DISEASES OF THE OX AND SHEEP. 491 



the offending matter is dislodged, the animal is relieved, the dis- 

 tressing symptoms vanish, gas escapes from the rumen, and the 

 animal soon commences to feed. In passing the probang, great 

 care should always be exercised, as accidents are not by any 

 means rare. When the instrument will not dislodge the foreign 

 body, pressure should be discontinued for a minute or so, and 

 then should be again exerted firmly and steadily. 



Should the attempt even then be unsuccessful, it is best to 

 withdraw the probang, and, after a short interval, to attempt it 

 again; and even a third and fourth time. Even when great care 

 is taken, the gullet may be ruptured ; and the services of a 

 qualified veterinarian are therefore necessary in cases of choking. 

 In an instance which came before our notice some time ago, the 

 owner, who used an instrument of a very dangerous character, 

 perforated the gullet, and the probang found its way into the 

 tissues of the lungs. After much suffering, the poor cow died 

 in great agony. Even whip-stocks have been employed in these 

 cases, and cart ropes ; but the use of these instruments is very 

 strongly to be condemned. When the gullet is ruptured, an 

 event generally recognised by the swelling of the neck, slaughter 

 of the animal immediately is the only course to be adopted. In 

 those instances where great difficulty is encountered in passing 

 the probang, and gases are accumulating rapidly in the rumen, 

 the trocar should be passed in order to obviate danger of a 

 fatal issue, until relief can be obtained by means of the 

 probang. 



After the probang has been passed with success, the animal 

 should be fed upon soft food for several days, and on no account 

 must any roots be given until the gullet walls have had time to 

 recover their normal tone. In those instances where the foreign 

 body is impacted in the neck, and nothing will remove it, the 

 operation of opening the gullet has been performed as a last 

 resource. In this operation, termed " cesophagotomy " an inci- 

 sion is made through the skin, and the foreign substance is cut 

 down upon, and removed. The edges of the lining membrane of 

 the divided gullet are then securely sewn together with catgut 

 or silk sutures, and the animal is fed upon gruel and mashes for 

 some days after the incision. The operation itself is not diffi- 

 cult, but there is great difficulty in the healing of the wound 

 owing to the continual passage of food down the gullet. In 



