DISEASES 4? 



the plan of reserving bones until after the clogs have fed, for if given with 

 the other food they are at once picked out, and the smaller ones are, 

 when the dog is hungry, apt to be swallowed unmasticated and produce 

 choking. 



Treatment. — Frequently by manipulating the throat outside with the 

 fingers the obstruction can be worked down the gullet, or if it can be felt 

 in the upper part of the throat, it may be removed by the throat forceps, 

 which most veterinary surgeons keep by them. Hill recommends, when the 

 substance is too low for extraction, and manipulating with the fingers 

 externally fails, to endeavor gently to force it down with a piece of bent 

 whalebone, having a piece of sponge tied to the end of it, and dipped in 

 oil. In using this extra care must be taken that the sponge is so firmly 

 attached to the whalebone that it cannot slip off, for if swallowed it might 

 effectually block up one of the smaller intestines; therefore, cut nitches 

 in the whalebone, into which- tie the piece of sponge. As soreness, if not 

 actual laceration, is almost sure to be caused, the dog should for some 

 days after be confined to soft food. 



The following, on choking, I found. The subject is so ably treated, 

 that I publish it also: 



"This is of very frequent occurrence with dogs, as usually they are 

 voracious feeders, careless of consequences, and the fact that they use 

 their mouths much as we do our hands in grasping and conveying various 

 objects makes them particularly liable to swallow foreign substances, that 

 may become lodged in the gullet. The commonest objects on which dogs 

 choke are bones that they have been feeding upon. If the bone lodges 

 in the back of the throat it may set up such a violent coughing and 

 retching as to asphyxiate the subject. The back of the throat, however, is 

 not the usual lodging place, for as a rule the bone or other object passes 

 that point, where the gullet is comparatively large, and lodges over the 

 heart, where it is smaller. Locating at this point causes the greatest 

 distress. The dog keeps gulping as if trying to swallow, and from time 

 to time is seized with a period of retching. In a day or two the extreme 

 distress passes, and the patient drinks water and milk or other liquids 

 freely and can also swallow raw eggs, but if solid food is taken, directly 

 it reaches the obstruction it lodges. Young dogs and those which are 

 playful sometimes swallow needles and pins. These usually become 

 imbedded in the back of the tongue, and can be removed from that position, 

 but sometimes they reach the gullet and pass through into the tissues, 

 forming an abscess, their usual location being just behind the angle of 

 the jaw. Removing needles and pins from the back of the tongue is done 

 most easily with a pair of forceps, although it sometimes can be. done with 

 the finger. The principal thing is to be careful not to break the object. 

 The symptoms in these cases are usually very severe, so that prompt action 

 is necessary. In those cases where a bone has pased far down the gullet- 

 and lodged over the heart it is sometimes sufficient to feed the dog a few 

 pieces of meat, which will force the obstruction on. If this is not success- 

 ful a probang must be uesd to force the obstruction down into the stom- 

 ach, but this should be attempted only by a skillful veterinarian or a 

 physician, as it may be necessary to use considerable force, and there is 



