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A Complicated case in a Mare—Recovery
The Veterinary Journal. l ast place, we may h ave normal in vagination of all parts of the cloaca, we may have a complete transverse eptum subdividing the cloaca into anus a nd valva, yet there may be an a rrest of the development of the intestine backwards; so that the gut does not nearly touch the cloaca. Th e n we have a true case of imperforate anus.
A COMPLICATED CASE IN A MARE-RECOVERY. BY JOSEPH N. CARTER, F.R .C.V.S., BURN LEY.
THE subj ect of my communication was that of a well-bred mare, aged about 17 years, the property of Messrs. John Taylor & Co., wine and spirit merchants, Burnley, the history of which cannot, I think, but prove interesting to the veterinarian on account of the rapid succession of changes of a grave nature that ensued during treatmen t, which 1 must confess, were somewhat perplexing to account for, and I must leave it for some of my more enlightened brother practitioners to unravel the mystery attached thereto. July 4th, 7 ·45 p.m., received a message to visit the mare in question. Being out at the time, my assistant, \ovho received the message, went at once, and upon his arrival examined the animal, and after careful enquiry, was informed that the mare had done a good day' s work, and re turn ed to th e stable about 7 p.m., and then, to all appearances was quite cheerful, and nothing was noticed amiss until about 7.2 0 p.m., when it was found she had not eaten up her fe ed . She would take a mouthful, look back, and occasionally scrape with her fore feet. Pulse and temperature normal, no perceptible injection of visible mucous membranes. Came to the conclusion that it was simply a case of spasmodic colic, and at once administered a colic draught and hypodermic inj ection of morphia. In a short time patient ·seemed much better, and r emained quite easy for som e three h ours, when the atte ndants were about to lock up the stable and leave for the night, when she again shewed signs of uneasiness. 'Ne were again sent for, and being at home myself when the second m essage arrived, I at once set out, and arrived about 11.30 p.m . Found mare very uneasy, standing over r epeatedly from s id e to side ot s tall; body dry but d eathly cold; would persist in nihbling away at some clean b edding, scraping occasionally. Mucous membran e illj ected. Pulse 60; t emperature 1 0 1, with repeated eructations after swallowing, and peculiar muscular twitchings of the body. My greatest fear was rupture of the stomach, and I, under the circumstancGs, abstained from g iving
A Comp licated Case in a jlfare-Recovery.
17 1
medici ne per oram, and contented myself with hypodermic inj ection of morphia m . xl., and left h er for an h our, a nd returned about 1 a .m . Found mare easier; remained a short tim e whe n shE" again commenced being uneasy, showing abd~minal pai ns; at once gave instructions for the application of woollen rugs wrung out of boiling water. My orders w er e carried out in a most praiseworthy manner, there b eing about h alf-a-dozen me n in attendance. These hot rugs were applied a nd re-a pplied e very few minutes for two h ours without intermission . She was then wisped down from h ead to foot, applied a little ammonia liniment to abdomen, a nd weli rugged up. She still continued to show s light uneasiness. I remain ed in att e ndance until 4 a .m., when I retired to my b ed until 8 a.m. JUly 5tlt.- Found mare v ery r es tless, boring h ead into corn er of stall against rack. Upon examination, found the head badly bruised a nd bleeding; pulse slow and wiry; t emperature 10 1 A; pupil of eye dilated; stertorous breathin g . All eructation s a nd muscular twitchin gs of body subsided. I con tinued to watch my p atient' s b ehaviour fo r a little tim e, and came t o the conclusion I h ad cerebral mischief n ow to contend with. I had some sacks well stuffed with straw, and placed in such a position as to prevent furth er injury to the head; had a vinegar cloth applied t o the voll, a nd administered cathartic ball. Called again 1 2 a.m . ; found mare standing, propped with outstretched legs, quite blind, in fact in a comple te s tate of co ma. Pul e very slow and weak ; t emperature 103; h ead bored into corner; paddling about; extremely weak on her legs; expecting h er fall ing over and expiring a ny minute. 3 p.m.-To my a ston ishment, found mare alive. Not quite so restless; paroxysm s not so frequ ent and of less intensity; pul se 72 , temperature 1 02 . Had · no m ovement of bowels si n ce commencement of disease. Gave ene ma of soap and water a nd 01. lini one pint. 5 p.m.-Improveme nt maintained, thoug h at times a little un easy; stron ger on l egs. Administered ball containin g belladonna and pot. brom o Pulse and t e mpera ture about sam e. 8 p.m.-Mare in semi- con,;cio us stat e ; t aken a little sloppy mash of bran an~ linseed, a nd about a quart of luke-warm water; bowels stIll confined. Adm inistered ball as b efore. Had the partition taken down and made a roomy loose box an ~ plenty of good dry b edding put down to encourage mar~ to h e down.
