Diseases of the Digestive Organs. 165 



internal organ througi. a natural oi unnatural opening. 

 Of abdominal organs tlie bowels and omentum are tliose 

 that most commonly protrude, though the womb often es- 

 capes in bitches. According to the structure through 

 which the organ passes the hernia is named: — into the 

 chest, diaphragmatic or phrenic ; through the omentum or 

 mesentery, omental, mesenteric; through the navel, umbilical; 

 into the scrotum, inguinal or scrotal; through the/emoro/ 

 arch to the inner side of the thigh, /emoraZ; through an 

 artificial opening in the waUs of the abdomen, ventral, 

 through the relaxed walls of the vagina, vaginal. 



Diaphragmatic Hernia may occur from violent muscular 

 efforts, from the violent shock of a heavy abdominal organ 

 on the midriff in leaping or from laceration with a broken 

 rib or other offending body. The worst cases are sud- 

 denly fatal from suffocation. In others there is a sudden 

 access of difficult breathing with gurgling sounds on aus- 

 cultating the chest. In still others, with a smaller rupture, 

 the rumbling in the chest may be absent but there is vio- 

 lent, continuous colic and rapid prostration as in obstruc- 

 tion. In the slightest forms there is only an extra lifting 

 of the flanks as in heaves. Treatment is useless, though 

 rest and anodynes wiU allow a shght case to merge into 

 the chronic form. 



3Iesenieric and Omental Hernia give rise to complete ob- 

 struction of the bowels and can rarely be recognized nor 

 remedied. 



Umbilical Hernia is common in horses, dogs and very 

 young ruminants. It is usually congenital but may result 

 from violent straining, running or jumping. The swelling 

 is verj' manifest and when handled its contents are found 

 to move on each other, to gurgle and to pass back in a 

 mass when pressed. 



Treafrnent is often needless, the sac beconing effaced 

 with growth. If not, make a soft pad for the navel and 

 attach it to elastic bands passing round the body and fixed 

 in their turn to otters extending back from a collar round 



