Diagnosis. The diagnosis is not very difficult, provided that an exact account can be obtained of the circumstances which preceded the appearance of the disease. The signs furnished by the discharge, the expired air, percussion and auscultation are sufficiently significant to remove any doubt.
Prognosis. The prognosis is extremely grave, and in the great majority of cases fatal.
Treatment. There is very little chance of recovery, no matter what treatment may be employed. The most favourable termination consists in the gangrene remaining limited to the bronchi and to a small fragment of the lung, so that the damaged tissues, being gradually delimited and sloughed off, may finally be discharged by coughing.
This is an exceptional termination, but attempts may be made to assist its evolution by giving alcohol in doses of 8 to 10 ounces per day, and salicylate of soda in doses of 4 to 5 drachms. When the condition can be early diagnosed before intense and continued fever has set in, and when the animal’s condition is good, it is often preferable to slaughter the patient.
INFECTIOUS BRONCHO-PNEUMONIA.
The ox’s lung is liable to so many and such extremely varied diseases that it seems desirable to add to the above descriptions some remarks on infectious broncho-pneumonia of external or internal origin.
Anatomically these forms of broncho-pneumonia are characterised by the occurrence of “islands” of pulmonary hepatisation, more rarely by extensive (massive) hepatisation; in all cases the hepatisation is irregular, and in no way resembles that of simple pneumonia.
Causation. The internal causes are numerous and varied. They are due to primary infection of an organ whence arises a general infection, sometimes even true septicæmia. Some form of broncho-pneumonia, such as simple broncho-pneumonia, purulent broncho-pneumonia, gangrenous broncho-pneumonia, etc., then follows as a complication. These broncho-pneumonias are therefore only manifestations of purulent infection or septicæmia. They frequently follow post-partum infections, vaginitis, metritis, and suppurative mammitis.
Symptoms. The general symptoms first attract attention, and are extremely acute. They comprise high fever, loss of appetite, cessation of rumination and of milk secretion, breathlessness, blowing, etc.—all signs of grave and rapidly progressive infection.
Sometimes at this period nothing more than the primary lesion, such as metritis or mammitis, can be detected. It may even happen that the uterus seems little affected, and, despite the accelerated respiration, neither partial nor complete dulness of the lung is discovered.