FOREIGN BODIES IN THE DIGESTIVE TRACT. 571 



the reticulum, which lies towards the right, searches this carefully, 

 and endeavours to remove the foreign body. The chief difficulty 

 is the impossibility of certain and early diagnosis. Provided the 

 foreign body has not injured the diaphragm and pericardium, there 

 is little to indicate its presence. Disturbance of digestion and 

 breathing, caused by injury to the wall of the stomach and to the 

 diaphragm, are not sufficient to warrant operative measures, whilst, 

 should the pericardium be already injured, operation can scarcely 

 procure recovery, and slaughter is generally preferable. Meyer, 

 however, states having succeeded, even after pericarditis had set in. 

 Eppele and Seloz removed a piece of probang and gloves from a 

 cow's stomach by rumenotomy (see that heading). 



For hair, or binder-twine balls in sucking calves, Brown (Inver- 

 gordon, N.B.), performs laparo-gastrotomy, operating through the 

 abdominal floor immediately behind the sternal cartilage. The 

 calf is secured on a table, the skin is shaved, washed, and disinfected 

 and chloroform is administered. Immediately behind the ensiform 

 cartilage and in the middle line, an incision is made through the 

 skin and muscle and carried backwards for about six inches. A 

 piece of calico, soaked in an antiseptic solution and provided with an 

 oblong opening in the centre, is laid over the wound, and the peri- 

 toneum is then incised ; a hand is introduced and the abomasum, 

 which is readily distinguished by its colour from intestine, is drawn 

 into the wound and opened by a three-inch incision. If the stomach 

 contains much milk it is emptied by means of a syringe ; then a 

 finger is inserted to remove the hair-ball, which is found usually 

 near the pylorus. The wound of the abomasum is closed by 

 Lembert's sutures of silk ; the abdomen is flushed with warm saline 

 solution, and finally the external wound is sutured, and protected 

 with antiseptic powder, cotton wool and a bandage. 



Dogs are sometimes seen to swallow the foreign body, and in 

 such case an emetic should first be tried, but not before giving a 

 considerable quantity of firm food (flesh), so as to distend the 

 stomach. Faecal stasis, if already existent, may be overcome, and 

 the foreign body brought away, by injecting warm water into the 

 rectum. Plenty of fluid should be used, so as to distend the bowel 

 and open the way for the foreign body. Sometimes the hypodermic 

 injection of eserine produces powerful peristaltic action and passage 

 of the offending object, but purgatives given per os are useless and 

 are nearly always vomited. 



As a last resource, laparotomy may be tried, though often it 

 comes too late, the animal's strength being much reduced before 



