EXAMINATION OF THE DIGESTIVE APPARATUS 25 



tannin. The vomited material may be streaked with traces of blood, 

 due to rupture of some capillary vessels of the stomach. For further 

 particulars see the article on Ha?mostases. 



The vomited material varies according to the pathological condit- 

 ions, from a thin watery fluid to thick mucus. In acute or chronic 

 catarrh of the stomach it is stringy and glassy. The presence of blood in 

 the vomited material may be due to the animal swallowing some sharp 

 foreign body, the action of some corrosive poison, from infectious hemor- 

 rhagic gastro-enteritis, ulceration of the stomach, gastric ulcer, or we may 

 see it in hemorrhage of the mouth, trachea or pharynx, where the animal 

 swallows the blood and vomiting it again may lead to a mistaken diag- 

 nosis of infectious hemorrhagic gastro-enteritis. This may also occur 

 when an animal licks a wound and thus swallows a large amount of blood 

 and then vomits it. In hemoptysis (bloody cough from the respiratory 

 organs) it is frothy and a bright color. In hematemesis (vomited blood) , 

 the blood is dark, varying from a dark red-brown to a dark brown. In 

 rare instances where abscesses form in the pharynx, oesophagus, stomach, 

 or the region adjacent to that organ, when they break they may cause 

 vomiting and the material vomited is stained with blood. Fa?cal ma- 

 terial is sometimes vomited up in the latter stages of obstruction of the 

 bowels and in acute diffuse peritonitis. 



Vomited material is generally acid in reaction but it is alkaline in 

 poisoning by alkalies, and in severe hematemesis. Vomited material is 

 generally pungent and unpleasant, particularly when there is a collection 

 of fatty acids in the stomach, and very offensive when fsecal material 

 or putrid meat is vomited. This also occurs in rare instances, from 

 violent poisons, and in carcinoma of the stomach, etc. A foul odor may 

 be given to vomited material in cases of injury of the pharynx and oesoph- 

 agus. In cases of certain poisons, the characteristic odors of the drug 

 can be detected, as in the case of phosphorous, carbolic acid, iodoform, 

 or hydrocyanic acid. Internal parasites are frequently found in vomited 

 material. 



Eructation of gas (belching) is frecjuently seen in perfectly healthy 

 animals, particularly when they rise and stretch themselves. It is also 

 seen in catarrh of the stomach. 



Physical Examination of the Bowels (Intestines). 



The examination of the intestines can either be made through 

 the abdominal wall or the rectum. The situation and size of the various 

 abdominal organs can be seen approximately in Fig. 12. 



The manual examination of the intestines is made in the following 

 way: The animal is put in a standing position and placing one hand 



