Causes: caustics or irritants acting on mucosa, accidently, or
maliciously. Symptoms: colics, pinched face, small rapid pulse,
hurried breathing, hyperthermia, sometimes salivation, color of buccal
mucosa, odor, congestion of tongue, thirst, urination, icterus,
albuminuria, analysis of urine or vomited matter. Lesions: congestion,
corrosion, necrosis or ulceration of gastric mucosa, discoloration.
Treatment: antidote, stomach pump, demulcents, coagulants.
_Causes._ Toxic gastritis in solipeds is peculiar in this that it must
be due to one or other of the more caustic or irritant agents, which act
chemically on the tissues, while those agents that require to be
absorbed to establish a physiological irritation are comparatively
harmless. This depends on the fact that few or none of the poisonous
agents are absorbed by the gastric mucosa of the soliped, and if
ingested they must pass on into the duodenum before they can be absorbed
into the tissues and blood-vessels. Hence the horse is injured mainly by
actual caustics like mercuric chloride, zinc chloride, ferric or cupric
sulphate, the caustic alkalies or earths, or alkaline carbonates, and
the mineral acids. These may be taken accidently or administered
maliciously, or as medicines.
_Symptoms._ Morbid symptoms vary according to the agent swallowed. There
are colics, anxious countenance, small accelerated pulse, rapid
breathing, hyperthermia, and salivation, especially marked with mercuric
chloride. The buccal mucosa may give valuable indications, becoming
white with muriatic acid, or zinc, or antimony, or mercuric chloride,
yellow with nitric acid, and white changing to black with sulphuric acid
or silver nitrate. Ferric or cupric sulphate may give their respective
colors to the saliva, and the former will darken the fæces.
The mouth is usually dry, hot, and clammy, and the edges of the tongue
red. Temperature is usually elevated, yet with tartar emetic it may be
distinctly reduced. Thirst is usually marked, and urination frequent.
Icterus and albuminuria attend on phosphorus poisoning. When vomiting
takes place the appearance or analysis of the matters rejected, or
otherwise of the urine, will often indicate the nature of the poison.
_Lesions._ The gastric mucosa is congested and discolored, but the
corrosion and even the ulceration are especially characteristic. Patches
of necrotic mucous membrane may be more or less detached exposing a deep
red submucosa. The coloration otherwise varies;—white or black with
sulphuric acid or silver nitrate; white with muriatic acid, the caustic
alkalies, or zinc chloride; yellow with nitric acid; or green with salts
of copper.
Similar lesions are found on the buccal, œsophagean and intestinal
mucosæ, and even at times on the respiratory.
_Treatment._ In the treatment of this form of gastritis the first
consideration is to expel, or use an antidote to, the poison. In the
soliped, emetics are useless. The stomach pump or tube may, however, be
applied with good effect in nearly all cases, alternately throwing in
water and drawing it off. Demulcents and coagulants are also universally
applicable. Milk, eggs beaten up in milk, blood albumen, flaxseed tea,
well boiled gruels, or slippery elm bark, may be used as may be most
convenient. Next come the other chemical antidotes the use of which
however demands a previous knowledge of the poison present. For the
mineral acids one can make use of calcined magnesia, lime water, chalk,
or carbonate of soda in weak solution. For alkalies the appropriate
antidote is vinegar. For carbolic acid, vinegar, alcohol, or failing
these a weak solution of soda or oil. For tartar emetic, gallic or
tannic acid. For bichromate of potash or chromic acid, calcined
magnesia, magnesia carbonate, or lime carbonate. For phosphorus, old oil
of turpentine and demulcents—no oil. For ammonia, vinegar followed by
almond, olive or sweet oil. In case of œdema glottidis, tracheotomy. For
copper salts yellow prussiate of potash, which precipitates the copper
in an insoluble form, and demulcents. For mercuric chloride, demulcent
drinks can be resorted to, there is no other reliable antidote. In all
cases after the evacuation of the stomach and the use of the antidote,
mucilaginous agents must be given freely with morphia or other anodynes.