Symptoms of the Acute Form. When the disease is traumatic the first symptom is usually a hæmorrhage from the nose, the blood being of a bright crimson. Respiration is hurried, and appetite diminished, yet rumination may be imperfectly performed. The bleeding may be repeated for days in succession, but the ox is still capable of work. On the fifth or sixth day there is complete anorexia, rumination ceases, the head sinks resting on the manger or soil, the ears droop forward and downward, and may be swollen. The head inclines to the affected side, the corresponding horn is intensely hot, and the eyes are closed. Light percussion of the forehead on the affected side gives pain, and the sound elicited is flat and dull as compared with that from the opposite side. The temperature of the body rises 2° or more, the pulse becomes frequent, full and hard and the impulse of the heart abnormally strong. Costiveness, partially suppressed and high colored urine, and dry hot muzzle betray the fever. Unless relieved the chronic form may supervene.
Symptoms of the chronic form. When this comes on slowly, working oxen get emaciated, lose appetite, have the eyes dull and sunken, and the lids drooping, the coat rough and staring and the skin harsh, dry, and lacking in pliancy, the head is carried low when out of the yoke and, after shaking the head and sneezing, a glairy, slightly fœtid matter escapes from the nostril. The breath is fœtid and appears to be offensive to adjacent cattle.
This may continue for months with no other change than a more constant nasal discharge, and increasing emaciation and weakness.
Prognosis. This is favorable for the acute disease at the outset. But if no relief is furnished it is liable to go on to a fatal issue. Even the chronic form is curable unless the subject has already become hopelessly weak and debilitated.
In fatal cases the sinuses are found to be filled with a glairy fluid and the mucosa thickened and raw or ulcerated. There may be enlargement of the pharyngeal lymphatic glands, and there may be attendant pharyngitis.
Treatment. The patient must have absolute rest and cold water irrigation or icebags applied to the head. The bowels may be opened by a saline, or a diuretic administered. If the head is persistently dropped it may be kept moderately elevated by a halter tied to a higher point. Should there be no relief at the end of twenty-four hours, no time should be lost in securing free admission of air to the cavity. Cruzel advises to saw off the horn at its base, as the one certain method of securing prompt improvement and speedy recovery. If a horn and its bony support have been broken off they should be at once removed and the head turned up to evacuate the accumulated glairy fluid from the sinus. From an apparently hopeless condition a few hours will suffice to restore an appearance of good health. If the horn has not been broken and it is desirable to save it, the bone may be trephined in front of the root of the horn and the liquid evacuated, or less effectively and more painfully the horn may be bored at its root by a large gimlet.
If no hæmorrhage has taken place and if active treatment has been adopted at the outset recovery may be complete in two or three days, but if the disease has been ushered in by a hæmorrhage which recurs several days in succession, amputation of the horn or trephining will be demanded. In chronic cases this should be followed by astringent and antiseptic injections and a blister may be applied to the throat or the side of the neck. In these cases too a course of mineral tonics is desirable.
CHRONIC CATARRH OF CATTLE.
Catarrh, chronic, summer aggravation, thickened, roughened, mucosa, discharge, twigs in nose. Question of parasitism. Treatment, remove causes, antiseptic astringents.
A remarkable form of chronic catarrh with summer aggravation exists in some of the hilly districts of New York but has not received such study as to enable us to state its true nature.