The Veter£nary lournal. 10 p.m.-Walking about; consciousness quite restored. Pulse 72, temperature 102. No response to physic and enema, but had micturated four times since last vi~it (two hours before). Remained with my patient until I a.m.; before leaving administered ball containing belladonna. ammon. carb., and nux vomica, and left one to b e given about 6 a.m. JUly 6th, q a.m.-Still improving; eaten a little mash and passed a little dung. I p.m.-About same. Pulse 64, temperature 10 2 . Had her walked out a few minutes in the street. Administered ball as before. 7 p.m.-Mare very dull. Pulse 72, temperature lOll I 1.30 p.m.-About same; very dull and listless. Pulse 64. temperature 102. Administered a stimulant and left h er, only to be knocked out of bed at 2 . 30 a.m. Mare been down for the first time since she started, and rolling as if in great pain. Pulse and temperature about same as last visit. Shows signs of distress. No further movement of bowels. Gave hypodermic injection-morphia m. xL, and I gr. sulph. eserine, and en ema of glycerine 8 OZ; in a short time get relief. JUly 7th, 10.3 0 a .m.-Mare ea sy; takes a little g rass out ot hand greedily; bowels still confined. Raked her and removed a small quantity of very dry f
A Compl£cated Case zn a Mare-Recovery.
I
73
I I p.m.-Mare had three natural motions of pultaceous freces. July 8th, 4 a.m.-Called out of bed, mare very uneasy, wanting to lie down and in endeavouring to d o so, instantly jumps up b efore really rf~ aching the ground as if in the g reatest pain, scraping with feet. Pulse 80, temperature 102t. No further motion since last visit. Enema as before with long pipe. Hypodermic injection morphia m , 1. and ball containing bellado. chI or. hyd. 10.30 a.m.- Mare easy. raked her, and removed small quantity of soft dung. Pulse 84, temperature 1 0 1. Apoplectic co ndition of bowel and had to conduct enema pipe with g reat care and inj ected ol.lini one pint, and glyc. b ell ad. 2 ozs. 5.30 p.m.- Mare visibly growing we<:t.ker, refuses all food. Pulse 92, temperature 102! . 1 1.30 p.m.- Mare somewhat brighter, no further motion of bowels. Pulse and t emperature about same, shows si gns of uneasiness occasionally, so again had the hot blankets applied for three hours without intermission. Administ ered ball as before. Enema with long pipe and h ypodermic inj ection of morphia m. 1. at 2 a .m., and left her easier at 2.35 a.m. July 9th, 10 a .m.-Mare had a fairly good night. Pulse 72, t emperature lOOt, no movement of bowels, ball as b efore, and enema this tim e with 01. t erebinth I oz. added. 2 . 30 p.m.-Mare about same, takes a little gruel, a nd also nibbles at grass . 9.30 p.m.-Mare much a s b efore but had a good motion about five o'clock, inserted hand in rectum and found it much dilated and full of watery freces. J uly roth, 1 0 a.m. -Mare much improved, had two motions d uring the night. Pulse 60, temperature 100 . Administered nerve tonic b all. 1 0 p. m. - Improvement maintain ed. Pulse and t emperature same, does a lot of grinding of t eeth, from what cause I canno t say. July 11th, 9 a.m.-Mare still improving . Pulse 52, t emp erature 100 , eating b etter, taken some hay tea greedily, administered tonic ball. 1 0 p.m.-Much about same in every way, grinds t eeth less freque ntly, ball as b efore, had several motions. July [2th, 9.30 a.m.-Mar e not so brig ht. Pulse 60, t ern", per ature roof . Administered n erve tonic ball. 8·30 p.m.-Appears more ch eerful, dung assuming more natura l consistency. Pulse 56, t emperature roo!. Adminis-
The Veter£nary /ournal.
