INDIGESTION OF THE FOURTH STOMACH IN 

 THE YOUNG. 



Causes : Symptoms : Dullness, recumbency, inappetence, colic, acid 

 eructations, abdominal tension, costiveness, diarrhoea, emaciation. Lesions : 

 Sour coagula in stomach, pufiy or congested mucosa, undigested casein in 

 bowels and faeces. Prevention as in infective gastro enteritis. Treatment : 

 Elimination, antacid, antiseptic, carminative, stimulant, rennet. 



While the fourth stomach in the mature animal is protected 

 against danger by the preparatory work of the first three, and by 

 their action in retarding the food in its progress, and allowing it 

 to pass into the fourth only when thoroughly comminuted and 

 then only in small quantity at a time ; in the suckling on the 

 other hand the milk passes at once into the abomasum, which is 

 thus rendered as susceptible as in the monogastric animal. 



Causes. The causes are almost identical with those set forth 

 under infective gastro-enteritis of the suckling, acting however 

 with less force, or on a less susceptible system. Overloading and 

 the resulting paresis ; unsuitable milk from another genus, or 

 from unhealthy, over-worked, or over-fed specimens of the same 

 genus ; the ingestion of hard, insoluble, indigestible or toxic 

 aliments, and exposure to cold and wet are among the most com- 

 mon direct causes. As secondary causes are over-feeding of the 

 cows, and bringing up the calves on the pail with all kinds of 

 substitutes for the milk of the mother. 



Symptoms. Dullness, lack of sportiveness and of appetite. 

 The patient lies down a good deal, but is nervous or restless, and 

 when up shows colicy pains by movements of the tail and hind 

 limbs. He may moan gently or bellow frequently. The muzzle 

 is dry, the mouth clammy, hot and sour, the abdominal muscles 

 rigid and the belly often somewhat swollen, and resonant on 

 percussion. Acid eructations are common. At first there is 

 costiveness, but in a few hours diarrhoea sets in and usualty proves 

 critical, clearing away the offensive and irritant materials and 

 paving the way for recovery. The tension of the belly lessens, 

 by degrees, the appetite returns, the bowels resume their normal 

 tone and in twenty-four or forty-eight hours health may be fully 

 restored. 

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