GENERAL CATARRHAL vSTOMATITIS IN SOEIPEDS. 



Causes. These may be classed as mechanical, chemical, micro- 

 bial! and other irritants. In the horse it is often dne to the reck- 

 less administration of irritant liquids as remedies. Owing to the 

 length of the soft palate the horse can refuse to swallow any 

 liquid as long as he chooses, and some of the worst cases of 

 stomatitis I have seen resulted from the retention in the mouth 

 of caustic alkaline liquids given under the name of " wea/c /ye." 

 Strong acids and caustic salts dissolved in too little water or other 

 excipient, or suspended in liquids in which they cannot dissolve, 

 or made into boluses which are crushed between the teeth are not 

 infrequent conditions. Too hot mashes given to a hungry hor.se 

 is another cause of this trouble. Fermented or decomposed food 

 is often most irritating. Coachmen will sometimes induce it by 

 attaching to the bit bags of spicy or irritant agents, to cause 

 frothing and make the animal appear spirited. 



Fungi in fodders are among the common causes. The ru.st of 

 wheat (puccinia graminis), the caries of wheat (tilletia caries), 

 the blight (er5^siphe communis), ergot Cclaviceps purpurea ), the 

 fungus of rape (polydesmus excitiosus) and the moulds (penicil- 

 lium and puccinia) have all been noticed to coincide with stoma- 

 titis, and charged with producing it. On the other hand, at given 

 times, one or other of these cryptogams has been present exten- 

 sively in the fodder without any visible resultant stomatitis. The 

 apparent paradox may be explained by the fact that these fungi 

 vary greatly in the irritant or harmless nature of their products 

 according to the conditions under which they have grown, aud 

 the stage of their development at which they were secured and 

 preserved. Ergot notoriously differs in strength in different 

 years, on different soils, luider various degrees of sunshine, 

 shade, cloud, fog, etc. In different States in the Missi.ssippi 

 valley it is not uncommon to find stomatitis in horses in winter, 

 fed on ergoted hay, while cattle devouring the .same fodder have 

 dry gangrene of feet, tail and ears. Yet in other seasons the 

 ergot fails to produce the.se lesions. Rank grown, water}^ vege- 

 tation, especially if it contains an excess of chlorophyll is liable 



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