ASCITES IN RUMINANTS. 



Causes : as in horse, tuberculosis, in sheep distomatosis, chills when 

 heated and fatigued. Symptoms : pot-belly, fluctuating on percussion, gives 

 flat sound, debility, pallid mucosae, sunken eyes, superficial dropsies on 

 belly, in limbs, and under jaw, in distomatosis, great emaciation, weakness, 

 paperskin, ova of distoma in fasces. Diagnosis : from ruptured bladder by 

 passage of urine, and perhaps by sex, and absence of urinous odor in liquid, 

 from hydrometra by fluctuation over whole belly. Lesions : those of soli- 

 peds, also tubercles or enlarged gall ducts with distomata. Treatment : as 

 for solipeds. Tuberculosis demands separation or destruction, distomatosis, 

 prevention. 



Causes. These are in the main those which operate in the 

 horse and need not be repeated. In cattle, however, the affection 

 is to a large extent the result of abdominal tuberculosis, while in 

 sheep it is a constant result of advanced distomatosis. Gelle says 

 it is common in working oxen, which are turned out, hot and 

 perspiring, to pass the night in cold and wet. 



Symptoms. The belly is enlarged and pendent, bulging out 

 back of the ribs, with fluctuation and dullness on percussion. 

 The animal is in very low condition, the mucosae pale or yellow- 

 ish white, the eyes dull and sunken, panting and palpitations 

 may be roused on the least exertion, and swellings often appear 

 along the lower aspect of the body and between the branches of 

 the lower jaw. In distomatosis it is common to find dropsy of 

 the chest, pallor and attenuation of the skin, complete absence 

 of the subcutaneous fat (paperskin), and great emaciation and 

 weakness. Ova of the distoma can be found in the fseces. (See 

 distomatosis). By turning the sheep on its back or setting it up 

 on its croup the percussion dullness will be made to shift, always 

 to the dependent part of the abdomen. 



Diagnosis. From rupture of the bladder it is distinguished, 

 by its occurrence in females as well as males, by the absence of 

 fever, and of the complete suppression of urine and emptiness 

 and tenderness of the bladder which characterize the latter. 

 I,iquid drawn from the abdomen has no urinous odor. From 

 hydro-metra, pyometra, and hydramnios it is distinguished by 

 the fact that the water accumulates in the lower part of the 

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