142 DISEASES OF THE STOMACH AND BOWELS 



Etiology. — The fact that an animal ruminates does away 

 with the necessity of thorough mastication following pre- 

 hension. The food is rolled in the mouth by the tongue, 

 which is not very sensitive, mixed with saliva and swallowed 

 without being chewed. Any foreign bodies in it, therefore, 

 reach the stomach. While blunt foreign bodies usually do 

 no harm unless large quantities of them accumulate, or if 

 they block the natural openings of the stomach, sharp- 

 pointed objects (needles, wire, nails) are frequently forced 

 through the walls of the reticulum by the peristaltic move- 

 ments, causing a traumatic gastritis. Usually the sharp- 

 pointed object penetrates the diaphragm in the direction of 

 the heart sac. Sometimes another route is taken, the wire, 

 needle, etc., entering the lung, liver, spleen, uterus, or even 

 aorta, where it sets up a suppurative inflammation leading 

 to abscess formation or fatal hemorrhage. In some cases the 

 abscesses may become encapsuled and the condition latent, 

 or by way of metastasis, pyemia with multiple abscess 

 formation in parenchymatous organs (lungs, liver) results. 



Symptoms. — In general the sjTuptoms are those of an 

 indigestion not traceable to errors in diet, which is period- 

 ical (remissions and exacerbations), and often associated with 

 rheumatic-like stiffness of the patient. Blunt foreign bodies 

 produce symptoms of indigestion, which without a clear 

 history of the case are extremely difficult to differentiate 

 from atony of the forestomachs. Accumulations of sand 

 or silt in the rumen sometimes induce symptoms of loss 

 of appetite, suppressed rumination, slobbering, stiffness of 

 movement and frequent groaning. In some cases the rumen 

 feels abnormally hard on palpation and the feces will be 

 found to contain particles of sand. Occasionally the cattle 

 will show toxic symptoms resembling those of parturient 

 paresis. 



If the blunt foreign bodies block the natural openings of 

 the stomach sudden illness is produced. This is most com- 

 monly seen in calves and lambs where hair, wool, or food 

 balls are the offending objects. The symptoms are those 

 of bloating, colic, restlessness, retching, dyspnea and occa- 

 sionally epileptiform attacks. 



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