PRINCIPLES OF VETERINARY SURGERY 607 



emaciation. The hair is prickly, discolored, and bristly; the 

 skin is dry, hard and bound; and the eye is sunken. 



The permanent decumbency for whole days causes der- 

 mal sores which become infected and produce febrile com- 

 plications. The milk secretion lessens and then becomes 

 entirely exhausted, and is at all times watery. In the ad- 

 vanced stages of pregnancy, miscarriages sometimes occur. 

 The general condition becomes worse and worse. So great 

 is the emaciation and anaemia that the patients are unable 

 to rise ; they are almost paralyzed. When urged they rise 

 on the fore-legs, the posterior part of the body remaining 

 upon the floor, and it is only after several efforts that they 

 are able to regain the standing position. 



The affection becomes aggravated by degrees and the 

 osseous lesions become progressively accentuated. The 

 bones become less resistant, and the decalcification ends in 

 deformities, but more frequently in fractures, which may 

 occur in any part of the skeleton from such slight causes as 

 -a fall. when attempting to rise, a slip, a delivery, etc. The 

 fractures are located in the diaphyses of the long bones. 

 They may be found in the posterior limbs and in the pelvis, 

 which causes dropping of the hip and depression of the 

 coxo-femoral articulation. The seat of the fracture may be 

 difficult to locate and they are liable to occur at any point— 

 the ribs from decubitus, the vertebral column from slipping, 

 or in any part of the extremities. The fractures are always 

 numerous, but are not accompanied with hsemorrhagic ef- 

 fusions and show little tendency to reunite. The osseous 

 ends become smooth instead of forming a callus, showing" ^ 

 clearly the poverty of calcium salts and the feeble reactive 

 property of the tissues. The ends of the fracture may pene- 

 trate the skin, and sometimes the tendons tear away from 

 their attachments. 



Deformities without fractures are rarer and are only 



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