Diagnosis. Treatment. 313 



sions, finally complete listlessness. The stomach is tender to 

 pressure and the foreign body may occasionally be felt in the 

 region of the lower ribs behind the liver (Udriski felt the end 

 of a hairpin in a cat). The weakness rapidly increases, fever 

 sets in, the pulse becomes rapid and weak and the animal suc- 

 cumbs. 



Diagnosis. On the basis of the symptoms described and in 

 connection with the history of the case a diagnosis can, as a rule, 

 be secured. Occasionally one might resort to an exploration of 

 the abdominal cavity l)y the aid of Roentgen rays. How^ever, it 

 must not be forgotten that a large portion of the stomach in a 

 Roentgenogram is covered by the liver, hence bodies which 

 have not a high specific gravity may not become visible. It is 

 advisable when making an X Ray plate to have the animals on 

 their hind legs, so as to bring the pylorus below the liver. The 

 stomach might also first be filled with carbon-dioxide gas. 



Treatment. The removal of a foreign body which is neither 

 sharp nor pointed may be attempted by an appropriate emetic 

 (apomorphine 0.005-0.01 gm,). If this treatment is not success- 

 ful, or if it cannot be tried on account of the nature of the for- 

 eign body, laparogastrotomy is indicated. AVith its aid Hamoir, 

 Vennerholm, Udriski and Bergeon have saved dogs and one cat. 



Literature. Berjjeon, Eev. vet., 1905, 698. — Eichhorst, Physik. Ihitersueh- 

 ungsmethoa., 1881, 241.— Ilamoir, Ann., 1897, 649.— Mueller, D. t. W., 1907, 570.— 

 Udriski, Arh. vet., 1904, 160.— Vennerholm, Z. t. Tm., 1897, I, 123. (See also 

 Lit. of intestinal obstruction in carnivora.) 



Foreign Bodies in the Stomach of Other Animals. Foreign bodies 

 are only very exceptionally found in the stomach of the horse. Hahn 

 and Marek each found a piece of wood, Eberbach and Enke needles, 

 respectively, 21 and 6 cm. long, Wolker and Grundmann found pointed 

 fragments of bone in the stomach or its neighborhood in the cadavers 

 of horses which came to post-mortem examination. Foreign bodies cause 

 inflammation of the stomach, perforation of this organ, or inflammation 

 of the neighboring organs and of the peritoneum. Schmidt saw 

 traumatic inflammation of the stomach, diaphragm and lungs of a 

 horse. In a few cases feed-balls (Bayer) or gastroliths were found on 

 post-mortem examination in horses which had died with symptoms of 

 colic (in a case of Moebius the stone found in the stomach weighed 

 324 gm. ; in a case of Johne 750 gm.). 



In the stomach of swine foreign bodies occur somewhat more fre- 

 quently (pointed objects, pieces of wood, hair balls), with the exception 

 of hair balls, these usually lead to perforation of the stomach and 

 to secondary peritonitis. 



In fowl the opening of the glandular or muscular stomach is very 

 exceptionally obstructed by foreign bodies (see plate III, page 244) ; 

 this generally causes death after lack of appetite and emaciation. 



