Causes: improper food; filthy pens; debility; toxins of specific
diseases; microbian infection. Symptoms: inappetence; grinding teeth;
champing jaws; salivation; fœtor; buccal swelling and redness; pulpy
spots; desquamation; ulcers; pharyngeal, enteric and osseous
complications. Treatment: Segregation; disinfection; local antiseptic
washes; tonics.
This is the Scorbutus of Friedberger and Fröhner, the gloss-anthrax of
Benion.
_Causes._ It has been attributed to insufficient or irritant food, to
damp, close pens, and to chronic debilitating diseases and all these act
as predisposing causes. In gastritis and in infectious fevers like hog
cholera, swine plague, and rouget (hog erysipelas) the spots of
congestion and petechiæ on the buccal mucous membrane may become the
starting points for ulcerative inflammations. These conditions appear,
however, to be supplemented by infection from bacteria present in the
mouth or introduced in food and water, and as in the case of other
domestic animals the most successful treatment partakes largely of
disinfectant applications.
_Symptoms._ Loss of appetite, grinding of the teeth, champing of the
jaws, the formation of froth round the lips, fœtor of the breath,
redness of the gums and tongue, and the formation of vesicles or white
patches which fall off leaving red angry sores. These may extend forming
deep unhealthy ulcers, with increasing salivation and fœtor. As the
disease advances the initial dullness and prostration become more
profound, and debility and emaciation advance rapidly. Unless there is
early improvement an infective pharyngitis, or enteritis sets in,
manifestly determined by the swallowing of virulent matters from the
mouth, and swelling, redness and tenderness of the throat, or colics and
offensive black diarrhœa hasten a fatal issue. Rachitis may be a
prominent complication, as it seems in some instances to be a
predisposing cause.
_Treatment._ Isolate the healthy from the diseased and apply
disinfection to all exposed articles and places. Employ local
antiseptics as on the other animals. Sulphuric or hydrochloric acids in
50 times their volume of water, or tincture of iron, chlorate of potash,
or chloride of ammonia, or borax have been used successfully. Bitters
and aromatics have also been strongly recommended.