Etiology. Auatouiieal Changes. Syiiiptoins. 335 



permitted to suck too often and tliey may overload tlieir stom- 

 ach in this manner. 



Finally gastro-intestinal disturbances may be brought about 

 because the young animals have not been permitted to suck the 

 colostrum which removes the meconium from the newborn. 

 Frequently a catarrhal affection of the gastro-intestinal mucosa 

 is due to marked cooling of the body in consequence of staying 

 in cold, damp, drafty barns, or in consequence of sucking from 

 a cold udder, or staying in the open air during cold weather or 

 during rain. 



Improper weaning may also produce the affection if only 

 dry feed is given at once to the weaned young. The gastric 

 mucosa is excessively irritated by the coarse feed and at this 

 period the fore-stomachs do not yet function properly in rumi- 

 nants. 



In weaned animals the disease may also be due to the same 

 factors which cause it in adults (see pages 285 and 325). 



Bacteria probably also play a role in the prodiietion of the disease; these micro- 

 organisms are normally present in the intestinal tract and they may be enabled to 

 display pathogenic properties in consequence of errors of diet, or bacteria, which are 

 pathogenic from the start, may be ingested with the food stuffs. The bacillus 

 coli communis appears able occasionally to attain pathogenic properties, (See vol. I.) 



Sometimes intestinal parasites may produce a catarrhal in- 

 flammation of the gastro-intestinal mucosa. 



Anatomical Changes. Post-mortem examination frequently 

 shows rather insignificant changes such as hyperemia, a mod- 

 erate amount of swelling of the gastro-intestinal mucosa; in 

 other cases there may be small hemorrhages, swelling of the 

 follicles, sometimes also superficial ulcerations. 



Symptoms. The disease usually begins with a diminution 

 of appetite and with a certain degree of lassitude after which 

 febrile symptoms come on. The sucklings do not hunt up their 

 mothers; if they are taken to her they suck little and without 

 relish; weaned animals take little food or none at all. Some- 

 times vomiting occurs and a marked improvement is then notice- 

 able. 



After a short time diarrhea comes on and this remains the 

 prominent feature of the clinical picture and it may even be 

 the very first symptom. In the beginning the feces are of nor- 

 mal color, but somewhat soft, later on they become thinner and 

 thinner, finally perfectly thin-fluid and are sometimes voided in 

 a stream at short intervals, under tenesmus. At this time the 

 feces are yellowish or yellowish-gray, distinctly acid in reaction 

 and of a disagreeable, penetrating, sour smell; they contain 

 white or gray flocculi, lumps (fat-droplets, fat-crystals and bac- 

 teria), sometimes bloody streaks, or they are even uniformly 

 reddish. The animals lie curled up on the floor or stand up with 

 their back curved; the legs are drawn under the abdomen and 

 the patients exhibit manifestations of abdominal pain which is 

 generally severe. 



