DISEASES OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 159 



Volvulus is also occasionally noticed. It is the bowels becoming 

 twisted ; or it may be due to colic, or a small portion of the intestines 

 may pass through a small rupture in the mesentery, interfering with the 

 passage of the contents. It is more likely to occur in young animals, 

 but it may occur in adult. It is almost impossible to diagnose it cor- 

 rectly, but the 



Symptoms are similar to those of enteritis, but are more prolonged ; 

 the pain is continuous ; there is obstinate constipation ; the pulse be- 

 comes quicker and quicker ; he throws himself about ; you perhaps 

 administer opium without any lasting effect ; he sits upon his haunches ; 

 the pulse runs high and becomes almost imperceptible ; sweat covers the 

 body, and if you are certain of volvulus, it is best to destroy the animal. 



Intus-SUSCeption is a slipping of one part ( f intestine inside another. 

 It is rare in the horse. But a young horse is more liable, and it is often- 

 est found in the small intestines, and sometimes a great length may 

 become invaginated. 



Causes. — It is hard to say just what does cause it. Violent contrac- 

 tions of the intestines during the severe paroxysms of colic may produce 

 it. Foals feeding upon milk are more subject to it. If it occurs in colic 

 each paroxysm slips it further, and death generally results, but cases are 

 recorded where a considerable amount of intestine has sloughed off, and 

 the case recovered, both in horses and cattle. Little can be done for it ; 

 however, some recommend cutting into the abdomen, find and endeavor 

 to straighten out the parts, but this is not likely to meet with success, 

 and if there is intus-susception with strangulation it is generally best to 

 destroy the animal, but is possible for it to slough off and the animal 

 recover. 



Symptoms are common to this : volvulus, gorged stomach, etc. 



Compression, or Stricture of the Intestines, may be due to 



tumours, which grow to a great extent and cause stricture, or you may 

 have a tumour internally, which may produce either stricture or volvu- 

 lus, and opiates will not relieve it. The pulse becomes weaker and 

 weaker, the animal sits upon his haunches, then lies down and stretches 

 his head out, gets up and lies down, etc., and the symptoms remain for 

 twenty-four hours or longer. It is generally not enteritis, because the 

 animal would not live so long in acute enteritis. Strangulation may 

 proceed from a pedunculated or ovarian tumour. 



Intestinal Concretions are enlargements or balls in the intestines. 

 They sometimes consist principally of, lime or some other alkaline sub- 

 stances. They vary in size from that of a marble to the weight of 

 twenty pounds. A small piece of almost- anything may form a nucleus 

 around which these substances may be deposited. In the specimen here 

 a small piece of brass wire formed the nucleus. They have been called 

 dust balls in England, because the horses were fed from the sweepings of 

 the mill floors, and so got something to form a nucleus for the deposit. 

 Semi-digested food sometimes forms a ball, and it takes sometimes, per- 

 haps, years for it to accumulate to any great size, but sooner or later it 

 will obstruct the passages of the feces, and cause death. There are also 

 hair balls, which are composed of hair. Sheep sometimes have balls 

 composed of wool ; they may exist some time before they interfere with 

 the animals. I believe that the animals in which they are present are 

 attacked with what is supposed to be colic, which may be due to the 

 obstruction, and the enlargement may move and the symptoms subside. 

 These enlargements are oftener lodged in the colon than any other part 



