Predisposition. Symptoms. 869 



slop, and the s^^niptoms were qviite similar to those of malt eczema, 

 with this diiference, however, that thev assumed a much more severe 

 form and caused the death of 12 cows and of 13 calves. 



Predisposition. Animals newly stabled for fattening are 

 affected first of all, that is animals which are changed from 

 another food to potato slop; the disease therefore is observed 

 most often in fattening establishments in which the animals are 

 changed frequently. With the same mode of feeding milch 

 cows do not contract the disease or only exceptionally ; the dis- 

 ease occurs less seldom in steers that are out in the open than in 

 animals that are constantly kept in the barn. In some animals 

 an actual idiosyncrasy against distiller's slop appears to be 

 present, for only in this manner can the fact be explained that 

 in the same year and in the same stable there are animals that 

 become ill from a few bucketfuls of the slop, while there are 

 others that remain healthy in spite of having ingested great 

 amounts of the slop (Johne). The conditions of the stables 

 have no influence in this direction. 



Symptoms. The disease manifests itself only in a later 

 stage of feeding with potatoes and slop, developing mostly in 2 

 to 3 weeks, and stands in general in direct relation to the 

 amount of injurious food ingested, now assuming a mild and 

 again a severe form. 



In the more frequent mild form a vesiculous inflammation 

 of the skin is limited to the lo\ver parts of the limbs (Schin- 

 delka) ; it is, how^ever, also accompanied by general symptoms 

 which usually precede the trouble. With a slight rise of tem- 

 perature the appetite declines, defecation is retarded, tears and 

 saliva are copiously secreted and the gait is peculiarly stiff. 

 On the second or third day a swelling of the feet develops, 

 from the coronet to above the fetlock joint, which may he 

 limited to the posterior extremities, but may also involve the 

 anterior ones or even affect them exclusively; the skin is red- 

 dened, painful, hot; the hair appears ruffled. Small vesicles 

 appear, and after they burst a moist red surface remains, on 

 which the secreted serous fluid dries up, forming large crusts 

 and scabs. The eruption may extend from the metatarsus or 

 metacarpus to the hock or carpal joint or even beyond; but 

 after a certain time no new crusts form, while under those pres- 

 ent the superficial layer of epidermis becomes horny ; the crusts 

 then become loose and healing results, with scaling, in 2 to 4 

 weeks. At the affected places the hair falls out, but with tlie 

 onset of healing it begins to grow again. In rare cases the 

 changes do not pass beyond the erythematous stage. 



In the severe form the skin inflammation extends over large 

 portions of skin, especially if the mode of feeding is continued 

 unchanged in spite of the occurrence of the disease, and the 

 animals stand in dirty, badly ventilated barns. The trouble is 



