PREVENTION, SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENT x ,g 



antiseptic, as lysol in half-ounce doses daily, may be given in ball. 



Acute Gastritis of Cattle, Rumenitis, Reticulitis, 

 Omasitis, Abomasitis. — This refers more properly to acute in- 

 flammation of the abomasum, or true stomach, which is the most 

 susceptible of the compartments to irritants, but may be applied 

 to inflammation of all the compartments. Gastritis is caused by 

 irritants, as very hot or cold water, fermented or spoiled food, 

 over-feeding, toxic plants, and is secondary to acute infections. 

 Differentiation from indigestion depends chiefly on the existence 

 of fever and marked local tenderness with loss of appetite, rumina- 

 tion, and peristalsis over the inflamed organ; slight tympanites 

 and thirst. When the abomasum is the seat there is more often 

 colic, moaning, and the flatus has an onion-like odor. Localized 

 tenderness on pressure depends on the compartment chiefly affected 

 — over the left lower abdominal region when the seat is the rumen ;. 

 if the reticulum, the under part of belly just behind the sternum; 

 if the omasum, on the lower half of the belly directly behind the 

 ribs on the right side (along the free border of the right, false 

 ribs; above and to the right of the reticulum) ; if of the abomasum,. 

 the tenderness, beginning at the cartilages of the false ribs on the 

 right, continues along the lower abdominal segment. 



Treatment. — This consists in removing the cause and favoring 

 rest of the organ, with first local soothing and then stimulating 

 remedies. A fly blister may be applied over the affected stomach 

 and venesection (2-4 qts.), if fever is high and symptoms very acute 

 in abomasitis. Rapidly acting cathartics, as eserine, gr. i, with 

 pilocarpine, gr. ii to iii, may be given under the skin. The diet is 

 of chief importance — linseed tea, cooked gruels of cereals, oat- 

 meal, barley, etc., milk, and bran mashes, with a little hay to stimu- 

 late rumination. Daily doses of Glauber's or Carlsbad salts, with 

 enemata, should be used to empty the digestive tract. During con- 

 valescence nux vomica is in order, one to two drams of the powder 

 or fluidextract twice daily on the food. 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



