Acute Bloating of Ruminants. 255 



the opening made after the contents have been removed. For 

 the next few days the animals shoukl receive only a scanty diet 

 of palatable and juicy tubers or fresh forage. 



Section of the rumen is made at the same place where puncture is usually 

 made. A pointed knife is inserted into the rumen and an incision 7 to 8 cm. long 

 is then made in a vertical direction through all layers of the abdominal wall. 

 Since the margins of the incision into the rumen will later on glide away from 

 the wound of the abdominal wall and since therefore the contents of the rumen could 

 subsequently get into the peritoneal cavity, it is well to unite the margins of the 

 incision into the rumen with those of the abdominal wall by a baseball suture. 

 As a matter of fact it is still better first to incise only the abdominal wall, then 

 to suture the rumen to the margins of the abdominal incision and finally make 

 an incision into the rumen within the oval space that has been united with the 

 abdominal wall. 



After opening the rumen gases escape with considerable force, then the food 

 follows in quantities dependent on the amount of internal pressure and the con- 

 sistency of the contents. Enough feed is sometimes expelled that the abdomen at 

 once assumes its normal configuration. If, however, the food material has been 

 rather dry, it must be removed, often two to three buckets full, by the hand intro- 

 duced through the wound. (Brognier has constructed a forceps-like instrument with 

 spoons for the removal, but this appears entirely superfluous.) 



The incision wound usually heals promptly, and complete recovery is of course 

 hastened by j^roper closure of the incision and proper aftertreatment. 



Literature. Born, Vet., 1897, 533.— Bouley, Diet., 1874, N. 1.56.— Cruzel, 

 Mai. de I'esp. bov., 1883, 13.5.— Dressier, Pr. Mt., 186.5-66, 180.— Eber, Z. f. Tm., 

 1906, X, 321.— Eisele, Rep., 1840, 238.— Feser, Miinch., Jhb., 1883-84, 86.— Jensen, 

 Tidskr., 1887, 169.— Proger, S. B., 1882, 91.— Queyron, Vet. Jhb., 1897, 163.— 

 Schlampp, Ther. Teehnik, 1907, II, 245.— Schmidt, Monh., 1898, IX, 260.— Sipp, 

 Pr. Mt, 1868, 69, 128.- Wulf, Pr. Mt., 1865-66, 126. 



(b) Acute Bloating of Ruminants. Meteorismus acutus rumi- 



nantium. 



(Akiifes Anfhlaehen der Wiederkduer, TrommelsncM, Bldli- 



sucht, Auflmif [German] ; Tympanitis, Indigestion gazeuse 



ou mephitique, meteorisation aigiie [French].) 



Acute bloating of ruminants is a morbid condition with 

 rapid dilatation of the rumen and reticulum in consequence of 

 rapidly-forming gases. 



Occurrence. Acute bloating of ruminants is seen frequently 

 and particularly during the warm season and in animals on the 

 pasture. Cattle and sheep are affected most commonly, goats 

 more rarely. The disease appears often simultaneously in sev- 

 eral or many animals of the same herd or of the same neigh- 

 borhood. 



Etiology. The cause of acute bloating is the abundant in- 

 gestion of easily fermenting food. Most dangerous in this re- 

 spect are leguminosae (clover, alfalfa, esparsette, vetches, peas, 

 lentils, buckwheat) before they have flowered, i. e., at a time 

 when they contain much water and are fine in texture. How- 

 ever, other green foods (young field plants, luxuriant grass, 

 leaves of cabbage, beets, and of young potatoes; in sheep also 

 cereals germinating in stubble fields) ; vegetable bulbs (beets 



