igo CANINE AND FELINE SURGERY 



situated in the rectum, whilst Pauer removed a stone from the upper part 

 of the bowel near the stomach. To add to the interest of the latter case, 

 a careful post-mortem examination was made when the dog died (from 

 another ailment) five years later, and the scar could distinctly be seen, 

 although otherwise the bowel was quite normal. 



Enterectomy and Anastomosis of the Intestine 

 (Enterorrhaphy). 



In certain cases in which the bowel has become gangrenous 

 or injured, owing usually to the presence of a foreign body 

 or some other cause, the onh* chance of saving the patient's 

 life depends upon the e.xcision of the diseased portion and 

 the union of the cut ends. The former is technicalh' termed 

 enterectomy, and the reunion of the cut ends enterorrhaphy. 

 These operations, although, of course, very serious ones, ha\'e 

 now regularh' taken their places in human surgery, and that it 

 can be successfulh- performed in healthy dogs and cats has 

 been demonstrated many times. ^ The chief difficulty in 

 veterinary practice seems to be to make a sufficiently accurate 

 diagnosis early enough — !.i'., before gangrene and septic peri- 

 tonitis have set in or the patient has become exhausted. In the 

 author's experience'^ the results, although not altogether with- 

 out success, have not been good, but in most cases the patient 

 was very much exhausted when brought for treatment. 



For an enterectomy the preliminar\' preparations are the 

 same as for laparotoni}- and enterotomy (see pp. 158 and 188) ; 

 for the intestinal anastomosis careful suturing alone maj' be 

 done, or resort may be had to certain mechanical aids, such 

 as those afforded by cones, discs, buttons, bobbins, etc., made 

 of metal, decalcified bone, carrot, turnip, potato, etc. 



The abdomen is opened in the usual wa^■ in the median 

 line or flank, according to the position of the obstruction, and 

 the offending portion of intestine sought for and \\ithdrawn, 



1 Journal of Comparative Medicine and Veterinary Archives (Cecil 

 French), 1902, p. 162. Lancet, October, 1897 (Martyn Jordan). 

 - Veterinary Record (Ridler and Hobday). 



