386 Veterinary Medicine. 



Symptoms. The existence of a penetrating wound or sore of 

 the abdomen, a kick, an open abscess, or a recent exposure to 

 severe cold when heated and fatigued, or finall}- some serious 

 affection of the abdominal organs will give definiteness to some 

 of the symptoms which follow. There may have been noticed a 

 rigor, or trembling of the muscles may still continue. There is 

 swelling around the external wound, which in case of castration 

 is usually oedematous and more or less tense, affecting the entire 

 sheath and extending forward on the abdomen. In any such 

 case there is tenderness to pressure around the margin of the 

 wound, for a distance that con.stantly increases. The animal 

 moves stiiff}' and the back is more or less arched. The tempera- 

 ture is raised two or three degrees and may go on till it has 

 reached 107. The patient becomes dull and listless, with droop- 

 ing head and ears, sunken, lustreless, pale eye, more or less 

 fixed, lips drawn up firnil}' and muscles of the face contracted 

 and prominent. He stands with back arched, loins insensible to 

 pinching,, and legs drawn .somewhat toward each other under the 

 belly. There are indications of colic, pawing, looking toward 

 the flanks, and shifting of the hind feet without the violent kick- 

 ing motion of spasmodic colic or intestinal congestion. When 

 he lies down it is comparatively slowly and carefully and he is 

 more inclined to lie on the side with hind legs, or at least the one 

 on the affected side extended backward. The rolling on the 

 back and the sudden jerking movement of the hind limbs, seen 

 in spasmodic colic are rarely noticed. There are exceptions to 

 this rule when violent spasms or acute congestion is present as 

 well as in .some cases following castration and with strangulated 

 cord. 



The abdominal walls are always tense from muscular contrac- 

 tion, and often also from tympany, in which case there i'^ marked 

 drumlike resonance, on percussion. An elevated ridge like that 

 seen in pleurisy extends from the outer angle of the ilium to the 

 lower end of the la.st rib. The breathing is hurried and carried 

 on mainly by the ribs, the diaphragm being kept as fixed as pos- 

 sible. The inspirations are short and catching as in pleurisy, the 

 expirations a little more prolonged. In standing the hind legs 

 are held apart, and in moving the animal straddles and moves 

 them stiffly avoiding advancing them far forward. Constipation 



