ABDOMINAL DROPSY 



99 



animal shows signs of recovery, the diet must be carefully regulated, at 

 first milk, or thin soup, as the animal is very apt to vomit. Then the 

 lightest diet, soup, milk, juice of beef, a small quantity of lemon juice can 

 be administered, a teaspoonful at a time, or a teaspoonful of essence of 

 pepsin. 



Abdominal Dropsy. 



(Hydrops Ascites; Ascites; Hydrops Abdominis; Hydrops Peritonei.) 



By this is meant a collection of serous liquid in the abdominal cavity 

 that originates without inflammatory symptoms, being due to transuda- 

 tion. The amount of liquid collected varies very much. In some cases 

 there are only a few spoonfuls, in others 15 to 20 litres of liquid. 



The color of the liquid is sometimes as clear as water, but generally 

 it is reddish-yellow. It may also be filled w-ith flakes of fibrin, 



Fig. 52. — Dog with ascites. 



which indicate chronic peritonitis, or turbid as milk (chylous ascites). 

 When exposed to the atmosphere it usually remains fluid and only in 

 rare instances it becomes firm and jelly-like. It is thin and watery and 

 slightly sticky when pressed between the fingers and about the specific 

 gravity of blood serum. At first the peritoneum is normal, but, if this 

 condition lasts some time, the peritoneum becomes macerated, is pale or 

 dull white, and finally a general degeneration sets in. When the animal 



