362 Bloating of the Intestines. 



(Rupture is more frequently seen in the stomach. The dia- 

 phragm tears occasionally.) If rupture has occurred, the ani- 

 mals become suddenly quiet ; however, the general condition de- 

 teriorates and collapse occurs rapidly (see page 301). 



The affection not infrequently ends spontaneously in recov- 

 ery; in the majority of cases recovery can, however, only be 

 expected upon proper treatment. The course is always of short 

 duration and usually it becomes olivious after twelve hours 

 whether death will occur or whether improvement may be ex- 

 pected ; if the latter is the case the symptoms of acute intestinal 

 catarrh generally set in. 



Diagnosis. The most important symptoms of primary in- 

 testinal meteorism are the following: rapidly increasing signs 

 of colic after the ingestion of usually bloating feed, rapid in- 

 crease in the size of the abdomen, loud sounds on percussion, 

 and uniform, extensive dilatation and tension of all of the intes- 

 tines (general intestinal meteorism). Simultaneously bloating 

 of the stomach may be recognized by belching and vomiting. 



Secondary bloating (see torsion or strangulation of the in- 

 testines; accumulation of feces, thrombosis of intestinal arter- 

 ies, intestinal obturation, enteritis, peritonitis), which must be 

 judged and treated differently, may be initiated with similar 

 symptoms and must be excluded upon the basis of the history 

 and upon the result of a rectal examination which should be 

 made in every case of meteorism. Except in the case of peri- 

 tonitis, secondary bloating is always confined to individual por- 

 tions of the intestines (circumscribed, intestinal meteorism), 

 and there are often symptoms which clearly point to the causa- 

 tive affection. Bloating occurring in consequence of an inflam- 

 matory condition is accompanied from the start by fever and 

 the restlessness is not so marked. Torsion of the stomach in 

 carnivora may be excluded when belching occurs and when the 

 abdominal wall is not tender to pressure. 



Treatment. In not too severe cases of primary meteorism 

 one should attempt to stimulate intestinal contractions in order 

 to remove the gases per vias naturales. Cold packs of the ab- 

 dominal wall, cold douches to tlie latter, and cold water injected 

 under some pressure into the rectum, favor the expulsion of 

 gases in the horse by reflex irritation. One may also employ 

 ether in w^ater (15:400), salt solution, soap suds or much diluted 

 turpentine. Massage of the abdomen or internal massage of the 

 colon and cecum, applied with care through the rectum, are also 

 beneficial; how^ever, if the intestines are very tense one must 

 not use this method, because rupture might be caused by it. Hum- 

 merich produced an extensive evacuation of the intestines by 

 rolling the previously restrained horse on the back 15 to 20 

 times and then after an interval of time 8 to 10 times; this 

 procedure may have to be repeated three or four times. Laxa- 

 tives are also administered (salts with aloe, 150-200 gm. to 15-20 



