Anatomical Symptoms. 315 



domestic animals, as it does in man is a point not yet settled in 

 veterinary science. 



One must also admit the possibility that colonies of multi- 

 plying bacteria may cause necrosis and ulceration in the gastric 

 mucosa. 



Anatomical Changes. Ulcers are generally found in the 

 neighborhood of the pylorus; they are round, oval or irregu- 

 larly shaped and their base is either formed by the denuded but 

 otherwise unchanged muscularis or serosa or by pseudomem- 

 branes covering the peritoneal coat. The margins of the ulcers, 

 particularly those of peptic ulcers, are quite sharp as if they had 

 been stamped out artificially. Peptic ulcers (ulcus pepticum 

 sive rotundum, sive corrosivum, sive e digestione) do not show 

 an inflammatory reaction in their neighborhood, they imitate in 

 their outlines the shape of a funnel placed with its long axis 

 obliquely towards the pylorus. If an ulcer perforates, general 

 peritonitis occurs unless adhesions have previously been formed 

 with the neighboring organs. Erosion of a larger vessel leads 

 to copious hemorrhage. 



Symptoms. Gastric ulcers have generally been found in 

 domestic animals accidentally upon post-mortem examination 

 (in slaughtering horses without preceding observation of char- 

 acteristic symptoms during life). If there are any observable 

 symptoms during life they are identical with those of chronic 

 gastric catarrh (see page 293) or chronic atony of the proven- 

 triculi (see page 268). One may be justified in thinking of gas- 

 tric ulcer if there is occasional liematemesis (vomiting of blood) 

 or if the feces are hemorrhagic, lilack, tarlike. In horses mild 

 colicky attacks have occasionally been observed. The condition 

 of the patients often improves remarkably within a few days 

 and then there is suddenly a marked relapse. 



Gotteswinter observed a case in a cow where profuse hemorrhage 

 led to profoiuid anemia. A similar oliservation was made l)y Kitt; 

 Kohlhepp saw in a cow tlie formation of an extensive emphysema of 

 the skin, which created the suspicion of an attack of black leg (how- 

 ever, it was simply a case where gases from the stomach had found 

 their way through an ulcer into the subcutaneous tissues). In a case 

 of Plate a tuberculous ulcer in the aliomasum caused a fatal hemorrhage 



Ulcers may exist for a long time in the stomach, so that 

 adhesions to neighboring organs may be formed, which will then 

 prevent perforation. If the latter occurs anyhow, peritonitis 

 sets in and rapidly takes a fatal course. According to Ras- 

 mussen one must think of round ulcer if calves become restless 

 during transportation, throw themselves down, and then lie 

 apathetically on the floor. 



Treatment. When there is suspicion of ulcer of the stom- 

 ach, undigestible, coarse feed should be avoided because it in- 



