G38 SPOEADIC DISEASES. 



During all the stages of pneumonia, increased dulness is 

 elicited by percussion. 



Inflammation of both lungs, or double pneumonia, must be 

 regarded as a source of very serious danger from the great im- 

 pediment it presents to the breathing, and deaths from it are 

 much more numerous than from the single form. It is, how- 

 ever, very rarely met with. 



Pneumonia is sometimes latent, and may remain undiscovered 

 perhaps until after the animal's death. In all cases of ill-defined 

 maladies, it is necessary that the chest be thoroughly examined, 

 when disease of a very grave nature may occasionally be detected, 

 although the animal has never presented any very evident signs 

 of serious lung disease. 



During the prevalence of epizootics, pneumonia is apt to 

 assume a marked adynamic or typhoid form, attended with an 

 early breaking down of the pulmonary tissue. This is, however, 

 rare, and the most common form of chest disease met with is 

 a combination of pneumonia with pleurisy, in which the symp- 

 toms of both diseases are inseparably blended. 



Acute pneumonia, especially if associated with bronchitis, is 

 sometimes complicated with laminitis or inflammation of the 

 feet. — (See Principles and Practice of Veterinary Surgery.) 

 Acute inflammation may terminate in a chronic form of pneu- 

 monia, in which the inflammatory products undergo fibrous or 

 caseous degeneration, keeping up a continued degree of irritation, 

 unfitting the animal for work, and gradually destroying life by 

 inducing anaemia, glanders, or hydrothorax. The symptoms of 

 non-contagious pneumonia and pleuro-pneumonia in the ox are 

 much more acute than those of pleuro-pneumonia contagiosa. 



Haemoptysis, or bleeding from the lungs, is not generally asso- 

 ciated with pneumonia, but may be witnessed in congestion, 

 accidental rupture of vessels, glanders, purpura, and in a passive 

 form in some epizootic disease or influenza ; in which case I 

 have seen the blood of a dark colour, and not frothy as in ordi- 

 nary haemoptysis. 



TREATMENT. 



Bleeding. — The abstraction of blood was considered the sheet- 

 anchor in pneumonia. PercivaU says — " I will take it for granted 



