DISEASES OF THE BOWELS. 719 



teeth, and at sliort intervals discharges a quantity of thin 

 excrementitious material, mixed with pellets of hardened faeces 

 and blood. There is much straining, and irritation of the rectum 

 and anus, which appear sore and red ; some abdominal pain, 

 evinced by arcliing of the back, whisking and extension of the 

 tail, associated with tympanitis, great dulness, thirst, rapid ema- 

 ciation, and an aphthous condition of the mouth. 



In the chronic form there is great emaciation, a verminous 

 condition of the skin, looseness of the teeth, and anasarcous 

 swellings of the intermaxillary space ; the fgeces become deeply 

 tinged with blood, contain much mucus, and after a time an 

 admixture of fcetid purulent matter. Ulceration about the 

 anus ultimately appears ; the fseces are discharged involuntarily ; 

 the eyes soon become dim and sunk into the orbit, and the 

 animal dies. 



Both in diarrhoea and in dysentery of a chronic nature the 

 fseces contain gaseous materials, which cause the appearance of 

 little air bubbles upon their surface when discharged from the 

 body. The uriue of an animal suffering from dysentery is of a 

 high colour, increased specific gravity, containing an inordinate 

 quantity of urea, proving the rapidity of the tissue changes 

 occurring within the economy. 



TREATMENT. 



Both in the acute and chronic form much benefit is to be 

 expected from the administration of a mild oleaginous aperient, 

 succeeded by opium and antacids. Should these not succeed, 

 styptics, as the oil of turpentine, or astringents, as tannic acid, 

 sulphate of copper, terchloride of iron, or alum ; and to over- 

 come the fcfctor of the fteces, hyposulphite of soda, or other 

 deodorizers, may be given with advantage. When the disease is 

 essentially chronic, associated with much emaciation and a 

 tubercular diathesis, cod liver oil in such doses as the animal 

 will tolerate up to four ounces, given twice a day, mixed with 

 four or five eggs, will prove advantageous. It must be remem- 

 bered, however, that all treatment must be subservient to care- 

 ful dieting ; cake, good hay, and other articles easy of digestion 

 and nutritive, being at all times recommendable. For the dog 

 the same agents, in doses proportionate to the size of the animal, 

 along with proper diet, such as rice-milk or flour porridge, are 

 to be prescribed. 



