92 SWINE PRACTICE 



easy and restless. They extend the head and depress the nose, the 

 esophageal muscles relax, the abdominal muscles contract, and the 

 stomach content is thus forced out. The vomited material usually 

 consists of pai-ticles of food admixed with mucus, although it may 

 be composed entirely of a thin, shiny mucus. The expelled material 

 may contain intestinal as well as gastric contents. 



ANEMIA 



Anemia of the mucous membrance of the stomach occurs in swine 

 after surgical operations in which large quantities of blood have 

 been lost. It may also be due to obstruction of the arteries sup- 

 plying the gastric walls. 



A long-continued anemia of the stomach results in atrophy of 

 its walls. An anemic stomach is pale, flabby, and bloodless. 



Gastric anemia results in improper digestion, which ultimately 

 leads to emaciation and possibly to other disturbances of the animal 

 body. 



HEMORRHAGE (HBMATEMESIS) 



Etiology. — Hemorrhage of the stomach, or hemat^mesis is the re- 

 sult of erosion of blood-vessels due to diseased processes, traumatisms, 

 and caustics. Hog cholera is the most frequent cause of gastric 

 hemorrhages in hogs. 



Petechial hemorrhage into the walls of the stomach is associated 

 with various infective diseases. 



ies/o7(s.— Erosion or laceration of the blood-vessels plus an ac- 

 cumulation of blood in the stomach or discharged from the stomach, 

 are associated with gastric hemorrhage. The hydrochloric acid 

 of the gastric juice, acting upon the blood, forms a clot, and also 

 changes the color of the blood. As a rule the extravasation is con- 

 verted into masses, which are of about the same size and color as 

 roasted coffee beans. If the escaped blood from the stomach passes 

 on through the intestine it will remain firmly clotted in coffee-bean 

 masses. These masses characterize gastric hemorrhage and serve 

 to distinguish gastric from intestinal hemorrhage. 



Symptoms. ^Gastric hemorrhage is evidenced by a pale mucous 

 membrane and the escape of non-frothy, black, and more or less 

 coagulated masses of blood from the mouth. 



If the blood escapes slowly it may not be eliminated by vomition, 

 and the evidence of the hemorrhage will be found in the feces. The 



