Symptoms. Dullness, anorexia, ruffled feathers, sunken head, trailing wings, slow uncertain gait, plaintive cries, with diarrhœa, passing through serous, brick red, and bloody. In small chicks it may be whitish and followed by constipation. Death is usually an early result.
Treatment. Hyposulphite of soda with carminatives (fennel anise, coriander, ginger, and gentian) has been given in boiled milk or bread. Quinia and iodine might be tried.
Prevention. Avoidance of infected roosts and runs, and above all of infected streams, wells and ponds, and the removal and cremation of the sick, followed by thorough disinfection, are much more promising than therapeutic treatment.
GASTRO-ENTERITIS FROM CAUSTIC ALKALIES AND ALKALINE SALTS.
Ammonia: Counter-irritation, fauces, larynx, bronchia, congestion and softening of the gastric mucosa, loose blood clots, solution of globules, dysphagia, salivation, in carnivora and omnivora vomiting, diarrhœa, white fumes with muriatic acid.—Ammonia carbonate: less corrosive, same symptoms.—Potash lye, deep corrosion, gastric congestions, fluid, blackish red blood.—Soda lye.—Carbonates of potash and soda, less violent, tests for potash and soda. Treatment: weak acids, demulcents, anodynes.
Aqua Ammonia. Lethal dose pure, horse 1 oz. and upward; cattle 2 ozs.; dog ½ dr. There may be sudden death from abstraction of water and cauterization of the fauces and larynx including at times the bronchial mucosa. In other cases death occurs later from gastro-enteritis, the mucosa of the alimentary canal being congested, softened and covered with bloody mucus. The blood in the vessels is of a dark red, coagulates imperfectly and the blood globules are dissolved changing the color to black, and then brownish red. Prior to death there is great distress, salivation, inability to swallow, swollen tongue, frequent pulse and respiration, cough, spasms, and sometimes the odor of ammonia. Retching and vomiting may be a feature in carnivora and omnivora, and diarrhœa if the case is not promptly fatal. The urine is not rendered alkaline. White fumes with muriatic acid indicate ammonia.
Ammonia Carbonate gives rise to the same symptoms and lesions with the exceptions that there is less corrosion of the mucosa, and no pure ammonia exhales in the breath.
Caustic Potash, Lye. Lethal dose, 5 grs. dog intervenous. In strong solution this is one of the most potent caustics, which penetrates deeply into the tissues and abstracting water cauterizes everything with which it comes in contact. It therefore produces the most destructive changes on the walls of the stomach, and intestines, with violent gastro-enteritis, retching, or vomiting of alkaline matters. The congested, ashen and even black color of the tongue, and (post mortem) of the gullet, stomach and intestines, and the intense alkalinity of contents are characteristic. The blood is fluid, gelatiniform, and blackish red. Later, erosions and contractions are common.
Caustic Soda is only less destructive than potash, and produces the same general lesions and symptoms.
The Carbonates of Potash and Soda have the same general properties only they act with very much less energy. Potassium can be recognized by its purple color in an alcohol or Bunsen flame and sodium by an intense yellow.