90 DISEASES OF THE MOUTH 



leaving behind erosions which usually heal in about a week. 

 In some cases the eruption may extend to the skin about the 

 mouth and nose. The patient is usually "mouth shy," 

 slobbers, shows impaired appetite or is unable to nurse. 



In the ox blisters from the size of a dime to a half dollar 

 piece occur on the dental pad. These erupt leaving behind 

 dark red, painful erosions which in two or three days are 

 covered with new epithelium. The patient shows salivation 

 and smacking of the lips. 



Course. — The course is rapid and benign. 



Diagnosis. — In the horse vesicular stomatitis might be 

 confused with contagious pustular stomatitis. In the 

 latter, however, pustules appear the eruption of which occurs 

 simultaneously and frequently involves the external skin of 

 the nostrils and lips. In the ox the disease is distinguished 

 from foot-and-mouth disease by its non-infectiveness (animal 

 inoculation), and the absence of fever and foot lesions. 



Treatment. — ^The same as in catarrhal stomatitis. 



Aphthous Stomatitis. — Definition. — In human medicine 

 aphtha is a term used to express an inflammation of the mouth 

 characterized by the formation of small, superficial ulcers on 

 the mucous membrane. In veterinary medicine it is often 

 employed to designate vesicles in the buccal mucosa. Here 

 the term aphtha expresses the presence of a fibrinous false 

 membrane due to infection, resting upon a comparatively 

 intact mucous membrane. The following two diseases are 

 considered aphthous: 



■ Aphthous Stomatitis of Sucklings. — ^Definition. — An infec- 

 tious disease characterized by the development of fibrinous 

 pseudomembranes on the inflamed mucosa of the mouth. 



Occurrence. — ^The disease occurs among calves, kids, lambs 

 and foals. It is much less frequent after weaning. It 

 usually appears enzootically. 



Etiology. — ^While undoubtedly due to infection the specific 

 germ has not yet been isolated. Short streptococci and 

 Gram-positive cocci have been isolated from the pseudo- 

 membrane. Healthy lambs inoculated with pure cultures 

 developed stomatitis. The disease is most common in 

 neglected sucklings kept in unsanitary quarters. 



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