212 Pharyngitis. 



tenderness and the pecnliar position of the head is absent. 

 Diseases of the central nervons s^'stem will lead to other paraly- 

 sis besides that of the pharynx; and in cases of meningitis 

 there are mental distnrbanees. In ol)strnction of the esoph- 

 agus no changes are found in the pharynx and regurgitation 

 during the act of deglutition occurs later ; a sound will find the 

 obstruction in the esophagus. Parotitis does, generally, not 

 lead to regurgitation, and is not accompanied by nasal dis- 

 charge. If jiressure is made on the lower wall of the pharynx 

 (base of the tongue), pain is not elicited. Catarrh of the gut- 

 tural pouch generally causes a unilateral swelling in the upper 

 portion of the parotid region; pressure on the latter usually 

 causes nasal discharge ; pressure on the lower pharyngeal wall 

 does not elicit pain. Since pharyngitis may be a part of the pic- 

 ture of a general infectious disease, one must, in the beginning, 

 think of this possibility. In horses one must think of strangles ; 

 in cattle and swine, of hemorrhagic septicemia, hog cholera, 

 or anthrax. 



The determination of the nature of pharyngitis is usually 

 very difficult, except in smaller animals where inspection per- 

 mits a good survey of the anatomical changes. It may be 

 said, in general, that high fever persisting during the course of 

 the disease, intense and increasing swellings of the pharynx, 

 speak for a deeply penetrating inflammation. Gangrene of the 

 mucosa, phlegmonous or diphtheritic inflammations, aside from 

 their local manifestations, are characterized by a fetid smell 

 of the saliva and the expired air. Coughed up masses of filn-in 

 point to croupous pharyngitis. In proper cases one may use 

 in liorses the rhinolaryngoscope of Polansky & Schindelka, 

 which occasionally makes it possible to recognize swellings of 

 the mucosa, hemorrhages, small abscesses, etc. In difficult res- 

 piration this instrument cannot be used. 



Prognosis. The prognosis of primary uncomplicated 

 pharyngitis is favorable ; however, it becomes the more unfavor- 

 able the more the symptoms point to phlegmonous, diphtheritic 

 or purulent inflannnation. Even affections which are mild at 

 the start, may in their further course assume a malignant char- 

 acter, particularly in horses, Avliere aspiration may easily occur; 

 hence a guarded prognosis is advisable during the early stages. 



Treatment. Considering the increasing tenderness of the 

 mucosa and the difficulties in deglutition, the food must be soft, 

 mushy or fluid in consistency. In herbivora, the best nourish- 

 ment is green feed, well wetted hay, flour or bran mashes thin 

 in consistency, wiiile hogs and carnivora are best fed with milk. 

 Horses suifering from intense difficulty in deglutition should 

 at first not lie fed even with entirely fluid feed and water; thirst 

 can be alleviated by repeated injections of lukewarm water into 

 the rectum. The patient should fast from one to two days and 



