Symptoms, Diagnosis, Prognosis. 975 



although a special involvement of the gums cannot be ascer- 

 tained. The gums show macular reddening and swelling, they 

 bleed easily and finally ulcers form upon them. In consequence 

 the teeth become loosened, they fall out easily and a carrion 

 smell comes from the mouth of the animals. Weber and Schupp 

 usually noted hemorrhages also in other mucous membranes, for 

 instance in the orbital cavity, the eye ball being forced outward, 

 epistaxis, severe dyspnea due to hemorrhage in the air passages 

 or in the lungs, also bloody discharges from the intestines and 

 bloody urine. In very severe cases the joints may be swollen. 



In this stage of the disease the animals are languid, those 

 portions of the skin which are free from hemorrhages are pale, 

 emaciation and debility progress rapidly and finally lead to 

 death. Usually, however, the animals are killed earlier or die 

 shortly after the appearance of the first manifest symptoms, 

 in consequence of severe hemorrhage in lungs or intestines. 



In the cases of scurvy which have hitherto been observed 

 in dogs the disease commenced with symptoms of anemia, to 

 which the changes in the gums, and hemorrhages were added 

 later on. The gums are discolored bluish-red in the region 

 of the incisors, and soon afterward around the molars; they 

 become swollen, sensitive and bleed easily even on the lightest 

 touch and during the mastication of coarse food (kernels, bones). 



Later on the mucous membrane becomes necrotic, and 

 gradually the picture of ulcerative stomatitis (Vol. II) develops. 

 Hemorrhages occur also in the conjunctivae and in the skin, 

 less frequent are epistaxis, intestinal hemorrhages, vomiting 

 of blood, bloody urine, and in exceptional cases hemorrhages 

 may occur in the anterior chamber of the eye and in the retina 

 (Frohner). Sometimes isolated joints are swollen. Death is 

 due either to exhaustion or to severe loss of blood, or then to 

 some complication (general septic infection, pneumonia). 



Diagnosis. Ulcerative stomatitis of dogs differs from 

 scurvy in its strict localization, the absence of hemorrhages, 

 and also by the fact that it is not associated with cachectic symp- 

 toms until after the disease has lasted a very long time. In 

 -Purpura (Werlhof) the changes in the gums are absent, es- 

 pecially the loosening, necrosis and ulcerative destruction of 

 the gums. 



Prognosis. In the incipient stage of the disease the prog- 

 nosis is rather favorable, provided the harmful influences can 

 be removed. If, however, the symptoms of ulcerous stomatitis 

 and hemorrhages have developed healing can no longer be 

 expected. 



Treatment. Scurvy can be prevented almost certainly by 

 suitable feeding of the animals if care is also taken to insure 



