44 DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE APPARATUS 



Symptoms. — The disease begins with a swelling of the gland and 

 the adjacent structures on one side or both sides of the ear. The loca- 

 tion of these glands is seen in Fig. 23. They swell rapidly and are very 

 tender to the touch, changing the whole appearance of the head and 

 neck. The animal is very droopy, carries the head and neck in a fixed 

 position, eats with great difficulty, and will swallow only very small 

 pieces. The saliva is very thick and forms tenacious bubbles at the 

 corners of the movith. The fever is seldom high, and in the majority of 

 cases in from five to eight days the swelling decreases and disappears 

 entirely in fourteen days (Hertwig). 



In rare cases an abscess is formed in the gland, (abscess of the parotid,) 

 and invariably in one only. The gland swells as in mumps, only is much 

 quicker and surrounding tissues are much swollen and oedematous, 

 8oon a fluctuating portion is felt, which later opens in one or more 

 places and a thick, creamy pus escapes; the oedema of the surrounding 

 tissues disappears quickly, and the fever, which is rarely of much conse- 

 quence, goes down entirely and the wound closes in a short time. 



The inflammation of the glands of the tongue and lower jaw gen- 

 erally forms abscesses which open in the month, the pus escapes, and the 

 sore heals up in a short time. The submaxillary generally breaks 

 through the skin and the sul^lingual into the cavity of the mouth. There 

 is never any consequence in any of these cases. 



Therapeutics. — In the primary form of parotitis, where we do 

 not have the formation of an abscess, we obtain good results with warm 

 applications. Keep the animals as quiet as possible, and then rub on 

 ointments, such as vaseline and lanoline, or paint with tincture of iodine. 



As soon as we see that the swelling is not going down within a cer- 

 tain time, but increasing gradually, we must try and open the abscess 

 as soon as possible and allow the pus to escape. If fluctuation can be felt, 

 cut down on that point, but if not, a portion of the skin and fascia have 

 to be carefully cut in the dependent portion, making a good-sized 

 opening. The gland is now exposed, the pus can be detected and opened, 

 a drainage-tube inserted and sewed to the tissues — if not sewed, the 

 animal will shake it out — and cleanse daily with an antiseptic solution. 

 It is better not to bandage the neck, as it interferes with the tube; in 

 some cases it is not necessary to insert the tube, but to clear the 

 opening daily and dilate it, if necessary. These abscesses heal rapidly if 

 there is exit for the pus. 



Inflammations of the other salivary glands should be treated in 

 the same way. The abscess of the sul)maxillary should be opened from 

 the outside through the skin, and sublingual from the inside of the mouth 

 cavity. In the submaxillary, it is not necessary to put in a drainage- 

 tube, but simply to keep the wound clean. Frequently we have develop- 



