66 SPECIAL VETERINARY THERAPY 



pelled spontaneously in a few hours. I reported a case 

 in the American Journal of Veterinary Medicine (April, 

 1914), which illustrates such an occurence. 



In the horse, the mass of food causing the choke 

 can pass only towards the stomach. In the cow, re- 

 covery, many times, follows, from regurgitation of the 

 obstruction. This is a point which must not be over- 

 looked in treating cattle for choke. 



If, in a given case, the obstruction has not been 

 dislodged after eight or ten hours of "watchful wait- 

 ing" a probang may be used cautiously. If the object 

 is not quite easily moved by the probang, if it resists 

 moderate repulsion, this means of treatment should 

 be discontinued at once and esophagotomy performed. 

 This applies, of course, only to cases in which the 

 object is in the cervical portion of the esophagus. In 

 cases of thoracic choke the probang treatment must 

 be patiently persisted in until something is accom- 

 plished. 



Esophagotomy in cattle is a simple proceeding at- 

 tended by fairly uniform success. Even when per- 

 formed under trying handicaps, I have seen excellent 

 results follow this operation. The seat of operation is 

 directly upon the object. The hair is shaved, or at 

 least clipped, for a considerably larger area than the 

 incision would require and the skin ordinarily disin- 

 fected with tincture of iodine. 



An incision is made directly down onto the object 

 and somewhat longer through the muscle. When the 

 esophagus is reached, only a very short incision is 

 first made into it and an endeavor is then made to re- 



