VOLVULUS 185 



tion, and continuing with the latter suture, apply Council's 

 sutures closing the opening. Then beginning with the first 

 suture apply Lembert sutures around to the point of begin- 

 ning. Remove vessel ligatures, cleanse and return to the 

 abdominal cavity. 



Following these operations all food must be withheld 

 twenty-four to forty-eight hours and then only small amounts 

 of liquid food for several days. Tumor formations in the 

 bowel are rare but when causing trouble must be removed 

 by enterectomy (see Enterectomy) . 



VOLVULUS. 



Definition.— An intestinal obstruction due to a twisting 

 or knotting of the bowel. 



Etiology.— This condition is rare in dogs owing to the 

 short mesentery. It may occur following falls or rough 

 handling by children during play, or by a portion of the 

 bowel passing through an opening in the mesentery caused 

 by an injury or following operations (enterectomy) . 



Pathology. —Volvulus of the bowel is more or less obstructive 

 owing to twisting or kinking which it produces. In other cases 

 a loop of intestine is twisted about another like a bow knot 

 or slipped through an opening in the mesentery which partly 

 obstructs the passage of the contents. Gas formation soon 

 dilates the bowel further obstructing it and also the blood- 

 vessels. When the obstruction is complete the bowel above 

 is much distended while the part actually involved, having 

 the circulation arrested, will appear dark red and later 

 become necrotic leading to peritonitis. 



Symptoms.— As the condition is acute the symptoms appear 

 suddenly and are very pronounced. They are abdominal 

 pain, accompanied by vomiting, great prostration and a 

 hard, rapid pulse. Palpation of the abdomen may or may 

 not produce much pain; sometimes no change in the intestine 

 can be detected. 



Diagnosis.— The acute abdominal pain, the sudden onset, 

 rapidly increasing severity of the symptoms, vomiting and 



