DISEASES OF THE SPLEEN AND PANCREAS. 439 



true nature of the disease ever being discovered or suspected, 

 until a post-mortem examination is made. Hence it may 

 be seen that the symptoms are very vague and uncertain. 

 AVhen the secretions of the pancreas are impaired, either in 

 quality or quantity, the fatty principle of the food is passed 

 in an unchanged condition, constituting what are known as 

 fatty stools. This is the principal symptom of pancreatic 

 derangement, and is most frequently seen in the dog. The 

 occurrence of pancreatic calculi has been observed in the ox, 

 but the symptoms are very obscure. Animals drinking water 

 in limestone districts are subject to urinary calculi, and 

 possibly the same cause may operate in the production of 

 calculi in connection with the pancreas. 



Treatment. — The treatment consists in a change of food 

 and water, placing the animal on a course of the mineral 

 acids, and the subsequent administration of tonics, etc. 



CHAPTER XX. 



THE OX. 



Diseases of the Stomach, Intestines, etc. 



TYMPANITES. 



Tympanites, or, as it is frequently called, ' hoven,' ' dew- 

 blown,' etc., is a very common condition affecting cattle, 

 and consists of distension of the rumen with gases; the 

 gases generated being sulphuretted hydrogen, carburetted 

 hydrogen, carbonic oxide, etc., generated by fermentation of 

 food, which may be due to the character of the food, or 

 may be caused by functional derangement of the rumen. 



Causes. — Tympanites may occur as a symptom of choking 

 in the ox, and in such cases the condition appears very 

 quickly. It also occurs in connection with parturient fever 

 and chronic indigestion ; frozen, or partially decomposed 



