iQO Surgical Diseases and Surgery of the Dog 



The progress of reunion of anastomosed bowel has been studied 

 by Halsted and Mall. Before the completion of the operation a 

 primary union through sticking together of the serous coats by a 

 fibrinous substance took place. On the sixth day the serous walls 

 were firmly united by a semi-fibrous tissue, rich in spindle and 

 round cells. On the fourteenth day the union between the muscular 

 coats and the submucosa was very firm of fibrous tissue, and at 

 the end of two months all the coats were fully regenerated, and the 

 wall straightened out. 



Senn found that if he resorted to additional mechanical irritation 

 of the apposed surfaces, by scarifying them with the point of an 

 aseptic needle, a curcumscribed plastic peritonitis ensued, which 

 caused adhesions and obliteration of the serous spaces to take place 

 very much sooner than when the latter were left intact. 



Senn believes that the employment of omental grafts from 

 one to two inches in width and sufficiently long to completely en- 

 circle the bowel favor healing of visceral wounds, and afford an 

 additional protection against perforation. He observed that they 

 retained their vitality and became fairly adherent in from twelve 

 to eighteen hours, and were freely supplied with blood vessels in 

 from eighteen to forty-eight hours. 



There is no doubt that it is a good plan to encircle the bowel 

 at the site of operation with omentum, because in any case there 

 is invariably matting together of the intestine with other parts, 

 and it is better that omentum should form the adherent tissue than 

 coils of intestine, which favor the formation of flexures and kinks. 



Judicious after-treatment is no less important than the delicate 

 conduct of the operation itself. Extreme caution must be observed 

 in the matter of feeding for some time after apparent recovery, 

 both as regards the amount and nature of the food. Parkes had 

 one case that resulted in failure as late as three weeks from the 

 date of operation through neglect of caution in this matter. 



Suppressed appetite and much emaciation are usually present 

 during the first four or five days following the operation, but as 

 recovery becomes certain the craving for food becomes inordinate. 

 A voracious appetite at this period must be sparingly gratified. 

 Liquid diet is best for the first two or three weeks. 



It is interesting to note that such a severe operation may be 

 performed on the pregnant animal without necessarily inducing 

 premature birth. In Jordan's experiments two females were preg- 



