SURGICAL OPERATIONS. 293 



an effort made to remove the obstruction. Many cases of choking 

 may be relieved by giving a few ounces of any bland oil at frequent 

 intervals and pulling the gullet on the stretch by forcible extension of 

 the neck. If this should be unsuccessful it will probably be necessary 

 to have recourse to the probang (PL III, fig. 2), which should be care- 

 fully introduced and the obstruction slowly pushed downward toward 

 the rumen, care being taken not to lacerate the coats of the esophagus. 

 An operation known as esophagotomy may be performed in case the 

 above efforts have failed. I will briefly describe the steps to be taken 

 in such an emergency. 



ESOPHAGOTOMY. 



In case the obstruction is in the cervical portion of the esophagus, 

 the best procedure is to cut through the skin and subcutaneous mus- 

 cle of the neck onto, but not into, the esophagus. ' The foreign body 

 may then be pushed upward until it can be reached and removed 

 through the mouth. The incision should be long; indeed, it may be 

 made the whole length of the neck if necessary, as it is practically 

 but a subcutaneous wound and heals readily. 



PUNCTURING THE KUMEN. 



This is an operation that when indicated has to be performed at once 

 or the animal may be lost. It is indicated in severe cases of acute 

 tympanites in cattle, commonly known as hoven, which is due to the 

 generation of gas resulting from fermentation. Recurrent attacks of 

 hoven are usually due to tubercular infiltration of the mediastinal and 

 bronchial glands. To relieve this distention an ordinary cattle trocar 

 and canula (PI. Ill, figs. 5 a and 5 b) are inserted into the rumen, the 

 most distended portion of the left side of the animal being the part 

 selected. The trocar is withdrawn and the canula left in until the 

 gas has fully escaped. 



Puncturing is not a serious operation in cattle, and in cases of great 

 distention should be performed without hesitancy or delay. Relief is 

 almost instantaneous in many cases. Of course, the proper remedial 

 agents should be administered to arrest further fermentation. (See 

 "Tympanites," p. 26.) 



EUME^TOTOMY. 



The opening of the paunch, or rumen, in cattle and the removal of 

 a part or the whole of the ingesta through said opening is termed 

 rumenotomy. The operation should be performed in severe cases only, 

 where the rumen is excessively overloaded and distended. The ani- 

 mal is placed with its right side against a wall and firmly held in posi- 

 tion by strong assistants. The incision is made in the same place that 

 the trocar is inserted for puncturing that organ in cases of hoven. 

 The opening is increased in size until the operator's hand can be 



