104 SWINE PRACTICE 



Lesions. — The anatomical changes observed in intestinal obstruc- 

 tion vary according to the cause and duration of the condition. Thus 

 foreign bodies, such as hair balls or nails, may be found; a tangled 

 mass of Ascaris suum is sometimes the only lesion; abscess, tumor 

 formation, or changed relation of the intestine may be the principal 

 lesion. Aside from the obstructing agent there may be inflammatory 

 or necrotic lesions of the mucous membrane or other portions of the 

 intestine. 



Symptoms. — The first evidence is inappetence and a tucked abdo- 

 men, followed by infrequent defecation with the passage of small 

 quantities of mucous-covered feces. . Frequent attempts at defeca- 

 tion without the voiding of any fecal matter may occur. Vomition 

 is a common symptom in the later stages. In some cases there is 

 fermentation of the intestinal content with an excessive accumula- 

 tion of gas, producing tympany. 



Treatment. — The relief of intestinal obstruction depends upon the 

 cause. Obstruction from inspissated fecal matter may be overcome 

 by the judicious use of saline laxatives or enemas. Parasitic obstruc- 

 tion may be overcome by the use of vermifuges given orally or in 

 enemas. Relief from obstruction due to tumors or abscess formation 

 may be temporarily obtained by purgatives, but permanent relief is 

 obtained only by removing the cause. The treatment for obstruc- 

 tion from' volvulus or intussusception is problematic and the out- 

 come by no means certain. Surgical operation may be resorted to 

 in overcoming these conditions, as well as in foreign-body obstruc- 

 tion. If the accumulations of gas cause alarming symptoms, the 

 trocar may be used to produce immediate relief, and further fer- 

 mentation may be checked by the administration of antiferments, 

 either through the cannula or per os. As soon as the animals have 

 a desire to eat they should be given sparingly of easily digested 

 liquid foods. 



DILATATION 



Intestinal dilatation is not of common occurrence in swine. 



Etiology. — The usual cause is partial obstruction, resulting in 

 excessive accumulations of food which produce atony and later a 

 relaxation and dilatation of the intestinal walls. Should the dilata- 

 tion be unequal, diverticular dilatation results. 



Lesions. — The usual lesions observed in intestinal dilatation con- 

 sist of distended intestine with an accumulation of excessive qnan- 



