on the disoedebs op the digestive apparatus, ill 



On some Geneeal Symptoms oe Disoedee op the Alimen- 

 tary Canal. — There are some conditions which, although 

 generally described as disease, must be rather treated of 

 as groups of symptoms which are usually due to derange- 

 ment of the alimentary canal and its appendages^ but may 

 depend on disorder of other parts of the body or of the 

 constitution in general. Inappetance may be due to dis- 

 inclination for food. It is often seen in pampered animals 

 as a result of overfeeding or daintiness, or because the 

 food offered is not tempting to the palate. It is one of 

 the most freqnent general indications of disorder, or it 

 may depend on impediment such as choking, sore mouth, 

 diseased teeth, or paralysis of the muscles of the jaws. 

 The treatment consists in discovering and removing the 

 cause. 



Indigestion is very common in dogs : in the uncared 

 for as a result of coarse indigestible food, in the over-cared 

 for from too much and improper food, want of exercise, 

 and general inattention to hygienic conditions. It is 

 sometimes an indication of worms or foreign bodies in the 

 stomach ; in other cases may depend on torpidity of the 

 liver. It is an almost invariable accompaniment of advanced- 

 stages of debilitating disorders. Derangement of the teeth 

 may be the cause, and it is almost always found that in 

 these cases there are accumulations of tartar, softness of 

 the gums, very foul breath, and dry, discoloured 1 condition 1 

 of the tongue. The appetite is depraved, the animal eats 

 grass freely and vomits often, colicky pains, persistent 

 constipation, and flatulence cause the animal serious incon- 

 venience ; he is peevish, dull,. and evidently out of sorts, 

 and his coat feels harsh. In chronic cases the hair falls off 

 and asthmatic symptoms 'set in ; sometimes animals which 

 suffer from chronic indigestion are very fat. We need 

 not here specify the details of treatment, for they comprise 

 a removal, by medicine or otherwise, of the disorder on 

 which the indigestion depends, and where this is not dis- 



skiu covering it. MacGillivray, of Banff, reminds us that the absence of 

 sub-scapulo-hyoidean muscle from the dog facilitates cutting down on the! 

 oesophagus (' Vet. Journ.,' Jan., 1878). 



