Animals suffering. Causes: mercurial baths, ointments, blisters and
surgical dressings; mercurial vapors; deposits on vegetation; rat
poisons; malicious poisoning. Lethal dose in horse, ox, sheep and
goat. Mature and old eliminate more slowly. Symptoms; Salivation; red,
swollen buccal mucosa; gingivitis; loosening of teeth; fœtor;
ulceration; anorexia; gastro-intestinal tympany; loose, fœtid stools;
fever; weakness; dyspnœa; langor; blood extravasation in nose, mouth,
throat, bowels, womb, skin; abortion; skin eruptions. Lesions in
mouth, stomach, intestines, serosæ, kidneys, muscles, encephalon.
Treatment; stop the introduction of mercury; as antidote potassium
sulphide; emetic; cathartic; mucilaginous and albuminous antidotes;
potassium iodide as an eliminating agent. Locally potassium sulphide
or chlorate. Iron tonics.
This has been especially seen in the sheep, dog and ox, and less
frequently in other domestic animals.
_Causes._ In sheep the use of baths containing corrosive sublimate, or
of mercurial ointment for acariasis or other cutaneous parasitism. In
other animals it comes mostly from licking mercurial dressings applied
to the skin—calomel, red precipitate, mercurial ointment, protoiodide of
mercury. The red iodide being more irritating is less frequently taken
in. The modern extensive usage of mercuric chloride solutions as
surgical antiseptics opens up a new channel of infection. In the
injection of the uterus or of large abscesses, or in the daily
irrigation of large wounds a dangerous amount may be absorbed. The
application of this agent as a caustic in cases of tumors is
correspondingly dangerous. Vapors from metallic mercury in confined
spaces as in ships’ holds, or from fires on which the mercurial
compounds have been thrown, are ready means of poisoning, acting
primarily on the air passages and lungs and later on the mouth. The
condensation of mercury on vegetation and other food products in the
vicinity of factories where mercury is handled (Idria) affects domestic
animals directly. Finally the small animals are poisoned by eating the
mercurial rat poisons, and all animals are subject to malicious
mercurial poisoning, with sublimate especially.
Stomatitis with fatal pharyngitis and enteritis will result in the horse
from 2 drs. of corrosive sublimate. About one-half of this may poison
the ox, and one-fourth the sheep or goat. Ruminants are more susceptible
to the toxic action of mercury than monogastric animals, one evident
reason being the long delay of the successive doses in the first three
stomachs, so that finally a large quantity passes over at once into the
fourth stomach and duodenum for absorption. The old too are more readily
poisoned than the young, as the functions of the kidneys are more
impaired in age and the poison is not eliminated with the same rapidity.
_Symptoms._ Mercurial stomatitis is a local manifestation of a general
poisoning. Salivation is one of the most prominent phenomena, the watery
saliva falling in streams from the angles of the mouth. The buccal
mucosa generally becomes red and swollen and the tongue becomes indented
at the edges by pressure against the molars. The gums especially suffer
and the teeth raised in their sockets by the swelling of the periodontal
membrane, become loose, and easily detached. The mucosa of the gums
becomes soft and spongy, bleeds readily under pressure and soon shows
erosions and ulcers. This condition extends to the lips, cheeks and
lower surface of the tongue while the upper surface of the latter organ,
the fauces and pharynx commonly escape. The breath and buccal
exhalations are very offensive, and the animal loathes food, and has
little power of mastication or deglutition. Sometimes the ulcers extend
even to the bones.
Along with these local symptoms there are usually gastro-intestinal
irritation, tympany, inappetence, continuous rumbling in the belly;
badly digested fœtid stools, often diarrhœa, small weak pulse,
hyperthermia, accelerated breathing, cough, and great langor and
prostration. A tendency to blood extravasation is shown in sanguineous
fæces, epistaxis, bleeding from the mouth, the throat or the womb and
even into the skin. Pregnant females may abort. The eyes are dull and
sunken, and the conjunctiva yellow. Eczematous or pustular eruptions may
appear on the skin on the nose, lips, neck, back, loins, croup or
perineum.
_Lesions._ In addition to the lesions described above, there are usually
gastro-intestinal inflammation, œdema of the peritoneum and pleura, in
the lung as well as in the serosæ, (pneumonia is not uncommon especially
in sheep), intestines, kidneys and muscles, hæmorrhagic spots are not
uncommon, the blood forms a loose black coagulum, and the encephalon is
anæmic and softened.
_Treatment._ The first consideration is to cut off the supply of
mercury. Mercurial applications on the skin should be washed off with
tepid water and if necessary soap. An application of sulphide of
potassium will precipitate the mercury in an insoluble form. For
mercurial agents in the alimentary canal an emetic may be given (if the
animal is one susceptible to emesis) followed by a saline laxative. This
may be combined with or followed by raw eggs, mucilage, wheat gluten or
other albuminoid, sulphide of potash or sulphur, to precipitate the
mercury and prevent its absorption. Later, when the bowels have been
cleared, iodide of potassium in small doses will serve to dissolve and
remove what mercury may be lodged in the tissues.
Locally one of the best applications is chlorate of potash as a mouth
wash, 2 drs. to the quart of water. To this may be added tannic acid or
other vegetable astringent and even alcohol.
Finally a course of iron and bitter tonics will serve a good purpose in
restoring the general tone.