Acute Peritonitis in Solipeds. 387 



is the rule the rectum containing a number of small, round, dry 

 balls, yet after a day or two diarrhoea may set in. Urine is 

 usually suppressed, or passed in small amount and of a high color. 

 The pulse is usually small, hard, and at times thready, the skin 

 perspires more or less generally, prostration and dullness .set in 

 and death may occur within 24 hours or more commonly in 4 to 

 8 days. After the ist day there may be fluctuation of the 

 abdomen from liquid effusion. 



In case of infection from perforated or ruptured .stomach or 

 intestine the symptoms are more severe from the finst, and the 

 issue is more rapidly fatal. With marked trembling, there occur 

 extreme weakness and prostration, dull, sunken eyes, flaccid 

 facial muscles, cold perspiration, chilly ears and limbs, entire 

 ce.ssation of defecation, small, weak accelerated pulse, breathing 

 rapid, broken in inspiration or expiration, and more or less 

 tympany. Yet the tenderness of the abdomen is le,ss marked, 

 and the animal ma3' move with somewhat le,ss stiffness, and gets 

 up and down with less apparent suffering. The temperature is less 

 elevated than in the external traumatism , and the whole aspect is 

 that of collapse and sinking. These cases may die from shock or 

 tympany in a few hours, or they may survive 24 or even as long as 

 48 hours but rarely longer. In case of rupture of the stomach 

 there may be the usual feature of eructation or vomiting. 

 Resolution may occur but non-fatal cases are liable to become 

 chronic with ascites. 



Diagnosis. Apart from traumatism, the evidence of some 

 previous intestinal or gastric lesion, or abscess, succeeded by 

 continuous dull colicy pains, the arching of the back and drawing 

 together of the limbs, the tender abdomen, the careful decubitus 

 and lying on the side, the tympany, obstinate constipation, and 

 pale conjunctiva, the pleuritic ridge and breathing without the 

 friction sounds or intercostal tenderness of pleurisy, the high 

 temperature, the weak rapid pulse and rapidly advancing weak- 

 ness, prostration and collapse furnish a combination which is 

 very characteristic. 



Lesions. In rapidly fatal cases there may appear to be little 

 more than general peritoneal congestion and ecchymosis. In 

 such cases, however, there is usually a mixture of the ingesta 

 with the intestinal convolutions and omentum. 



