OBSTIPATION 71 



the intestine. Make the cut longitudinally, on the intestinal line, on the 

 opposite side from the mesentery, remove the foreign body, taking care all 

 through the operation to prevent the fluids escaping into the al)dominal 

 cavity. "Wash the inside of the intestines with an antiseptic and unite it 

 by means of Lambert's suture (see Fig. 30) or Czerny's double suture 

 (see Fig. 31). For more exact detail on this subject, the reader is referred 

 to the works on canine surgery by French or Hobday. The operator now 

 takes a fine curved needle, and fine cat-gut suture and puts a number 

 of stitches through the mucous membrane and serous tissues, taking care 

 not to go through the mucous memljrane, so that when the thread is 

 tightened the two edges of the cut will he brought so as to face into the 

 intestine; these are tied, and another line of stitches is made over the 

 first, as is illustrated in the accompanying Fig. 31. The intestine is 

 returned to the cavit}', and the external wound sewed up with silk and 



Fig. 31. — Suture of the intestines {Czerny). 



dressed with an antiseptic dressing. In the male dog see that the dress- 

 ing is not soiled with urine. 



The opening of the abdominal cavity is also to be performed in eases 

 "where we can recognize a total constriction of the bowels. In these cases 

 where the anatomical cause of the disease cannot be clearly established, 

 we have no other way to proceed than to treat the symptoms as they 

 present themselves, that is to give purgatives, or, in any case, do not 

 neglect to give plenty of watery clysters. The general treatment must 

 be directed toward keeping up the animal's strength. The first forty- 

 eight hours only water must be given and in small quantities. Subcu- 

 taneous injections of the spirits of camphor or ether are better than 

 administering them by the mouth, as they are vomited immediately. 

 Do not give the animal any food until the intestinal obstruction has been 

 removed or at least until there have been free defecation and the pas- 

 sage of the intestinal gas and the general condition is improved. And on 

 the third day the animal may be given food; it must be of the lightest 

 and easiest digested, such as soups, milk, bouillon with egg, meat, peptone, 

 and on the fourth day finely scraped rare or raw beef, or some of the 



