On Feb. 23, 1944, a 20-month-old steer entered the Stange Memorial Clinic with a history of anorexia, loss of weight, and alternate periods of constipation and diarrhea. The condition had existed in the steer for 5 weeks, and it was the only animal so affected in a herd of feedlot steers

Jorgensen, J. P.

English

On Feb. 23, 1944, a 20-month-old steer entered the Stange Memorial Clinic with a history of anorexia, loss of weight, and alternate periods of constipation and diarrhea. The condition had existed in the steer for 5 weeks, and it was the only animal so affected in a herd of feedlot steers.</p

Jorgensen, J.

Digital Repository @ Iowa State University (ISU)

pleted with ether. The hernial support was removed, and the area prepared for surgery. The clinician then removed an elliptical piece of skin about 6 cm. long from the hernial sac. The hernia was re-duced by blunt dissection and the peri-toneum sutured at the hernial ring with No.4 plain catgut. The supporting struc-tures were sutured with No.3 nylon and a row of continuous sutures was put in the skin to hold the edges in apposition. Sterile borated talcum was sprinkled over the incision and another supporting bandage placed over the area. Since the operation had already been quite exten-sive, no surgery was attempted upon the head wound at that time. On April 11, the patient was again subjected to nembutal anesthesia, and the area around the fistulous tract on the head prepared for surgery. The clinician found a small sequestrum at the base of the tract, and removed it. Wound treatment was then applied, and the patient made a rapid recovery. -D. G. DeValois, '44 ~ Prehaptic Abscess of a Steer. On Feb. 23, 1944, a 20-month-old steer entered the Stange Memorial Clinic with a history of anorexia, loss of weight, and alternate periods of constipation and diarrhea. The condition had existed in the steer for 5 weeks, and it was the only animal so affected in a herd of feedlot steers. \\Then the steer was first observed, a watery to semifluid diarrhea with con-stant straining was present. A fecal examination was made and it proved negative for parasite ova. This elimi-nated the current possibility of a coccidi-osis infection. Three No. 11 capsules of tannic acid were administered. The steer was subjected to a rectal palpation but nothing of diagnostic value was noted. Several possibilities as to the cause of the symptoms included foreign body occlusion, hairballs, or an intestinal stenosis. One-half gallon of mineral oil was administered to remove any irritat-Spring, 1944 ing material that might be in the diges-tive tract. Symptomatic treatment for the diarrhea and developing respiratory dyspnea was carried on for several days without any noticeable improvement. J ohl1in Test The persistent diarrhea and cachectic condition of the animal suggested the possibility of Johne's disease. On Feb. 29, a Johnin test was made which was nega-tive. Symptomatic treatment was con-tinued for 2 weeks. During this period, the condition of the steer gradually be-came worse. Because the animal was prone to bloating, a Kingman tube was passed daily to relieve the gaseous ac-cumulations from the rumen. A laparotomy was performed on March 13 and a manual examination did not reveal any adhesions between the reticulum and the diaphragm. This was followed by a rumenotomy to relieve a mild impaction and also to determine the possibility of foreign body irritation in the rumen. The contents of the rumen were emptied, but no foreign bodies were found. A large round unidentified structure was discovered anterior and to the right of the rumen, which pressed upon the reticulo-ruminal orifice and made exploration of the reticulum diffi-cult. The following day, the steer was brought to the post-mortem laboratory where it was destroyed. A post-mortem examination revealed a gelatinous edema in the tissues around the intestines and increased fluid in the abdominal cavity. The thoracic cavity was opened, and what was thought to be either a dia-phragmatic rupture with the rumen ex-tending into the thoracic cavity or a huge abscess was noted. The abdominal viscera were removed, the rumen, liver, and dia-phragm being removed in one group. This revealed a huge prehepatic abscess, about 40 cm. in diameter, adherent to the liver and the diaphragm. The abscess had produced pressure atrophy of the diaphragm and about two-thirds of it projected into the thorax, pushing the heart and lungs anteriorly. The lungs 213 were reduced in size, particularly the right lung which was approximately one-fifth its normal size. When the abscess was incised, about 20 liters of milky pus were removed. The wall of the circum-scribed abscess was 5 mm. in thickness. The liver was further examined, but no tract leading to the abscess could be found and it was presumed that the ab-scess had developed from an extension of a localized hepatic abscess. The com-plications that arose from the abscess made this a difficult case to diagnose. -J. P. Jorgensen. '44 BOOK REVIEWS Manual of Clinical Veterinary Medicine. David L. Coffin, V. M. D., Instructor of Veterinary Pathology, University of Pennsylvania and Fellow in Pathology. Philadelphia Zoological Society. 120 pages. Board. Illustrated. One color plate. College Offset Press, Philadel-phia, 1944. Price $3.50. The Manual of Clinical Veterinary Medicine was published with the view of furnishing a convenient source of infor-mation for laboratory procedure and in-terpretations for the practicing veterin-arian as well as the veterinary student. It is an up-to-date and quite complete, well organized, clearly illustrated, care-fully written manual that includes infor-mation on such things as how to collect, pack and ship specimens, parasitologic examinations, urine examinations, hema-tologic examinations, semen examinations, and certain specific disease diagnoses. The manual is valuable in that the less complex procedures which can be per-formed in the field or the office are em-phasized. Sufficient information is also given in regard to the more complex ex-aminations with the hope that the prac-titioner may find it useful when soliciting specialized laboratory aid. Resorting to laboratory aid has become a "must" in veterinary practice. He who does and does it well more nearly fulfills his obligation to himself and his profes-sion. The day of guess work in diagnosis 214 belongs to the past, and inasmuch as doing microscopic and analytical work has be-come a fixture of everyday practice, this' book is what the practitioner has sought for as a handy reference and guide in his laboratory procedure. Handbook for the Etiology, Diagnosis, and Control of Infectious B01)ine Mastitis. IvaI Arthur Merchant and R. Allen Packer, Department of Veterinary Hy-giene, Iowa State College. 66 Pages. Burgess Publishing Company, Minne-apolis. 1944. Price, $1.25. In this handy little book is presented a composite of all of the pertinent facts con-cerning bovine mastitis. It answers the need for a compilation of practical infor-mation on the subject which previously was to be found only by examining a mul-titude of reports on the different phases of the subject. The discussion of the pre-disposing factors deal with the influence of breed, heredity, lactation, age, size of herd, season and weather, feeding, in-jury to the udder and teat, and the four groups of inciting bacterial agents. In treating the diagnosis of mastitis, the various methods of examination are pre-sented and their technics discussed. The chapter concerning the control includes an outline of sanitary herd management and a discussion of the various anti-bac-terial agents used in treatment and direc-tions for their use. The entire manual is composed of practical information and the diagnostic methods, the preventive meas-ures, and the treatment of the disease have been discussed as a basis for actual con-trol of mastitis. When injecting serums, aggressins, or bacterins into valuable animals or those suspicioned to be sensitized against the protein injected, first place a drop or two in the conjunctival sac to determine whether an allergy exists. If so, simul-taneous injection of epinephrine, ephed-rine, or extract of adrenal cortex with the immunizing material will prevent anapha-lactic shock. The Veterinary Student 

Prehaptic Abscess of a Steer

https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1334&amp;context=iowastate_veterinarian

Prehaptic Abscess of a Steer

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Digital Repository @ Iowa State University (ISU)