CEREBRAL CONGESTION.
According to Cruzel, cerebral congestion is somewhat frequent in working oxen subject to continued concussion from the yoke, especially among animals working on a rocky soil. The condition may also be produced by prolonged exposure to the sun, as well as by sudden and intense cold.
Passive cerebral congestion by stasis may be produced by any cause markedly interfering with the return circulation (pericarditis due to foreign bodies). Clinically it is of no importance.
The animals, previously in good health, suddenly appear comatose. They are insensible to stimulation of any kind, the head is rested on any convenient object or is held stationary, the animal looks drowsy, the gait is hesitating or vacillating, the respiration slow or irregular. Left at liberty, the animal does not seem to know where it is going; indeed, sometimes it is absolutely blind and strikes against any obstacle in its path, or falls and suffers from epileptiform convulsions. The cranial region is abnormally warm. The course of the attack is rapid, and the animal either dies in a state of coma or convulsions or else recovers rapidly.
Diagnosis. The diagnosis is decidedly difficult; and the prognosis should be reserved.
Treatment commences with free bleeding, the amount of blood drawn being proportioned to the animal’s size. The sides of the body may then be stimulated and a purgative administered.