CHRONIC CATARRH OF THE LARYNX 135 



whistling sounds mingled with the coughing, great anxiety shown on the 

 animal's face; cyanosis of the mucous membranes. If the animal is 

 actually choking, perform tracheotomy immediately, then endeavor 

 to tlislodge the foreign body and if this is not successful laryngotomy is 

 indicated. 



Chronic Catarrh of the Larynx. 



{Chronic Laryngitis; Convulsive Cough; Chronic Irritable Cough.) 



Etiology. — Chronic laryngitis generally results from one or repeated 

 acute attacks of laryngitis, or from chronic catarrh of some of the other 

 organs of the air-passages; the pharynx, trachea, or bronchi, etc. It 

 may also follow swelling or ulceration of the pharynx, or from the forma- 

 tion of a tumor in that organ. 



Pathological Anatomy. — The mucous membrane is thickened, but 

 not so red as in acute laryngitis; it is marked with fissures and elevations 

 due to thickening, caused by the chronic inflammatory processes; and here 

 and there may be noticed a dirty bluish-red coloration. The surface is 

 granular, on account of the swelling of the inflamed mucous glands; in rare 

 cases, we may see small papilliform elevations or small eroded or ulcerated 

 places which mark a breaking-down of some of the mucous glands; the 

 secretion which covers the aff^ected parts is thick, slimy, and tenacious. 



Clinical Symptoms. — The symptoms are similar to acute laryngitis 

 except that they are not so severe; the larynx is slightly sensitive to pres- 

 sure, sho\\ing that some irritation is present; the animal will cough after 

 manipulation, but not to such a marked degree, and he does not try to get 

 away from the pressure, as Would be the case in the acute form, and 

 there is no disturbance of the general system. The cough sounds dry, 

 hoarse, and rough, sometimes moist, and is frequent, quite loud, and ac- 

 companied by a wheezy inspiratory sound, with, in rare instances, retch- 

 ing or even emesis, night being the time it is mostly heard, or when the 

 animal runs about and plays and he is going to be taken out for a run. 

 In some cases the cough resembles the whooping cough of children (tussis 

 convulsiva). As a rule the respiration is not increased, but in chronic 

 cases where one attack follows another the respiration is greatly in- 

 creased with the slightest exertion. Some animals make a wheezy noise 

 as though there was a decided contraction of the larynx. This latter 

 condition may continue for years, and the cough in particular is con- 

 stantly present. 



Therapeutics. — As a rule, the treatment of this disease is unsatis- 

 factory; this, of course, depends to a large extent on the animal. Being 

 removed from the conditions that have originally caused the disease, the 

 first thing to do is to keep the animal indoors, perfectly quiet and pro- 



