94^ Veterinary Obstetrics 



on page 902 as a sequel to puerperal infection. Such arthritis 

 cannot be differentiated from that arising from septic inflamma- 

 tion of the uterus, except it occurs at a time when the uterine 

 avenue of infection may be excluded. 



3. Paretic lameness or paralysis occasionally accompanies 

 mammitis, and appears in two somewhat distinct forms. 



a. Acute mammary gangrene with acute septicaemia fre- 

 quently causes rapid and complete paralysis of the posterior 

 portions of the body. 



In particularly stormy mammitis with gangrene, complete par- 

 alysis has sometimes been the first symptom observed by the 

 owner. During the night, or other interval without observation,, 

 other preliminary symptoms may have come and gone, and when 

 first observed the cow is prostrate and unable to rise. 



b. Mammary toxsemia or pseudo-parturient paresis may 

 occur in very mild, insidious cases of mammitis. Ere the 

 owner or veterinarian realizes or suspects serious consequences, 

 the cow goes down, is more or less completely paralyzed, her 

 temperature may be sub-normal, and more or less marked coma 

 may appear. Two facts serve to differentiate this from parturient 

 paresis. It occurs, or may occur, four to six weeks after partu- 

 rition, perhaps in an animal not a good subject for parturient 

 paresis, and a history of the case will reveal the existence of a 

 more or less evident mammitis. According to our observation 

 the mammitis in such cases has been of a very mild type, slight 

 swelling, the disease apparently confined chiefly to the milk 

 cistern and ducts and accompanied by well marked, though not 

 extreme, changes in the secretions of the affected quarter. The 

 milk had for a few hours been thin, wheyey and flocculent, but 

 not fetid. 



Apparently such paralysis is due to toxsemia from the absorp- 

 tion of bacterial products from the diseased udder. In one case 

 observed by us, inflation of the udder. with oxygen promptly 

 overcame the paralysis and coma, and. apparently also disinfected 

 the diseased quarter. 



The local symptoms of mammitis consist essentially of the 

 cardinal symptoms of inflammation, with the various conse- 

 quences of inflammation in these tissues. 



Heat is usually a prominent symptom in the affected quarter, 

 and is very readily recognized by the sense of touch, especially 



