306 Acute Dilatation of the Stomach of the Horse. 



the end of the tube projectinjif out of the mouth are hehl down before the water 

 has all run in, producing in this manner syphon-action of the tube. Sometimes a 

 partial removal and reintroduction of the rod may be necessary. The head of the 

 horse must always be lowered considerably if an unimpeded evacuation is to be 

 assured. (The amount of evacuated gastric contents usually varies between 15 

 and 30 quarts.) 



Catheterization of the stomach on the animal in a recumbent posture is almost 

 never necessary and it does not appear to be practicable, since dyspnea may 

 reach a high degree and since the advantage of the syphon action available on a 

 standing animal is lacking. 



Catheterization must be performed with care, otherwise fatal injuries to the 

 wall of the esophagus or to the intrathoracic vessels may occur. 



The authors cannot recommend the introduction of the stomach catheter 

 through the nasal cavity as proposed by Phillips, because the introduction through 

 the mouth is much easier and permits the use of a much thicker catheter. 



Irrigation of the stomach becomes necessary in those cases, where the gastric 

 contents are thick-fluid or mashy, or more or less red stained, or when a firm 

 consistency prevents their evacuation. Irrigation of the stomach is carried out in 

 such a manner that the free end of the tube is provided with a funnel through 

 which 2-5 quarts of lukewarm water are allowed to flow into the stomach and are 

 then removed in a manner already described; this procedure is repeated several 

 times, (In a grave case of acute gastric dilatation after the ingestion of corn 

 ears, such irrigation was performed 5 times in 7 hours and a total of 122 quarts 

 of water was used.) 



It is necessary in all cases to keep the patients under observation for several 

 hours after the evacuation of the stomach, so that the procedure can be repeated 

 if required by renewed symptoms of colic or by an aggravation of the general con- 

 dition. 



The therapeutic value of the use of the stomach catheter is clearly shown by 

 statistics. The method has for several years been used in the Budapest Clinic; of 

 85 horses so treated in 1906, 81 (95.3%) recovered. Behrens reported from the 

 Berlin Clinic 93.7% recoveries and other observers reported similarly favorable 

 figures. 



Irrigation of the stomach was practiced as early as 1876 by Damman in an 

 erperiment foal. A rubber tube closed at one end with a conical plug and provided 

 with openings above was introduced. Grains of oats were removed by this tube, 

 but not particles of hay, evidently because the openings above the closed end of 

 the tube were too small. 



The great restlessness accompanying rupture of tlie stom- 

 ach may be ameliorated by the injection of morphine (0.3-0.5 

 gm.) or by the internal administration of chloral hydrate in a 

 mucilaginous medium (Joyeux) or better still as a rectal in- 

 jection. The intraperitoneal injection of 25-30 gin. of chloral 

 hydrate in ten parts of a 1% sterile salt solution (Breton) 

 speedily quiets the animal; this method of treatment, however, 

 appears dangerous. Eolling and throA\dng of the animals must 

 be prevented by proper surveillance. Considering the fact that 

 movements hinder the transport of the gastric contents into the 

 intestines, such movements are to be prevented. 



After recovery the animals should be starved for one 

 day and they should then receive easily digestible food for some 

 time. 



Literature. Bauer, D. t. W., 1905, 353.— Begg, The Vet., 1890, 270.— 

 Behrens, Monh., 1908, XX, 57.— Benjamin, Uec, 1905, 430.— Breuer, Kozl., 1876, 

 555.— Dassonville & Brocq-Rousseau, Bull., 1904, 272, 780.— Drouin, Bull., 1904, 

 769.— Fayet & Gasseud, Bull., 1908, 143.— Forssell, Z. f. Tm., 1909, XVIII., 46.— 

 Hess, Schw., A. f. Tzte., 1891, III, 130.— Kinsley, Amer. v. Eev., 1906, 457.— 

 Lesage, Bull., 1904, 706.— Marek, Z. f. Tm., 1902, VI, 260; 1907, XI, 282.— 

 Mouquet, Bull., 1906, 100.— Pecus, J. vet., 1906, 644.— Phillips, B. t. W., 1904, 

 773 (Rev.)— Scheunert, Pfliiger's Arch., 1905, CIX, 145.— Sequens, Vet., 1892, 72.— 

 Tangl, Kozl., 1897, II, 1.— Thompson, Amer. v. Rev., 1905, 474. 



