CATARRHAL INFLAMMATION OF THE FOURTH 

 STOMACH. 



Usually a complication. Causes, predisposing, exciting, changes of food 

 or water, spoiled, frosted or fermented food, green potatoes, caterpillars, 

 nitrogenous food, irritants. Symptoms : Separation from herd, grinding 

 teeth, eructation, depraved appetite, fever, tender epigastrium, coated dung, 

 red eyes, fixed or retracted, dilated, blind eyes, drooping ears, nervous 

 symptoms, reckless unconscious movements, bellowing, tender skin, tremors. 

 Lesions : Congestion and exudate in gastric mucosa, hemorrhagic discolora- 

 tion, desquamation, excess of mucus, resemblance to rinderpest, Texas 

 fever and malignant catarrh. Treatment : Empty stomach by bland laxa- 

 tives, stimulants of peristalsis, calmatives, cold to head, counter-irritants, 

 enemata, bitters. 



This affection is by no means rare in cattle, tliongh it is nsually' 

 complicated with inflammation of the first three stomachs or of 

 the intestines. Nevertheless, when the disease appears to be con- 

 centrated on the fonrtli stcjmach mainly, it may well take its name 

 accordingly. 



Causes. A predisposition to the affection occurs in the weak 

 and debilitated, the over- worked oxen, underfed cattle, in those 

 that are just recovering from a severe illness and in which the 

 gastric secretions and functions are still poor. The usual exciting 

 cause is some fault in the food, it may be a sudden change from 

 one kind to another, and especially from dry to green, or from 

 one kind of green food to another and more tempting one, as 

 when the animal breaks into a field of grain which is advancing to 

 mattirity. Even a sudden change of water, as from .soft to hard 

 has seemed in our experience to contribute to its development. 

 Next come spoiled aliments, frosted or frozen turnips, beets, 

 carrots, potatoes, apples, turnip tops, fermented gra.sses, mu.sty 

 hay, sun-exposed i>()tatoes, putrid vegetables, and caterpillars on 

 cabbages, tree leaves and other vegetables. Next come products 

 that are highly nitrogenous, like vetches, alfalfa, sainfoin, clover, 

 and the cakes of lin.seed, rape and cottonseed. Irritant plants 

 such as colchicum, digitalis, yew, raddish, etc., have been 

 charged as causative agents. 



Symptoms. These are often difficult to distinguish from those 

 i66 



