ON THE DISORDERS OP THE DIGESTIVE APPARATUS. 115 



oleaginous cathartics, as sheathing the membrane, ate 

 specially indicated. In chronic or persistent cases the 

 animal must be given astringent diet and doses of tonics 

 carefully regulated and given with astringents and ant- 

 acids. Glycerine, vaseline, or oleaginous applications 

 round the anus, will save the animal much pain. In cases 

 where there is extensive intestinal disease, but little can be 

 done although tonics afford the best chance of temporary 

 relief from exhausting diarrhoea. Diarrhoea proves very fatal 

 to puppies, and in them it requires very careful treatment. 

 The bitch must be kept quiet and her diet regulated lest 

 aperient principles affect the pups through the milk. A 

 frequent examination of the' character of the stools will 

 prove our best guide in determining the exact seat of the 

 mischief in these cases ; if the liver be acting more freely 

 than usual, the faeces will be very dark coloured and offen- 

 sive, in such cases, as well as when a deficiency of colour- 

 ing matter in the dung indicates torpidity, calomel or 

 podophyllin in small doses will prove useful. 



Constipation, Costiveness, and Torpidity op the Bowels 

 are conditions varying in degree rather than in kind ; an 

 animal being constipated when he passes no faeces ; costive 

 when he passes hard fasces with much effort, and in tor- 

 pidity of the bowels the peristalsis is retarded and the 

 bowels act infrequently, the fasces being unusually dry 

 from retention. The natural stimuli to intestinal move- 

 ments are diet, a free supply of bile, and exercise. If 

 the food be given irregularly and contain a deficiency of 

 vegetable matters costiveness will result. Among all car- 

 nivora there is an infrequency of action of the bowels and 

 the faeces as passed are dry and hard, but some individuals 

 are habitually costive and suffer much inconvenience ; yard 

 dogs and pets which are not allowed to walk sufficiently for 

 exercise suffer from severe intestinal derangements as sequelaa 

 of constipation. It must be remembered also that torpidity 

 of the bowels is one of the most marked symptoms of the 

 feverish state and of serious disorder of the alimentary 

 canal or its appendages, especially the liver ; a blunted 

 nervous sense, so to speak, in some outdoor breeds seem 



