342 BOVINE OBSTETRICS 



or third day after parturition. The symptom observed by 

 the owner is the decrease in the lacteal secretion. Appetite 

 has decreased or is wanting, rumination also. During the day 

 other symptoms set in, as hurried respiration, and a more or 

 less swaying gait behind. Cows standing in the stall often 

 knuckle over in one hind leg. 



Examination shows a body-temperature of 41 to 41.5 deg. 

 C. The pulse is frequent, the eye dull; the animal strains 

 occasionally and gives vent to a low moan. The conjunctiva 

 is injected and slightly yellowish; the same refers to the 

 mucosa of the labia3. The vulva is swollen but little, if any. 



In case epithelial defects were on the mucous membrane 

 of the vulva or vagina, infection taking place through them, 

 they now have changed into a puerperal ulcer. They are 

 differentiated from ordinary ones by the fact that a diffuse 

 redness is observed in their neighborhood. Close inspection 

 is necessary to detect them upon the yellowish mucosa. 

 Exploration usually reveals an open cervix. When the examina- 

 tion takes place on the third day after birth, two or three 

 fingers, sometimes the whole hand, can be passed into the 

 cervical canal. In the uterus fetid lochias and remains of the 

 afterbirth are sometimes found. Nevertheless, in those cases 

 where parturition took a normal course and the foetal envelopes 

 were expelled in time, the uterus only contains a small amount 

 of an inordorous brownish liquid. 



Course and Prognosis. — Acute puerperal septicaemia is a 

 disease where a fatal termination is the rule and recovery a 

 great exception. As soon as the first symptoms appear death 

 follows often unexpectedly within one to three days. 



Pathological Anatomy. — Such a cow when killed does not 

 reveal satisfactory lesions on post mortem examination. 

 Ostertag, therefore, correctly says that just the absence of 

 serious lesions of the internal organs, respectively the insignifi- 

 cance of the changes, apparently out of proportion to the 

 serious disturbances, observed intra vitum, should induce us 

 to suspect sepsis. 



In animals which succumbed to the disease the changes 