174
tered ball containing ammon. carbo and nux vomica and gentian, ceased g rinding of teeth, eating well. I attended my patient until July 17th, when she was discharged cured, and is now working every day, and appears none the worse tor h er illness. Was ita case of acute indigestion, followed by coma and stoppage ?
ENTERITIS IN A DOG, ACCOMPANIED BY RABIFORM SYMPTOMS. BY F.
J. WILSON, ESQ., M.R.C.V.S., HUDDERSFIELD.
ON August 6th I was called to see an Airedale t errier that was suspected of being rabid . For a day or two the dog was noticed to be a little stran ge in its behaviour, running about, snapping at things, a nd hiding under chairs and tables. Having got out, it ran into a wash-house, where it was locked up. Here it was observed to b eha ve in the same manner, snappin g aimlessly at imaginary objects, but not howling or showing other symptom s of pain. The owner thought that it was a little lam e. It refused all food . It died three days after being shut up, without developing a ny further symptoms. On post mortem, all the organs were found to be h ealthy except the intestines. There was a complete ab sence of food in the stomach and bowels. On examining the brain, the ventricles were filled with fluid, the membranes being slightly congested. The condition of the intestines was remarkable. The mucous membrane was red in colour, thickened, and studded all over with little e minences. They could he distinctly felt under the finger, and appeared to be confined to the mucous coat. They were about the size of No. I shot. They were most numerous in the colon, and were found in decreasing numbers almost as far as the anus. On examination of these raised places each was found to have a depression Or crack in the top, looking like an erosion of the epithelium. . . I have h ad a few su ch cases before, but have .never seen any sh owing such pronounced symptoms as this one. My impression (which has been confirm ed by Principal ~Ti1liams), was that the disease was of an infect ious nature, and that it belonged to one of the many ill-understood forms of intestinal mycosis.
A COMPLICATED CASE IN A MARE-RECOVERY. BY JOSEPH N. CARTER, F.R .C.V.S., BURN LEY.
THE subj ect of my communication was that of a well-bred mare, aged about 17 years, the property of Messrs. John Taylor & Co., wine and spirit merchants, Burnley, the history of which cannot, I think, but prove interesting to the veterinarian on account of the rapid succession of changes of a grave nature that ensued during treatmen t, which 1 must confess, were somewhat perplexing to account for, and I must leave it for some of my more enlightened brother practitioners to unravel the mystery attached thereto. July 4th, 7 ·45 p.m., received a message to visit the mare in question. Being out at the time, my assistant, \ovho received the message, went at once, and upon his arrival examined the animal, and after careful enquiry, was informed that the mare had done a good day' s work, and re turn ed to th e stable about 7 p.m., and then, to all appearances was quite cheerful, and nothing was noticed amiss until about 7.2 0 p.m., when it was found she had not eaten up her fe ed . She would take a mouthful, look back, and occasionally scrape with her fore feet. Pulse and temperature normal, no perceptible injection of visible mucous membranes. Came to the conclusion that it was simply a case of spasmodic colic, and at once administered a colic draught and hypodermic inj ection of morphia. In a short time patient ·seemed much better, and r emained quite easy for som e three h ours, when the atte ndants were about to lock up the stable and leave for the night, when she again shewed signs of uneasiness. 'Ne were again sent for, and being at home myself when the second m essage arrived, I at once set out, and arrived about 11.30 p.m . Found mare very uneasy, standing over r epeatedly from s id e to side ot s tall; body dry but d eathly cold; would persist in nihbling away at some clean b edding, scraping occasionally. Mucous membran e illj ected. Pulse 60; t emperature 1 0 1, with repeated eructations after swallowing, and peculiar muscular twitchings of the body. My greatest fear was rupture of the stomach, and I, under the circumstancGs, abstained from g iving
A Comp licated Case in a jlfare-Recovery.
