Unless the malady can be controlled in its early stages it usually proves fatal. Patients that recover after it has been well developed at times retain its effects in permanent blindness or palsy of the hind limbs.
Treatment. Early and vigorous antiphlogistic measures are strongly recommended by French and Italian veterinarians. Gellé and Ercolani advocate the most copious bleedings. Festal insists that all other measures are useless when this is neglected. Before adopting free sanguineous depletion the history of his practice was a record of deaths, whereas later his losses were in cases where from a failure to recognize the disease at the outset, from the existence of diarrhœa, from the patient being pregnant or from a fear that the milking properties might be impaired, bleeding was deferred. He pushed the bleeding to the extent of causing acceleration of pulse, quickened breathing and heaving of the flanks, to effect which sixteen pounds had to be abstracted on an average. If this were done early the engorgement of the muzzle had usually greatly diminished if not entirely disappeared in the course of seven or eight hours thereafter. The alleged benefit is probably largely due to elimination.
Less heroic treatment is now generally adopted. An active purgative (one and a half pounds Epsom salts) may be given even though apparently contraindicated by the premonitory diarrhœa, and a further useful derivation may be obtained by applying active friction or even stimulating embrocations to the legs.
Steam with or without sulphur dioxide may be inhaled as for ordinary coryza and cold water or ice kept applied to the forehead.
Nitre in ounce doses daily or liquor of the acetate of ammonia in three ounce doses may be given after the purging has ceased. Or drachm doses of hydrochloric acid with bitters may be given thrice a day in at least a pint of water.
Where the nasal discharge persists after the subsidence of the other symptoms the sinuse should be trephined in front of the horn, and tepid water and mild astringent and antiseptic lotions injected until a healthy action has been established. Change to a dry, well drained pasture or building is desirable for both treatment and prevention.
CONTAGIOUS DISEASES OF THE NOSE.
These are omitted here to be treated under that heading.
PARASITIC DISEASES OF THE NOSE.
Among these may be named: