156 Surgical Diseases and Surgery of the Dog 



account of the great mobility of its stomach. It occurs when 

 the stomach is empty and is characterized by rotation from right to 

 left, the esophageal and duodenal orifices being completely occluded. 

 The vessels are compressed, stasis of the circulation takes place, 

 and internal hemorrhage follows. Kitt has witnessed two instances 

 of this lesion at the necropsy of one of which I had the good 

 fortune to be present, and Cadeac states that he has seen three cases. 



Symptoms and Diagnosis. The organ becomes enormously 

 distended by accumulation of gas, and this causes asphyxia within 

 a few hours by compression of the diaphragm. This lesion need 

 not be confounded with any other internal trouble, excepting perhaps 

 hernia of the diaphragm, Caparini having seen such a case, accomp- 

 anied by enormous gaseous distension of the stomach, because ex- 

 treme meteorism is peculiar to either of these conditions, and also 

 because there is entire absence of vomiting. 



Treatment. The asphyxia must be promjftly relieved by para- 

 centesis, the gas being allowed to escape gradually so that no evil 

 result may follow from sudden release of the pressure. A right 

 celiotomy must then be quickly performed in order to return the 

 organ to its normal position and re-establish its circulation. 



F0BEI6N BODIES. 



There is scarcely any limit, excepting size, to the shape, char- 

 acter, and consistence of articles which the dog will swallow. They 

 are mostly swallowed together with the food or by subjects with 

 abnormal appetites suffering from gastric disorders, or accidentally 

 in play. Among recorded articles may be mentioned: fragments 

 of bone, wooden and metallic skewers, stones, play-balls, cork- 

 stoppers, tops, coins, rope, needles, niarbles, and fabrics. Hair 

 when swallowed is apt to form into balls. Bruckmueller observed 

 a prevalence of the latter condition in dogs kept in barber-shops. 

 This authority also observed that pigeons when swallowed whole 

 acted as foreign bodies, and might cause death. 



Such bodies are often vomited, but may remain in the stomach 

 or pass on to the intestine. It is noteworthy that foreign bodies 

 may be retained in the stomach for considerable periods without 

 materially affecting the animal's health. Cadiot and Ries saw a 

 dog which had swallowed two peg-tops. During the following 

 eleven months there was no manifestation of sickness. Finally, 



