Differential Diagnosis. 449 



During the periods of restlessness the animals try to lie 

 down, doing so with great care; they may rest upon the abdo- 

 men with their legs drawn under it, or they rest upon the back 

 or roll from side to side. In other cases patients suddenly and 

 recklessly throw themselves down upon the ground, kick with 

 the feet and roll very recklessly. Often the animals assume ab- 

 normal positions ; they kneel on their front legs or sit on their 

 haunches ; they stretch out their front legs and elevate the 

 tiiorax and head (sitting dog-fashion) or they stretch out their 

 front legs and rest on the sternum. 



The symptoms usually come on in the form of paroxysms, 

 between which the animals are quiet and worn out ; frequently, 

 however, they recover sufficiently and begin to eat, but a re- 

 newed attack soon interrupts the meal. Sometimes the restless- 

 ness is remarkably violent, the patients continually change their 

 positions with hardly noticeable pauses ; they constantly throw 

 themselves on the floor and assume various positions ; jump up 

 again, kick, paw, rear and bite into various objects within their 

 reach. During such violent attacks one may observe grating 

 of the teeth, trembling, nervous movements (pressing for- 

 ward, circulatory motions, shaking of the head). 



Symptoms on the part of various organs depend upon the 

 causative morbid conditions. These symptoms have been de- 

 scribed in the preceding chapters. 



Differential Diagnosis. Since some of these symptoms, 

 eventually also all of them, may be due to genuine colic or to 

 various other disagreeable sensations, it is alway^s necessary, 

 whenever symptoms of colic are present, to examine methodic- 

 ally all of the organs which may be the seat of the underlying 

 affection, and to arrive at a differential diagnosis according 

 to the principles laid down in the preceding chapters. Some- 

 times it may be necessary to ameliorate or remove a dangerous 

 symptom even before the institution of the general examination. 



Sjanptoms of restlessness may be caused by the following 

 morbid conditions : 



1. Diseases of the stomach: Acute and chronic gastric 

 dilatation (overloading of the stomach, including stenosis of the 

 pylorus), gastritis, gastric ulcer, parasites in the stomach. 



2. Intestinal diseases: Acute enteritis (rheumatic intes- 

 tinal spasm, spasmodic colic), occasionally chronic intestinal ca- 

 tarrh, enteritis (including specific acute infectious diseases and 

 inflammations caused by poisons), meteorism, impaction, in- 

 ternal obstruction, stenosis, thrombosis of mesenteric vessels, 

 strangulation (also incarcerated abdominal hernia), torsion and 

 volvulus, invagination, intestinal worms. 



3. Acute peritonitis. 



4. Diseases of the liver and bile ducts : Lodgment of gall- 

 stones, acute, occasionally also chronic hepatitis, rapid increase 



Vol. 2-29 



