INTESTINAL CATARRH 61 



ways, but it is less severe in its symptoms. The faeces change from soft 

 to firm, like the stools of cliarrhcEa, and vice versa, the animal becoming 

 weak and thin, showing signs of anaemia; but in the chronic cases the ap- 

 petite is generally very good. In some cases where the disease has been 

 present a long time, when we examine the intestines by palpation, through 

 the abdominal wall, the intestines are found to be firmer and less elastic. 



Prognosis. — In strong animals, this disease is generally not very se- 

 rious, but in young dogs or puppies, it causes great exhaustion and they 

 die from collapse before the diarrhoea can be checked; the chronic form 

 in old animals is generally very hard to control and must be looked upon 

 as a grave condition. Often attacks follow one after the other, com- 

 pletely prostrating the animal and carrying it off finally. 



Therapeutics. — In slight cases the only thing to do is to keep the 

 animal in an even warm temperature, regulate the food and, as a rule, 

 lessen it in quantity and make it easier digested. Soup or broth, mixed 

 with bread or biscuit, rice, etc., friction to the stomach and a small quan- 

 tity of alcohol, in the form of whiskey or sherry, for weak, delicate dogs. 

 It must be borne in mind that in all cases of this disease the treatment 

 will depend entirely on the causes and symptoms that are observed. If 

 the cause has been the ingestion of decayed or putrid substances, or 

 internal parasites, the first thing to do is to clean the intestinal canal 

 out by means of a purgative, such as calomel, Glauber salt, or in weak 

 subjects or puppies, olive oil. If there is any indication that the liver is 

 disturbed, it is best to first administer a dose of calomel and follow up 

 with a saline purgative. Where there are copious and thin discharges 

 and an indication of excessive peristaltic action, laxatives are contra- 

 indicated; it is advisable to use narcotics, and in this instance opium is 

 always indicated, powdered opium, laudanum, morphia or Dover's pow- 

 ders. The attempt to substitute extract of belladonna or hyoscyamus 

 and bromide of sodium in this disease has not proved to be very success- 

 ful. Beside opium, we should also use the true astringents, such as tannic 

 acid, calumbo root, and cascarilla bark. Certain preparations of bis- 

 muth have a tendency to disinfect the intestinal canal and also to soothe 

 the irritated mucous membranes. Xeroform (bismuth tribomphen- 

 yticum) or bismuth subgallate or subnitrate. If ulceration of the bowels 

 is indicated by symptoms, the albuminoid or organic preparations of 

 silver or nitrate of silver are to be given, followed up by small doses of 

 naphthalin, salicylic acid or creosote. If we suspect that there is a certain 

 amount of putrid matter in the intestines beside, use saline laxatives to 

 sweep out the decayed material; after doing this administer xeroform or 

 resorcin (see treatment of mycotic gastro-enteritis) . It is well to make 

 one or two irrigations of the bowels daily by means of a rubber funnel 

 and a piece of rubber hose with a pipe of hard rubber at the end, which 



