336 ACUTE GENERAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES 



Course. — ^The course is usually very rapid, leading to death 

 in from twelve to forty-eight hours. The sooner after birth 

 the symptoms appear the more fatal and rapid the course. 

 Occasional cases may linger as long as a week. 



Prognosis. — ^Bad. Mortality 90 per cent. Recovery fol- 

 lows a protracted convalescence and results in an unthrifty 

 calf (chronic pneumonic lesions). 



Treatment. — ^Medicinal treatment is usually worse than 

 useless, as it rarely prevents death, and encourages the further 

 spread of the disease. Ordinarily it pays to kill the infected 

 suckling and render its carcass harmless by cremation or deep 

 burial. When an outbreak occurs every effort should be 

 made to eradicate the infected sources by a thorough disin- 

 fection of the barn, hind parts and genitals of the dam before 

 and after parturition, and the navel stump of the newborn 

 animals, if it still be healthy. All fecal discharges should be 

 removed and sterilized with a 2 per cent, formaldehyd solu- 

 tion. The stable partitions, mangers,^ floors, should be 

 thoroughly disinfected and, if possible, given a coat of white- 

 wash. The after-birth, dead sucklings, and postpartum 

 vaginal discharges should be completely destroyed. The 

 vagina of the dam should be douched with a warm solution of 

 2 per cent, carbolic acid, the external genitals, buttocks, 

 tail, and udder being also washed with the antiseptic. The 

 navel of the newborn animal should not be ligated, but before 

 it has had an opportunity to become infected, covered with 

 some astringent, antiseptic powder which will aid its desicca- 

 tion. The meconium is best removed by the colostral milk 

 of the dam, but before sucking is permitted, the udder and 

 teats should be disinfected with a nonpoisonous antiseptic 

 (creolin) . Hand-fed sucklings should be allowed the colostral 

 milk for the first two days. To prevent outbreaks in con- 

 taminated premises it is recommended to remove the pregnant 

 dams to uninfected places at least six weeks before parturi- 

 tion. As the infection seems to be retained in the genital 

 passages for some time a shorter period does not suflace. 



' If the floor is earth it should be removed to the depth of at least one 

 foot and then filled in with fresh clay. 



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