Symptoms. 311 



between the attacks, and some animals may develop roaring. 

 Finally, when the gastric muscularis has lost its contractility, 

 no more attacks of pain occur, but the patients soon succumb to 

 exhaustion, rupture of the stomach, suffocation or peritonitis. 

 In other cases, when dilatation is due to catarrh of the 

 stomach, or to improper food, one sees from the start the clinical 

 picture of catarrh of the stomach in combination with difficult 

 respiration, if the dilatation is at all considerable. In such 

 cases and in those described above, the dilated stomach may be 

 palpable from the rectum. During the slow development of the 

 dilatation the organism has time to adapt itself to changed con- 

 ditions, hence during rest the pulse does not present a marked 

 deviation from the normal. However, rupture of the stomach 

 may occur at any time. 



Trinchera has described a condition under the name of ' ' abdominal 

 foundering of young horses," which is due to gastric dilatation after 

 improper feeding, and which is characterized by slow and hesitating 

 inspiration, followed by quick interrupted expiration with drawing in 

 of the flanks and bulging of the region of the lower ribs. These dis- 

 turbances are most marked during and after the ingestion of food. 

 If proper feeding is instituted the disturbances disappear after an 

 interval which is longer than that during which the affection has per- 

 sisted. 



These observatious of Trinchera are in accord with others made in the 

 province of Salzburg and showing that tlie permanent ingestion of voluminous 

 food or tlie sojourn in poor pastures is followed by similar disturbances in respi- 

 ration which however disappear on proper feeding (change of owner). 



Oppenheim observed a case of chronic dilatation of the 

 abomasum in cattle. The animal vomited daily for weeks, espe- 

 cially at the beginning of rumination. In a case described by 

 Koch the affection followed upon atony of the fore-stomachs and 

 its symptoms were obscured by those of the atonic condition of 

 the latter. 



In dogs the symptoms are those of chronic gastric catarrh. 

 The filled stomach ma}^ be palpated in both regions of the lower 

 ribs ; if its space is not completely filled with masses of food, per- 

 cussion shows a tympanitic sound over a space between the 

 eighth rib and the umbilicus (Schindelka) ; this sound becomes 

 weaker or disappears after the ingestion of food ; sudden pres- 

 sure upon the gastric region elicits splashing sounds. 



Lienaux observed dilatation of the stomach of a dog, which ap- 

 peared simultaneously with a sclerosis of the muscularis. The affection 

 at first came on in periodic attacks, it then became permanent and 

 led to diarrhea, which resisted every treatment, the feces contained 

 almost unchanged food, particularly meat. The appetite was good. 

 Behind the diaphragm one could feel a large immobile mass. The 

 absence of vomiting was believed to be due to the stiffness of the 

 stomach wall. 



