50 DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE APPARATUS 



but these conditions are impossible to improve by any surgical means that 

 we know of at present. 



OEsophagotomy. — This is not a very difficult operation to perform in a 

 dog. The animal is laid on his right side, and if not too weak, is narco- 

 tized or the locality sprayed with chloride of ethyl. The oesophagus is 

 now exposed and examined to see if any portion is gangrenous from the in- 

 j ury . After having shaved off the hair, and washed the surrounding tissues 

 with antiseptics, the foreign body is located, and an incision is made in the 

 skin parallel with the jugular vein and over the foreign body. The incision 

 is now carried through the subcutaneous tissues and muscles, and the 

 oesophagus is exposed. Where the foreign body is located in the lower por- 

 tion of the cervical region, the incisions can be made on the median line 

 and by separating the muscles the oesophagus which lies on the left side 

 of the trachea can easily be distinguished. The incision made in the 

 oesophagus should only be large enough to allow the removal of the foreign 

 body. After the extraction of the foreign body, the wall of the oesopha- 

 gus should be sewed up with cat-gut, and the muscles sewed with silk 

 and the skin either left open or a drainage-tube placed in it. The ojxjning 

 is then treated as an ordinary wound. No food must be given for 48 

 hours, then only water or milk. The animal should be kept on liquid food 

 for at least two weeks. When a large portion of the oesophageal wall is 

 lost, that which is sloughed from necrosis, and the edges of the wound in 

 the oesophagus cannot be brought together, the case is hopeless. 



Other Diseases of the (Esophagus. 



In very rare instances we find inflammation of the oesophagus (oesoph- 

 agitis) . In this case it is due to the action of caustic poisons or a lacer- 

 ation cavised by foreign bodies going down the tube or from foreign bodies 

 becoming imbedded in the tube for a time and then dislodged, l:)y injuries 

 to the wall from the probang, and in still more rare instances from swallow- 

 ing hot or scalding food, by spread of inflammatory process from the 

 pharynx, or the presence of parasites (spiroptera). Oesophagitis is recog- 

 nized l)y great salivation, difficulty in swallowing, attempts at or true 

 vomiting and great pain shown by the animal on manipulation of the 

 oesophagus. The treatment consists in giving liquids, gruel or rice water 

 and in severe cases, small pieces of ice at frequent intervals. 



Obstructions of the (Esophagus. 



(Ste nos is Q^suphagus . ) 



This may result from the subsequent irritation and cicatricial contrac- 

 tion of the wall as a result of laceration by a foreign body. Occasionally 

 we may find malformation of the wall by an inflammatory process of the 

 same, from cyst formations, due to presence of spiroptera sanguinolenta, 



