FOBEION BODIES IN THE CESOPHAOUS. 53 



DISEASES OP THE CESOPHAOUS. 

 Foreign Bodies in the CBsophagus. 



The foreign bodies that become fixed in the oesophagus of the 

 dog are numerous and varied; they consist of portions of food, 

 such as hard, irregular-sized pieces of meat that have been taken 

 in one gulp; long, sharp pieces of bone, such as mutton or fish, 

 pieces of wood, needles, or small stones; sometimes objects are 

 swallowed by accident, such as stones, buttons, glass, or india- 

 rubber balls, corks, etc., and lodged in the pharynx at the entrance 

 of the cesophagus; or if the object is small, it may go to a certain 

 distance into the tube and lodge. 



The symptoms vary according to the general character and posi- 

 tion of the foreign body. As a rule, the animal is restless and 

 keeps the neck and head extended; it scratches itself with the 

 paws over the spot where the obstruction is located. If it is in the 

 pharnyx, the animal shows signs of choking or may even vomit 

 small quantities of mucus and saliva from time to time. It coughs 

 frequently, and if the obstruction is large it refuses to eat or 

 drink. If water is forced on the animal, it passes down the throat 

 very slowly and evidently with difficulty, or may be vomited im- 

 mediately after it has been swallowed. If the foreign body is in 

 the pharynx, it can be felt externally with the finger, or openiug 

 the mouth and depressing the tongue it can be seen lodged ia the 

 pharynx; if it is in the oesophagus, it can be detected by making 

 a careful examination along the course of the tube or by the pro- 

 bang introduced into it, as has been described on page 30. The 

 latter method is the only way to positively determine the presence 

 of a foreign body when it has lodged in the thoracic portion of 

 the oesophagus. In introducing the probang it must be carefully 

 inserted, and if it should come in contact with the foreign body 

 too great pressure must not be made on it, as it is apt to pack the 

 object more firmly or even cause perforation of the tube. When 

 making an examination of the tube externally, should we find a 

 part that is painful we must not consider it the obstruction unless 

 we find a hard swelling with it, as foreign bodies, such as sharp 

 splinters of bone or wood, often go down the tube and lacerate the 

 mucous membrane in its passage and do not become imbedded. 



