Symptoms. There is roughness of the coat or shivering and a small, hard cough often repeated. If confined to the bronchi the cough soon becomes loose, a free discharge sets in, and with care recovery may be secured in five or six days.
If the smaller bronchial tubes are involved the symptoms are more intense and persistent. The temperature may reach 104° or 105°. To the same early symptoms succeed, a painful cough occurring in paroxysms and sometimes followed by vomiting of a glairy mucus. There is running from the eyes and nose, and reddening of thin membranes. The creature stands with his elbows turned out, his flanks heaving and his heart beating rapidly and tumultuously. In the worst cases when the inflammation has been propagated to the smallest bronchial tubes constituting capillary bronchitis, these symptoms are seen in their most aggravated type and the subject often dies of suffocation, or by implication of the lung tissue. Percussion and auscultation are even more applicable than in the larger animals, showing the clear resonance, of the lung tissue, the tubal murmur in the early stages and the mucous rattle in the later ones. In the capillary form a distinct crepitation is heard like that of pneumonia. Bronchitis proves most fatal to the higher bred dogs, such as King Charles spaniels, Italian greyhounds, and English terriers, and according to St. Cyr small dogs suffer more severely than large ones.
Treatment. If the bowels are costive a tablespoonful of castor oil should be given, followed up by nauseating expectorants and diuretics (tartar emetic two grains, nitrate of potass one drachm, and sugar one drachm, mix thoroughly, divide into twelve powders and shake one on the tongue thrice daily). If the cough is very troublesome two grains of powdered digitalis may be added to each dose, or after the nasal discharge has been freely established two to four grains of opium among the tartar. The opiates are of great value in controlling the paroxysms of coughing and the propagation of the disease to the smallest ramifications of the air passages, but as they check secretion they must be used with caution until a free discharge has been established. In the early stages bromides, hyoscyannes or digitalis may be preferred. Muriate or carbonate of ammonia, syrup of Tolu, senega, or gnaiac may follow.
Inhalations of water vapor, the maintenance of an equable temperature, and the moist chest jacket, followed by mustard poultices to the throat and chest are not to be neglected. The diet should be simple, oatmeal or Indian corn pudding with milk, soups and the like may be allowed, but as a rule butcher meat is to be withheld. If the patient has previously fed entirely on the latter it should now be given in very limited amount only, and qualified by an admixture of farinaceous diet.
In some cases the prostration becomes so great that the patient must be supported by tonics and stimulants (a teaspoonful each of sweet spirits of nitre and tincture of gentian, or a teaspoonful of port wine repeated twice daily).
In case of persistent discharge, iron, liquor arsenicalis, the same strength as Fowler’s solution, or cod-liver oil may be used.
CROUPOUS BRONCHITIS IN CATTLE AND SHEEP.
Causes, smoke, hot air or gas, irritant inhalations, concomitant of infectious diseases. Lesions, intense congestion covered by fibrinous exudates. Symptoms, slowly or suddenly developed, fever, loud, wheezing, stertorous, panting breathing, dyspnœa, dry râles and blowing. Course. Treatment, moist jacket, soothing, expectorant, stimulant inhalations, expectorants, derivatives.
This affection has been found in cattle and sheep from exposure to smoke, hot air or gas, and other irritants, and even from exposure to cold, and without any suspicion of a contagious element. Again it has been seen as a complication in Rinderpest, lung plague and malignant catarrh. The lesions are those of tumefaction and extreme arborescent redness of the mucosa, and the formation of patches of a dense fibrinous exudate of a yellowish color, in some cases completely obstructing some of the smaller tubes.
Symptoms. The attack may come on slowly as in ordinary bronchitis, while in other cases it is sudden. The respiration being loud, wheezing, stertorous and panting and general dyspnœa supervening. Auscultation furnishes loud, blowing sounds, dry râles and rouchi, while percussion may show no abnormal change. A strong tremor is felt by the hand on the trachea, and after a paroxysm of coughing false membranes may be expelled. If there is no improvement by the second or third day death is liable to supervene by asphyxia.