524 GENERAL THERAPEUTIC MEASURES 



the ground when in place, Occasionally in impacted stomachs it is im- 

 possible to pass the tube through the lower portion of the gullet unless 

 a stilette is used in the tube. 



For this purpose a wire bent double has proved satisfactory and 

 is easily carried about. The apparatus consisting of two tubes, a small 

 inlet and a larger outlet tube joined together, while superior for some 

 purposes is not so generally serviceable as the single stomach tube. 



Lavage of the stomach of dogs is accomplished by fastening the 

 animal to a table on its side by tying the feet and a band about the body 

 to the table. A gag made of wood is placed in the mouth to hold the 

 jaws apart. Through a hole in the gag a tube is passed. The tube 

 should be about 5 ft. long and different sizes are required. A large 

 human catheter, or small human rectal tube is commonly suitable. To 

 the catheter or rectal tube a funnel is attached by means of a piece of 

 rubber tube and glass tube. After the stomach tube is passed, water is 

 lioured into the funnel, to tha amount of a pint or so, and the stomach is 

 emptied by lowering the funnel to the floor and allowing the water to 

 siphon off. The tube must of course be filled with water when it is 

 lowered in order to act as a siphon. 



Lavage of the stomach and indeed the whole alimentary canal may 

 also be accomplished in dogs by inverting the animals or hanging them 

 up with head downwards and allowing several gallons of warm water 

 to run into the rectum from a tube with funnel attached and raised 

 some six feet above the patient. Water is allowed to flow until vomiting 

 begins. It is well to introduce the rectal tube slowly for several feet 

 and to compress the anus about the tube to prevent the water from 

 escaping. This method is valuable after foreign bodies or poisons have 

 been swallowed and some practitioners use it to free dogs of worms. 

 Here a purge is first given and then the lower bowel is emptied by 

 allowing soap solution (several gallons) to be intermittently rejected. 

 Then the dog is inverted and normal salt solution allowed to flow into the 

 jectum until it flows almost as fast from the mouth. If this does not 

 occur, apomorphine hydrochloride (gr. l/lO to 1/20 under the skin) 

 will aid the water to flow through. A second treatment given in three 

 days completes the vermifuge treatment. The worms are not always 

 wholl3'^ removed and occasionally rupture of the gut occurs. The method 

 is in common use, however, by leading practitioners (Quitman). 



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