ACUTE CATARRHAL ENTERITIS IN CATTLE.
Causes: atony, debility, starvation, overfeeding, innutritious food, close, foul buildings, ill health, over-exertion, hot weather, sudden changes, chills, privation of water, irritants, spoiled and newly harvested grain, foul water, parasitism, chest diseases, thrombosis. Lesions; in small intestine mainly, tympany, congestion, thickened mucosa, epithelial degeneration, desquamation, enlarged villi, follicles and glands, erosions, ulcers, perforations. Symptoms: solid masses in rumen, impaired rumination and appetite, rumbling, tenderness, costiveness, fever, arched back, tender, tucked up abdomen, colics, in severe cases, agalactia, tremors, rigors, drooping head, ears, eyelids, tender abdomen, straining, expulsion of mucus, foul eructations, later diarrhœa, critical or exhausting. Death from tympany, bleeding, infection, inanition. Diagnosis: by concurrence of symptoms, hyperthermia, tender abdomen, no blood nor coccidia in stools, no frothy bloody mucus with tenesmus. Treatment: dietetic, friction, synapism, atropia, chloral hydrate by rectum, salines, demulcents, nux, tartar emetic, eserine, pilocarpin, sulphites, salol, sodium salicylate, naphthol, etc., bitter tonics, carminatives, stimulants, sodium chloride, ipecacuan, hygiene during convalescence.
Causes. As in solipeds the various conditions which lower the general tone, and those which especially debilitate the bowels predispose to catarrhal inflammation. Underfeeding and overfeeding, fibrous, innutritious, indigestible food, an indoor life in close, foul stables, chronic and debilitating diseases, overwork, overdriving, long continued hot weather, sudden changes of weather, chills, long railway journeys without water, exposure in hot stockyards in midsummer, all lessen the resisting power of the system and of the bowels.
As more direct irritants, may be named irritant plants, weedings and culls from gardens, musty and spoiled fodders of all kinds, newly harvested grain, and putrid drinking water. Also intestinal parasitism, diseases of the heart and lungs, and thrombosis of the mesenteric arteries.
Lesions. These predominate in the small intestine in catarrhal enteritis as they do in the large intestine in dysentery. The small intestine and cæcum may be distended by gas, and reddened more or less deeply on their outer surface. The mucosa is the seat of congestion, punctiform and ramified redness, thickening, infiltration and softening so that the epithelium breaks down into a pulp under the pressure of the finger. Desquamation may be extensive leaving a raw angry surface. The villi are infiltrated, erect, and ulcerated showing dark bloody points, and ecchymoses, and circumscribed sloughs and eschars are present. The solitary glands are congested, hypertrophied and projecting. The submucosa is infiltrated with a gelatinoid material and the same may be found around the swollen and congested mesenteric glands. Perforations have been met with in some cases, and coexistent inflammatory lesions in the stomachs are common.
Symptoms. In the mildest forms there is inactivity of the rumen, aggregation of the contents into hard masses, easily felt through the surrounding gases, appetite and rumination are greatly impaired, and there is much rumbling and considerable tenderness of the right side of the abdomen, and more or less costiveness, with hard, glazed mucus-covered fæces. There is some rise of temperature, ardent thirst, injected mucous membranes, dry, hot muzzle, weeping eyes, a small, hard, weak pulse, arched back, tender to pinching, and tucked up abdomen. There may be slight colicy pains, uneasy movements of the hind feet and tail, and sometimes lying down and rising at short intervals.
In more severe cases the impaction and tympany of the rumen are more marked, the hyperthermia runs high, appetite and rumination cease, the milk dries up, rigors and tremors appear, the head and ears droop, the eyes are sunken, the mouth is clammy and fœtid, the colicy pains are severe or extreme, the right side of the abdomen is very tender, defecation may be altogether suspended and rumbling in the right side of the abdomen ceases or becomes rare. Straining may continue but seldom is anything but mucus passed. Eructations from the rumen are distinctly fœtid.
After the third day the violence of the pains may abate, and sometimes diarrhœa sets in and may be regarded as critical, and portending recovery. If rumbling in the right side is resumed, if the fever subsides, the spirits revive, and some appetite and rumination return they will herald improvement.
If on the other hand the pulse becomes smaller, the temperature higher, the eyes sunken and fixed, the urine scanty, red and acid, the animal constantly recumbent on its left side, if when raised it omits the healthy stretching of its hind limbs, and walks sluggishly and painfully with frequent moaning, if when down it rests its head on the ground, the prospects are very unfavorable.
Death may occur early from tympany and asphyxia; it may follow profuse intestinal hæmorrhage; or it may be the result of general infection and inanition.
Diagnosis must depend on the combination and succession of the above-named symptoms. From acute intestinal congestion it is distinguished by the more moderate type of the colic, and the more gradual advance of the disease. From acute indigestion and tympany of the rumen by the early and marked tenderness of the right side of the abdomen, and the decided hyperthermia. From hemorrhagic enteritis by the absence of the black sanguineous discharges from the bowels at an early stage of the malady, and of coccidia from the droppings. From dysentery it is distinguished by the absence of the mucous and bloody discharges, which are passed with much straining in that affection from the beginning.
Treatment. The first consideration is dietetic and hygienic. If the animal will still eat, he ought to have boiled flax seed or other well boiled gruel, rendered palatable by salt. Even if he refuses food, this may be diluted largely and will be taken on account of the thirst. If he refuses all, a bottle may be given at intervals to refresh him. Or better—milk may be given from a bottle in the same way. Active friction to the abdomen with straw, or the application of oil of turpentine or mustard may abstract blood to the skin and favor the restoration of the intestinal functions. To calm the pains and control spasms, sulphate of atropia (½ gr.) may be given subcutem and repeated if there is no action on the pupil in fifteen minutes. Or extract of belladonna (2 drs.), or chloral hydrate (½ oz.) may be given by rectal injection.
To overcome the intestinal torpor 1 lb. each Glauber and common salt may be given in four to six quarts of warm water and followed by frequent mucilaginous drinks, as much as the animal will take, but only two or three quarts at a time. The addition of ½ dr. nux vomica will serve to rouse peristaltic action. Harm advises 1½ dr. tartar emetic by rectal injection for the same end. Next to Glauber salts, Castor oil (1 qt.) is to be recommended. Along with these or independently of them sulphate of eserin (1½ gr.) or pilocarpin (2 gr.) may be employed subcutem.
Frequent rectal injections of soap or mucilaginous liquids, with or without laxatives will be useful.
As antiferments beside the salt may be used bisulphite of soda in ½ oz. doses, salol 3½ drs., salicylate of soda 3 drs., betol 3½ drs., or naphthol 3½ drs., by the mouth and rectum.
When free movement of the bowels has been secured, attempts should be made to restore appetite and rumination by tonics and stimulants: gentian ½ oz., nux vomica ¼ dr., ipecacuan 2 drs., common salt 1 oz., may be given three times a day.
The diet should at first be restricted to flax seed gruel or that of other farinas, with a mere handful of fresh grass or bran mash and the restoration of the previous diet should be slow and gradual, care being taken meanwhile that no costiveness of the bowels supervenes.