POOD ANE FEEDING 695 



added to a quart of milk for iise as an enema for a horse. 

 The mixture is then to be peptonized and introduced into the 

 rectum at the temperature of the body. In using the pep- 

 tonizing powders, one is placed in a quart glass jar together 

 with a teacupful of cold water. Then a pint of the mixture 

 to be peptonized is poured into the jar, and the latter placed 

 in a vessel containing water as hot as the hand will easily 

 bear. The jar is kept in the hot water for twenty minutes 

 and put on ice. "When the mixture is used it should be 

 heated to 100° F. If predigested food is to be given by the 

 mouth, it is well not to keep the glass jar immersed in hot 

 water more than five minutes, as otherwise the taste will be 

 bitter and disagreeable. A small dose of laudanum is always 

 useful to prevent the expulsion of e'nemata. Brandy may 

 be added in the proportion of one ounce to the pint of milk 

 after peptonizing. The addition of salt to egg-albumin 

 greatly facilitates absorption. Gruels of all kinds, and 

 broths, may be peptonized, as well as milk. It is not essen- 

 tial, however, to peptonize milk and other fluids, although 

 absorption is rendered somewhat more complete. The di- 

 gestive powers of the large intestines are but slight. Sugar 

 is absorbed unaltered ; undigested proteids (with certain 

 exceptions) and fat are not absorbed. Peptones, soluble 

 proteids, as milk, meat juice, egg albumin, and emulsified 

 fat are absorbed. Nevertheless, absorption from the lower 

 bowel is trivial compared with that from the stomach and in- 

 testines generally, and as the extent of surface with which 

 rectal injections come in contact is small, and their sojourn 

 short, it follows that rectal feeding cannot take the place of 

 normal alimentation. 



In tetanus, paralysis of muscles of deglutition, fracture 

 of the jaw in horses, persistent vomiting and convulsions in 

 dogs, and in all animals refusing food, rectal feeding is in- 

 dicated. It is possible to feed animals through a stomach 

 tube (or catheter), and, in hospital cases, this method may 

 be preferable. 



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