Gratiular Venereal Disease of Cows 1097 



the finger tips. In some cases the granules may remain hidden 

 for even a longer period of time. In pyometra, following abor- 

 tion or retained placenta, the vulvar mucosa may remain edema- 

 tous and swollen for a long period of time, and the granules 

 scarcely, if at all visible. According to our observations, the in- 

 jection of the genital mucosa, just prior and subsequent to partu- 

 rition or abortion, is more intense, and the tissues are darker 

 and are usually more swollen than at the same period in 

 healthy cows. 



The invisibility of the granules during the parturient state is 

 significant and important. Failure to recognize the fact may lead 

 to overlooking the disease, especially in cases of abortion and re- 

 tained placenta, and cause the veterinarian to render a false diag- 

 nosis. The error in diagnosis tempts the veterinarian to conclude 

 that the malady has no important relation to abortion, because 

 the cows which show the granules in abundance do not abort, 

 and those which do abort show no granules immediately before 

 or after abortion. If the disease exists in the herd, and the vet- 

 erinarian is called to attend an animal for abortion or retained 

 placenta, he should tentatively regard the patient as infected with 

 granular venereal disease, and handle the case accordingly. Later, 

 when the puerperal edema vanishes, the granules will generally 

 become evident and verify the diagnosis. 



The symptoms in the bull are far less conspicuous than in the 

 cow. This has led some veterinarians to conclude that the bull 

 is immune to the disease and acts only as a passive bearer of the 

 infection from cow to cow through coition. Others observe 

 catarrhal inflammation of the genital mucosa, with muco-puru- 

 lent dischage from the prepuce. The penis of the bull is not 

 freely open to deliberate inspection. We have noted very marked 

 muco-purulent discharges, which disappear under antiseptic irri- 

 gations. The penis seems enlarged, and the mucosa injected and 

 roughened. In some cases, ecchymoses about the preputial ring 

 are very evident. In one herd, the herdsman complained that 

 the bulls became lethargic and were slow to copulate. 



The diagnosis in the cow needs offer little or no difficulty. As 

 in other diseases, so in this, an individual case may be question- 

 able, but in a herd where it prevails, with the exception of preg- 

 nant animals near to parturition or abortion, or during the puer- 