17 1
medici ne per oram, and contented myself with hypodermic inj ection of morphia m . xl., and left h er for an h our, a nd returned about 1 a .m . Found mare easier; remained a short tim e whe n shE" again commenced being uneasy, showing abd~minal pai ns; at once gave instructions for the application of woollen rugs wrung out of boiling water. My orders w er e carried out in a most praiseworthy manner, there b eing about h alf-a-dozen me n in attendance. These hot rugs were applied a nd re-a pplied e very few minutes for two h ours without intermission . She was then wisped down from h ead to foot, applied a little ammonia liniment to abdomen, a nd weli rugged up. She still continued to show s light uneasiness. I remain ed in att e ndance until 4 a .m., when I retired to my b ed until 8 a.m. JUly 5tlt.- Found mare v ery r es tless, boring h ead into corn er of stall against rack. Upon examination, found the head badly bruised a nd bleeding; pulse slow and wiry; t emperature 10 1 A; pupil of eye dilated; stertorous breathin g . All eructation s a nd muscular twitchin gs of body subsided. I con tinued to watch my p atient' s b ehaviour fo r a little tim e, and came t o the conclusion I h ad cerebral mischief n ow to contend with. I had some sacks well stuffed with straw, and placed in such a position as to prevent furth er injury to the head; had a vinegar cloth applied t o the voll, a nd administered cathartic ball. Called again 1 2 a.m . ; found mare standing, propped with outstretched legs, quite blind, in fact in a comple te s tate of co ma. Pul e very slow and weak ; t emperature 103; h ead bored into corner; paddling about; extremely weak on her legs; expecting h er fall ing over and expiring a ny minute. 3 p.m.-To my a ston ishment, found mare alive. Not quite so restless; paroxysm s not so frequ ent and of less intensity; pul se 72 , temperature 1 02 . Had · no m ovement of bowels si n ce commencement of disease. Gave ene ma of soap and water a nd 01. lini one pint. 5 p.m.-Improveme nt maintained, thoug h at times a little un easy; stron ger on l egs. Administered ball containin g belladonna and pot. brom o Pulse and t e mpera ture about sam e. 8 p.m.-Mare in semi- con,;cio us stat e ; t aken a little sloppy mash of bran an~ linseed, a nd about a quart of luke-warm water; bowels stIll confined. Adm inistered ball as b efore. Had the partition taken down and made a roomy loose box an ~ plenty of good dry b edding put down to encourage mar~ to h e down.
The Veter£nary lournal. 10 p.m.-Walking about; consciousness quite restored. Pulse 72, temperature 102. No response to physic and enema, but had micturated four times since last vi~it (two hours before). Remained with my patient until I a.m.; before leaving administered ball containing belladonna. ammon. carb., and nux vomica, and left one to b e given about 6 a.m. JUly 6th, q a.m.-Still improving; eaten a little mash and passed a little dung. I p.m.-About same. Pulse 64, temperature 10 2 . Had her walked out a few minutes in the street. Administered ball as before. 7 p.m.-Mare very dull. Pulse 72, temperature lOll I 1.30 p.m.-About same; very dull and listless. Pulse 64. temperature 102. Administered a stimulant and left h er, only to be knocked out of bed at 2 . 30 a.m. Mare been down for the first time since she started, and rolling as if in great pain. Pulse and temperature about same as last visit. Shows signs of distress. No further movement of bowels. Gave hypodermic injection-morphia m. xL, and I gr. sulph. eserine, and en ema of glycerine 8 OZ; in a short time get relief. JUly 7th, 10.3 0 a .m.-Mare ea sy; takes a little g rass out ot hand greedily; bowels still confined. Raked her and removed a small quantity of very dry f
A Compl£cated Case zn a Mare-Recovery.
