34 SWINE DISEASES 



outcome by no means certain. Surgical operation may 

 be resorted to in overcoming these conditions, as well as 

 in foreign-body obstruction. If the accumulations of 

 gas cause alarming symptoms, the trocar may be used 

 to produce immediate relief, and further fermentation 

 may be checked by the administration of antiferments, 

 either through the cannula or per os. As soon as the 

 animals have a desire to eat they should be given sparingly 

 of easily digested liquid foods. 



Dilatation 



Intestinal dilatation is not of common occurrence in 

 swine. 



Etiology. The usual cause is partial obstruction, 

 resulting in excessive accumulations of food which produce 

 atony and later a relaxation and dilatation of the intestinal 

 walls. Should the dilatation be unequal, diverticular 

 dilatation results. 



Lesions. The usual lesions observed in intestinal 

 dilatation consist of distended intestine with an accumu- 

 lation of excessive quantities of food material in it and 

 usually an associated condition that produces the primary 

 obstruction. 



Symptoms. Symptomatically, the dilatation is not 

 positively differentiated antemortem from obstruction, 

 the symptoms of both conditions being practically 

 identical. 



Treatment. In cases of dilatation, remove that 

 which primarily causes an obstruction and then administer 

 tonics to facilitate the return of intestinal tonicity. 



Emphysema 



Single air cysts or clusters of air cysts are not of 

 infrequent occurrence, involving and protruding the 

 serous coat of the intestine. This condition appears to 

 produce no inconvenience and is of no particular economic 

 importance. It has been thought to be the result of 

 bacteria, probably of the colon group, which have pene- 

 trated through the intestinal wall to the serous coat, 



