164 Surgical Diseases and Surgery of the Dog 



other organ is involved or not. The appearance of the wounds has 

 no diagnostic value, since there is no gaping of parts, owing to 

 contractions of the abdominal muscles, and it is often impossible 

 and in most cases inadvisable to use a probe. Systemic collapse 

 from shock or hemorrhage is one of the principal symptoms of 

 perforation. 



Treatment. In all perforating abdominal wounds the cavity 

 should be opened as soon as possible. There need be no hesitancy 

 on the part of the practitioner, because the dog is remarkably toler- 

 ant of abdominal operations. Divided vessels must be ligated, 

 rents in the bowel wall sutured, and blood and other putrescible 

 material carefully removed, and the cavity thoroughly irrigated 

 with warm sterilized water or the physiologic salt solution. The 

 search for rents and hemorrhagic foci must be systematic, every 

 inch of the bowel being passed through the operator's hands and 

 closely examined. The remoter grandular organs must also be 

 inspected, and to accomplish this with facility it is necessary to 

 make a fairly extensive incision in the abdominal wall. 



INTESTINAL OBSTEUCTION. 



Under this term it is convenient to consider all cases in which 

 the onflow of the contents of the intestinal canal is obstructed. 

 The minor degrees of constipation which are amenable to medica- 

 tion do not properly form part of a surgical consideration, and 

 will not be discussed. Obstructions, using the term in a surgical 

 sense, occurred in Froehner's clinic in about two per cent of all 

 cases treated. 



AH forms of obstruction may be classified into three principal 

 groups : 



I. From OBSTACLES, obliteration of the canal by obstruction 

 within its walls. 



II. From COMPRESSION, obliteration of the canal taking place 

 from pressure without. 



III. From CONSTRICTION, obstruction by causes developing in 

 connection with the wall itself. 



I. Obstacles. This is the most common of the three forms 

 in canine practice, and may be subdivided into two groups: (a) 

 Fecal Accumulation (Coprostasis), and (b) Foreign Bodies. 



