Constipation in Birds. 327 



not too far apart. The food must be of a laxative nature. At 

 first fresh whey or butter-milk only may be allowed, but as some 

 action of the bowels is obtained well salted beef tea, pulped or 

 scraped red muscle seasoned with salt, or milk treated in the same 

 way is permissible. If the bowels fail to respond when the dog 

 is taken out at the regular times an injection of cold water may 

 be given. Sulphate of eserine (^ gr. ) may be given daily by the 

 mouth or hypodermically, or castor oil (}4 to 1 oz.) may be 

 administered at one dose to be followed by careful dietary and 

 hygienic measures. Or sweet oil, calomel and jalap, podophyllin, 

 or colocynth may be substituted. When the bowels have been 

 freely opened a daily morning dose of a drop of the fluid extract 

 of belladonna and }4 gr. of nux vomica will often materially im- 

 prove the peristalsis. Active manipulation of the abdomen may 

 be employed, or, if available, a current of electricity through the 

 torpid bowels for ro or 15 minutes daily. 



CONSTIPATION IN BIRDS. 



Causes : Matted feathers, impacted cloaca, arrest of eggs, debility, catarrh, 

 parasites, nervous disorder. Symptoms : swelling of anus, pendent abdo- 

 men, waddling gait, straining without effect. Treatment : remove obstruc- 

 tion by mechanical means, cut off matted feathers, egg matter may demand 

 laparotomy, castor oil, tincture of rhubarb, enemata, green food, ensilage, 

 roots, onions. 



• 



In birds torpid and obstructed bowels may come from the ef- 

 fects of a previous diarrhoea, which has led to the matting 

 together of the feathers over the anus at once obstructing defeca- 

 tion and rendering it painful. It may result in and be aggra- 

 vated by a slow accumulation of indigestible matters in the intes- 

 tine or cloaca (pebbles, feathers, etc.), and the arrest of eggs in 

 the oviduct, pressing upon and obstructing the bowel. In a re- 

 cent case the author removed 18 ozs. of impacted egg matter 

 from the oviduct of a hen, which when divested of this load 

 weighed barely 2 lbs. Debility of the general system and par- 

 ticularly of the walls of the bowels, and its various causes (old 

 age, exhausting disease, intestinal catarrh, parasites, nervous 