I
73
I I p.m.-Mare had three natural motions of pultaceous freces. July 8th, 4 a.m.-Called out of bed, mare very uneasy, wanting to lie down and in endeavouring to d o so, instantly jumps up b efore really rf~ aching the ground as if in the g reatest pain, scraping with feet. Pulse 80, temperature 102t. No further motion since last visit. Enema as before with long pipe. Hypodermic injection morphia m , 1. and ball containing bellado. chI or. hyd. 10.30 a.m.- Mare easy. raked her, and removed small quantity of soft dung. Pulse 84, temperature 1 0 1. Apoplectic co ndition of bowel and had to conduct enema pipe with g reat care and inj ected ol.lini one pint, and glyc. b ell ad. 2 ozs. 5.30 p.m.- Mare visibly growing we<:t.ker, refuses all food. Pulse 92, temperature 102! . 1 1.30 p.m.- Mare somewhat brighter, no further motion of bowels. Pulse and t emperature about same, shows si gns of uneasiness occasionally, so again had the hot blankets applied for three hours without intermission. Administ ered ball as before. Enema with long pipe and h ypodermic inj ection of morphia m. 1. at 2 a .m., and left her easier at 2.35 a.m. July 9th, 10 a .m.-Mare had a fairly good night. Pulse 72, t emperature lOOt, no movement of bowels, ball as b efore, and enema this tim e with 01. t erebinth I oz. added. 2 . 30 p.m.-Mare about same, takes a little gruel, a nd also nibbles at grass . 9.30 p.m.-Mare much a s b efore but had a good motion about five o'clock, inserted hand in rectum and found it much dilated and full of watery freces. J uly roth, 1 0 a.m. -Mare much improved, had two motions d uring the night. Pulse 60, temperature 100 . Administered nerve tonic b all. 1 0 p. m. - Improvement maintain ed. Pulse and t emperature same, does a lot of grinding of t eeth, from what cause I canno t say. July 11th, 9 a.m.-Mare still improving . Pulse 52, t emp erature 100 , eating b etter, taken some hay tea greedily, administered tonic ball. 1 0 p.m.-Much about same in every way, grinds t eeth less freque ntly, ball as b efore, had several motions. July [2th, 9.30 a.m.-Mar e not so brig ht. Pulse 60, t ern", per ature roof . Administered n erve tonic ball. 8·30 p.m.-Appears more ch eerful, dung assuming more natura l consistency. Pulse 56, t emperature roo!. Adminis-
The Veter£nary /ournal.
174
tered ball containing ammon. carbo and nux vomica and gentian, ceased g rinding of teeth, eating well. I attended my patient until July 17th, when she was discharged cured, and is now working every day, and appears none the worse tor h er illness. Was ita case of acute indigestion, followed by coma and stoppage ?
ENTERITIS IN A DOG, ACCOMPANIED BY RABIFORM SYMPTOMS. BY F.
J. WILSON, ESQ., M.R.C.V.S., HUDDERSFIELD.
ON August 6th I was called to see an Airedale t errier that was suspected of being rabid . For a day or two the dog was noticed to be a little stran ge in its behaviour, running about, snapping at things, a nd hiding under chairs and tables. Having got out, it ran into a wash-house, where it was locked up. Here it was observed to b eha ve in the same manner, snappin g aimlessly at imaginary objects, but not howling or showing other symptom s of pain. The owner thought that it was a little lam e. It refused all food . It died three days after being shut up, without developing a ny further symptoms. On post mortem, all the organs were found to be h ealthy except the intestines. There was a complete ab sence of food in the stomach and bowels. On examining the brain, the ventricles were filled with fluid, the membranes being slightly congested. The condition of the intestines was remarkable. The mucous membrane was red in colour, thickened, and studded all over with little e minences. They could he distinctly felt under the finger, and appeared to be confined to the mucous coat. They were about the size of No. I shot. They were most numerous in the colon, and were found in decreasing numbers almost as far as the anus. On examination of these raised places each was found to have a depression Or crack in the top, looking like an erosion of the epithelium. . . I have h ad a few su ch cases before, but have .never seen any sh owing such pronounced symptoms as this one. My impression (which has been confirm ed by Principal ~Ti1liams), was that the disease was of an infect ious nature, and that it belonged to one of the many ill-understood forms of intestinal mycosis.