PERSISTENT ANOREXIA 45 



PERSISTENT ANOREXIA 



This seems perhaps an odd. name. Anorexia or lack 

 of appetite usually is only one of the symptoms of a 

 disease. In the condition I am about to speak of, 

 anorexia is the whole disease and the whole symptom- 

 atology. 



These are aggravating cases for the veterinarian. 

 To the owner the case appears very simple; the cow 

 ''just won't eat anything." Nothing else of an ab- 

 normal nature can be seen. Cases have been reported 

 in which the inappetence or anorexia persisted for two 

 weeks without any evidence of other disease or a sign 

 upon which to base a diagnosis. 



In my own experience I have never been able to 

 make a definite diagnosis in these cases, and other 

 experienced practitioners with whom I have discussed 

 this subject make the same confession. The cow 

 simply (and merely, and only, and every other which 

 way) won't eat. That is all. Examine her as care- 

 fully and as thoroughly as you can and you disclose 

 absolutely nothing else which will help you in diag- 

 nosis. For this reason I know of no better name for 

 the condition than that of ''persistent anorexia." 



Because the loss of appetite is the only symptom, 

 the owner usually does not call the veterinarian in 

 until the case has been running along two or three 

 days. In any other disease than a case of persistent 

 anorexia the cow would have developed more or less 

 positive signs pointing to the nature of the trouble 

 in such a period of time. In persistent anorexia, how- 

 ever, nothing has developed. The owner tells you she 

 has not eaten for so and so long and she won't eat 

 now. AVhen you get through with your examination, 



