuria, analysis of urine or vomited matter. Lesions: congestion, corrosion, necrosis or ulceration of gastric mucosa, discoloration. Treatment: antidote, stomach pump, demulcents, coagulants.

Causes. Toxic gastritis in solipeds is peculiar in this that it must be due to one or other of the more caustic or irritant agents, which act chemically on the tissues, while those agents that require to be absorbed to establish a physiological irritation are comparatively harmless. This depends on the fact that few or none of the poisonous agents are absorbed by the gastric mucosa of the soliped, and if ingested they must pass on into the duodenum before they can be absorbed into the tissues and blood-vessels. Hence the horse is injured mainly by actual caustics like mercuric chloride, zinc chloride, ferric or cupric sulphate, the caustic alkalies or earths, or alkaline carbonates, and the mineral acids. These may be taken accidently or administered maliciously, or as medicines.

Symptoms. Morbid symptoms vary according to the agent swallowed. There are colics, anxious countenance, small accelerated pulse, rapid breathing, hyperthermia, and salivation, especially marked with mercuric chloride. The buccal mucosa may give valuable indications, becoming white with muriatic acid, or zinc, or antimony, or mercuric chloride, yellow with nitric acid, and white changing to black with sulphuric acid or silver nitrate. Ferric or cupric sulphate may give their respective colors to the saliva, and the former will darken the fæces.

The mouth is usually dry, hot, and clammy, and the edges of the tongue red. Temperature is usually elevated, yet with tartar emetic it may be distinctly reduced. Thirst is usually marked, and urination frequent. Icterus and albuminuria attend on phosphorus poisoning. When vomiting takes place the appearance or analysis of the matters rejected, or otherwise of the urine, will often indicate the nature of the poison.

Lesions. The gastric mucosa is congested and discolored, but the corrosion and even the ulceration are especially characteristic. Patches of necrotic mucous membrane may be more or less detached exposing a deep red submucosa. The coloration otherwise varies;—white or black with sulphuric acid or silver nitrate; white with muriatic acid, the caustic alkalies, or zinc chloride; yellow with nitric acid; or green with salts of copper.

Similar lesions are found on the buccal, œsophagean and intestinal mucosæ, and even at times on the respiratory.

Treatment. In the treatment of this form of gastritis the first consideration is to expel, or use an antidote to, the poison. In the soliped, emetics are useless. The stomach pump or tube may, however, be applied with good effect in nearly all cases, alternately throwing in water and drawing it off. Demulcents and coagulants are also universally applicable. Milk, eggs beaten up in milk, blood albumen, flaxseed tea, well boiled gruels, or slippery elm bark, may be used as may be most convenient. Next come the other chemical antidotes the use of which however demands a previous knowledge of the poison present. For the mineral acids one can make use of calcined magnesia, lime water, chalk, or carbonate of soda in weak solution. For alkalies the appropriate antidote is vinegar. For carbolic acid, vinegar, alcohol, or failing these a weak solution of soda or oil. For tartar emetic, gallic or tannic acid. For bichromate of potash or chromic acid, calcined magnesia, magnesia carbonate, or lime carbonate. For phosphorus, old oil of turpentine and demulcents—no oil. For ammonia, vinegar followed by almond, olive or sweet oil. In case of œdema glottidis, tracheotomy. For copper salts yellow prussiate of potash, which precipitates the copper in an insoluble form, and demulcents. For mercuric chloride, demulcent drinks can be resorted to, there is no other reliable antidote. In all cases after the evacuation of the stomach and the use of the antidote, mucilaginous agents must be given freely with morphia or other anodynes.

CATARRHAL INFLAMMATION OF THE FOURTH STOMACH.

Usually a complication. Causes, predisposing, exciting, changes of food or water, spoiled, frosted or fermented food, green potatoes, caterpillars, nitrogenous food, irritants. Symptoms: Separation from herd, grinding teeth, eructation, depraved appetite, fever, tender epigastrium, coated dung, red eyes, fixed or retracted, dilated, blind eyes, drooping ears, nervous symptoms, reckless unconscious movements, bellowing, tender skin, tremors. Lesions: Congestion and exudate in gastric mucosa, hemorrhagic discoloration, desquamation, excess of mucus, resemblance to rinderpest, Texas fever and malignant catarrh. Treatment: Empty stomach by bland laxatives, stimulants of peristalsis, calmatives, cold to head, counter-irritants, enemata, bitters.

This affection is by no means rare in cattle, though it is usually complicated with inflammation of the first three stomachs or of the intestines. Nevertheless, when the disease appears to be concentrated on the fourth stomach mainly, it may well take its name accordingly.

Causes. A predisposition to the affection occurs in the weak and debilitated, the overworked oxen, underfed cattle, in those that are just recovering from a severe illness and in which the gastric secretions and functions are still poor. The usual exciting cause is some fault in the food, it may be a sudden change from one kind to another, and especially from dry to green, or from one kind of green food to another and more tempting one, as when the animal breaks into a field of grain which is advancing to maturity. Even a sudden change of water, as from soft to hard has seemed in our experience to contribute to its development. Next come spoiled aliments, frosted or frozen turnips, beets, carrots, potatoes, apples, turnip tops, fermented grasses, musty hay, sun-exposed potatoes, putrid vegetables, and caterpillars on cabbages, tree leaves and other vegetables. Next come products that are highly nitrogenous, like vetches, alfalfa, sainfoin, clover, and the cakes of linseed, rape and cotton seed. Irritant plants such as colchicum, digitalis, yew, radish, etc., have been charged as causative agents.

