THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS 173 



such cases it must be well washed in tepid water and replaced at 

 once, whilst warm-water injections should be given three or four 

 times a day, dieting the animal on soft food, such as bran mashes, 

 etc. When neglected, it mortifies, becomes black, and has to be cut 

 ©ff, which is rather a formidable operation. Young foals when 

 newly born suffer very much from impaction of the rectum with 

 hard balls of meconium ; the animal sets up its back, strains, and 

 presses so much that scrotal hernia is the result. Warm-water 

 injections must be given, and the hard balls ejected with the 

 assistance of the finger. 



270. Paralysis of the Rectum, or a want of power to expel 

 the contents, is occasionally met with, when the rectum becomes 

 impacted with faecal matters which the animal has no power to 

 expel ; and this may be due to an injury to the spine, or to 

 degeneration of the muscular and nervous tissue of the walls of the 

 bowel, or to fracture of the pelvic or tail bones. When first noticed 

 the external parts around the opening into the bowel under the tail 

 is observed to be very much distended with the fasces and pressed 

 out behind, may be to the size of a man's head ; yet the patient, as 

 a rule, feeds well, and shows little or no inconvenience. When this 

 is seen the faecal matter has to be removed by hand about every 

 four or five hours ; as the case advances the bladder and penis 

 become implicated, and the urine is seen dribbling on to the ground. 

 The penis finally becomes pendulous, powerless, and swollen, when 

 it has to be supported by a bandage round the body, for which an 

 old lace or net curtain answers best. Treatment is, however, rarely 

 successful, but drachm doses each of sulphate of iron and nux 

 vomica can be given once a day in a mash ; a blister applied to the 

 loins ; and an infusion of oak bark injected into the bowel once or 

 twice daily may also be tried ; but, generally speaking, the animal 

 has to be destroyed. 



