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VOMITING. 89 
serious gastric affections. It is an evident fact also that a disturbance of diges- 
tion may occur suddenly, exist but for a few days and then be recovered from, or 
it may persist for weeks, months, or even years. Varying the expression, indi- 
gestion may be acute or chronic; and since these forms have special features, it 
is deemed best to recognize this distinction, and consider them under separate 
heads. 
VOMITING. 
Vomiting is a symptom of many affections, among which are indigestion, 
colic, inflammation or other disease of the stomach, diarrhoea, dysentery, worms, 
obstruction of the bowels, and irritant poisoning; and as such it has been duly 
considered, and appropriate treatment recommended under the various heads. 
But contrary to the rule in mankind, in accordance with which vomiting is rare 
except there be considerable disturbance somewhere in the system, in dogs it 
may occur at will, For instance, when puppies have reached the third or fourth 
week, oftentimes their mother tires of nursing, or feels that her breasts do not fur- 
nish sufficient support. She will then, if fed away from them, fill her stomach, 
and as soon as opportunity presents, unload its contents before them. And 
others who have been mothers are likely to do this where they have access to a 
litter and think it high time that the pups be weaned. 
Vomiting may, therefore, mean much or merely nothing, and usually the latter, 
if it occurs after a hearty meal, in which case the food is generally first bolted, 
then thrown up and eaten leisurely. At other times, however, it is generally of 
more importance, although not necessarily so if it occurs only now and then; 
but several attacks following one another at brief intervals are indicative that 
the vomiting is a symptom, and there is some disease present or threatened. 
When mucus only is expelled by the act it may come from the air-passages, 
but generally it is from the stomach, and suggests trouble there. Streaks of blood 
may appear in the matter raised if vomiting is quite persistent and there has 
been much straining, but in such case they are not important. When, however, 
there is much blood of a bright red color and in considerable quantity, the cause 
is likely a sharp bone lodged in the gullet. Blood having the appearance of 
coffee-grounds comes from the stomach, and suggests an ulcer of the same, which, 
however, is of an exceedingly rare occurrence in dogs. 
While attacks of vomiting are persistent, the lower opening of the stomach is 
relaxed and open, consequently the contents of the intestine adjoining are ad- 
mitted ; and since it is near there that the bile pours out of the gall-duct, more 
or less of it naturally finds its way into the stomach. The ejected matter is then 
of greenish color, and the same appearing, it is customary to blame the liver and 
attribute the vomiting to the bile; whereas the expulsion of the latter is purely 