Symptoms. These are often difficult to distinguish from those of indigestion or acute lead poisoning, and they vary in different cases according to the severity of the attack. In the milder cases there may be loss of appetite and rumination, some tympany, arching of the back, uneasy movements of the hind limbs and tail, a disposition to leave the herd, grinding of the teeth, and frequent gaseous eructations. Some show a depraved appetite, picking up and chewing various non-alimentary substances. Somewhat more characteristic are the dry, hot muzzle, the hyperthermia of the body, the tenderness to pressure of the epigastrium, and the baked appearance and glistening surface of the fæces. In the more severe forms the suffering is increased and the nervous system participates in the disorder. The eyes are congested, fixed or rolled back, the pupils dilated, the vision appears to be abolished, the ears are pendant, if tied the subject attempts to get loose, if at liberty he moves steadily in some one direction regardless of obstacles or dangers, he bellows, pushes against walls or other obstructions and may seriously injure himself or others. There is, however, no mischievous purpose, he is simply impelled to blind motion, and no regard is had to anything which may be in his way. In some instances the nervous disorder is manifested by a sensitiveness of the skin, so that the animal shrinks when handled or pinched along the chine or back. Tremors is another marked symptom.

Lesions. These consist mainly in congestion and swelling of the gastric mucosa, which is further covered by a thick layer of mucus. The folds are especially thickened and discolored, and the seat of hemorrhagic extravasations (petechiæ) and exudations in spots and patches. Desquamation of the epithelium may be met with at points and even distinct ulcers. Exudation in the submucous tissue, and petechiæ in the peritoneum are common. The condition may bear a close resemblance to what is seen in rinderpest or malignant catarrh.

Treatment. The first desideratum is the elimination of the irritant ingesta from the stomach. But for this purpose emetics are useless and we must fall back on laxatives. Again we are met by the consideration that the inflamed stomach will neither readily absorb nor respond to a stimulus. Yet as a rule the viscus is not equally inflamed throughout, and even the affected parts do not necessarily have the whole muscular coat involved and paralyzed. We can therefore hope for a measure of response which once started will deplete and improve the adjacent and more violently affected parts. But irritant and drastic purgatives like croton, podophyllin or gamboge are proscribed as very liable to aggravate the inflammation. Pilocarpin 3 grs. hypodermically may be given or in default of this, 1 lb. each of Glauber and common salt in not less than six quarts of water, free access being allowed to pure water until it shall have operated. Bismuth may also be given as a calmative. Active rubbing of the abdomen will assist in rousing the stomachs to action, and hasten the action of the purgative. If there should be any sign of cerebral disorder, cold water or ice may be applied to the head, and oil of turpentine, followed by a pulp of the best ground mustard may be applied to the epigastrium and right hypochondrium. This may be accompanied and followed by copious enemata, and doses of quinia, gentian or still better nux vomica three times a day.

CATARRHAL GASTRITIS IN SWINE.

Definition. Causes, irritants, fermented, putrid swill, spoiled vegetables, irritant molluscs or larvæ, hot or cold food, alkalies, indigestible food, specific germs and toxins, parasites. Symptoms: inappetence, restlessness, vomiting, colic, constipation, diarrhœa, fever, stiffness, tender abdomen, arched back, chill, plaintive grunting, drooping tail. Lesions. Treatment: change diet, mucilaginous, milk, protection from saprophytes, change pen, emetic, laxative, calomel, bismuth, cleanliness, washing.

Definition. Inflammation of the gastric mucosa with mucopurulent discharge.

Causes. Irritants of various kinds, fermented or putrid swill, spoiled vegetables, irritant molluscs or larvæ, too hot or too cold aliment, excess of brine, excess of alkalies, in swill (dishwashings), indigestible foods of all kinds. The stomach may also be the seat of catarrhal inflammation in hog cholera, swine plague, rouget, diphtheritic affections and in the case of gastric parasites, so that it is very important to distinguish the affections due to simple irritants, from those dependent on plagues and parasitism.

Symptoms. There is inappetence, vomiting, restlessness and constant movement, colics, vomiting, constipation or diarrhœa, hyperthermia, stiffness, tenderness of the abdomen to handling, arched back, a disposition to hide under the straw, plaintive grunting when roused, drooping of the tail. The tendency is to a rapid recovery after the evacuation of the stomach by vomiting, though it may persist under a continuance of the irritating ingesta.

In these last cases the lesions may closely resemble those of the contagious affections of the abdomen, but the disease may be distinguished by its indisposition to spread beyond the herd which is subjected to the unhealthy dietary.

Treatment. Change the diet to one of pure and easily digestible materials, soups, mush, fresh whey or buttermilk, boiled farinas or flax seed, and even fresh grass. If there is violent diarrhœa boiled milk is often of great value.

Whatever food is given should be furnished in a vessel into which the animal can’t get his feet, as these are usually charged with septic germs which are pathogenic to the diseased stomach, though they may have started from ordinary saprophytes.

For the same reason it is usually desirable to change the pen, as the animal grubbing in the ground charges the snout with the same offensive microbes.

If vomiting is not already established, 30 grains of ipecacuan may be given, or tepid water may be used to assist the process. If constipation is present 10 to 30 grains of calomel (according to size) may be given. In case of diarrhœa a combination of calomel 1 part and chalk 12 parts, may be given in 3 grain doses, two or three times a day. Or ½ to 1 drachm nitrate of bismuth may be substituted.