DISEASES OF CATTLE 311 



a very offensive odor. This was the first knowledge I had of any- 

 thing being wrong with the calves' mouths. They may have been 

 sick for some time before this. 



Out of a herd of 100 belonging to this man, 70 were affected, 

 and the latter emphasizes the insidious character of the onset. 



The general affection at this time manifests itself by dejected- 

 ness, extreme weakness and emaciation, constant lying down, with 

 stiffness and marked difficulty in standing. 



The disease frequently extends to the nasal cavities, producing 

 a thin, yellowish or greenish yellow, sticky discharge which adheres 

 closely to the borders of the nostrils. Their edges also show caseous 

 patches similar to those in the mouth. Sometimes the nasal passage 

 is obstructed by great masses of the necrosed exudate, thus causing 

 extreme difficulty in breathing. When the caseous process involves 

 the larynx and trachea there result cough, wheezing, and dyspnea, 

 together with a yellowish mucopurulent expectoration. 



When life is prolonged three or four weeks, caseous foci may 

 be established in the lung, giving rise to all signs of a broncho- 

 pneumonia. Many of these cases are associated with a fibrinous 

 pleurisy. The invasion of the gastrointestinal tract is announced 

 by diarrheal symptoms. This disease principally attacks sucklings 

 not over 6 weeks of age, but calves 8 and 10 months old are fre- 

 quently affected, and several cases in adult cattle have been reported 

 to this office. 



In its very acute form many of the cases run their course in 

 from five to eight days. In these the local lesions are not strongly 

 marked, and death seems due to an acute intoxication. In other 

 enzootics the majority of the affected animals live from three to five 

 weeks. These are the cases that occasionally present the pulmonary 

 and intestinal symptoms, and sometimes develop also oaseonecrotic 

 lesions in the liver. 



Ordinarily cases show no tendency to spontaneous cure. Left 

 to themselves they die. On the contrary, if taken in hand early the 

 disease is readily amenable to treatment. In the latter event the 

 prospects of recovery are excellent. 



Differential Diagnosis. Necrotic stomatitis may be differen- 

 tiated from foot-and-mouth disease by the fact that in the latter dis- 

 ease there is a rapid infection of the entire herd, including the adult 

 cattle, as well as the infection of hogs and sheep. The characteristic 

 lesion of foot-and-mouth disease is the appearance of vesicles con- 

 taining a serous fluid upon the mucous membrane of the mouth and 

 upon the udder, teats, and feet of the affected animals. In necrotic 

 stomatitis vesicles are never formed, necrosis occurring from the be- 

 ginning and followed by the formation of yellowish cheesy patches 

 principally found in the mouth. Mycotic stomatitis occurs in only 

 a few animals of the herd, chiefly the adult cattle, and the lesions 

 produced consist of an inflammation of the mouth and lips and of 

 the thin skin between the toes, followed in a few days by small ir- 

 regular ulcers in the mouth. This disease appears sporadically, 



