EXAMINATION OF THE DIGESTIVE APPARATUS 



31 



teritis, from proctitis (inflammation of the rectum), in rare instances, 

 from distemper, infectious hemorrhagic gastro-enteritis, septicaemia, 

 and in cases of mycotic meat poisoning. Blood may be found on the 

 surface of the stool or mixed with the pus. Which portion of the intesti- 

 nal track the blood comes from can be arrived at in the following way: 

 If the blood is found to be mixed all through the material in the faeces it 

 comes from the stomach or small intestines. But if the blood is in clots 

 or streaks and lying on the surface of the stool, it has come from the 

 lower part of the large intestine or the rectum. The color of the blood is 

 diagnostic; when the blood has escaped into the intestine in the anterior 

 portion, it is dark brown, a greenish-brown, or even black; but from the 

 lower intestines the blood is hardly changed in color and in proctitis the 



Fig. 15.— Eggs of intestinal parasites in faeces (round worm). Magnified 70 times. 



blood is normal in color, and is easily detected in the faeces, either in the 

 form of pure blood or bloody mucus. 



The odor of the faeces is unpleasant, nauseating or offensive, especi- 

 ally when the animal has had a meat diet, and particularly so in cases of 

 long-standing constipation from mycotic meat poisoning; or in the latter 

 stages of septicaemia, in distemper, diarrhoea, toxic enteritis, or infec- 

 tious hemorrhagic gastro-enteritis. Free bile in the faeces gives them a 

 particularly offensive odor. 



The presence of the following objects in the faeces may aid in diag- 

 nosis by giving an important clue to certain disorders; stones, sand, 

 pieces of bone, straw, grass, splinters of wood, hair, portions of sloughed 

 tissue, whole or portions of parasites (ascarides, oxyuris, taenia) (Fig. 15), 

 and more minute examination by means of the microscope may determine 

 the nature and some of the above-named objects if they should be in a 

 state of fine division. 



