DISEASES OF NEWBORN ANIMALS 341 



Stomach and Bowels. — The principal symptoms are 

 loss of appetite, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. The feces 

 are like those described under dysentery of newborn animals. 



Spinal Cord. — ^When the cord is invaded by metastatic 

 abscesses, symptoms of paraplegia appear. These may come 

 on suddenly or gradually and follow a period of apparent 

 recovery. In some cases of spinal paralysis the preceding 

 navel symptoms may have been entirely overlooked. 



Brain. — The patient is usually very dull and uncon- 

 scious of its surroundings. It may show forced movements, 

 spasms, and convulsions, opisthotonos, wry-neck, and paral- 

 ysis. 



Diagnosis. — Generally not difficult. When diarrhea is 

 present, a differentiation between joint ill and dysentery is 

 impossible. If the navel is intact and joint swellings are 

 absent, the diagnosis could be made only by a knowledge 

 that the disease exists on the premises (other sucklings 

 showing a more characteristic form of the disease) . 



Course. — Pera'cute cases die in twelve to forty-eight hours. 

 In the acute, septicemic form the patients die in two or three 

 days. In subacute cases, especially when the infection 

 occurred late after birth, the navel infection remains local 

 and eventually heals, the patient under proper treatment 

 recovering in two to three weeks. Chronic (lung) cases may 

 last one to two months. If the abscesses in the lungs or liver 

 become fully encapsuled, recovery may even take place. 



Prognosis. — Depending on the age attacked and the form 

 the disease assumes, the mortality will vary greatly. It 

 is higher in colts than in calves, relatively more resistant to 

 pus infections. Fully 60 to 90 per cent. die. Most sucklings 

 which do recover remain stunted and do not "do well" for 

 naonths after the attack (internal abscesses). In cases of 

 joint affection in colts, if the suppuration is mild, recovery is 

 common. When general symptoms appear the prognosis is 

 bad. Bowel symptoms (diarrhea) generally promptly lead to 

 death. 



Treatment. — ^An internal treatment is useless. When gen- 

 eral septicemia is present the patient is beyond aid. The 

 most rational treatment is surgical and applied to the primary 



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