128 



DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE APPARATUS. 



choice between killing for the market and the extraction of the 

 offending material. The latter may be practised according to 

 Obich's method. It consists in performing a vertical incision upon 

 the left flankj through which the arm may penetrate into the rumen, 

 and which has to be located about 8 to 10 centimetres from the 

 transverse processes of the lumbar vertebrae ; once in the reservoir, 

 the hand searches for the foreign body by exploring especially the 

 reticulum. We then apply Gély's or Jobert de Lamballe's suture 

 upon the walls of the rumen, and the cutaneous incision is closed 

 by an ordinary suture. 



It is said that the operation is easily borne ; it could even be 

 attempted upon a cow in calf ; the main point is to make an exact 

 diagnosis. Obich, who has had occasion to perform it thirteen 

 timeSj had but four successful cases. 



The extraction of the foreign body is advisable every time the 

 diagnosis is correct, provided the trouble is not too old ; but, for 

 reasons of economy, we generally prefer the slaughtering of the 

 animal. 



GASTRO-INTESTINAL CATARRH OP CARNIVORA. 



Etiolog'y. Overloading and catarrh of the stomach are much 

 more frequent in the canine species than in the horse and ox. We 

 can say that in the dog they occupy a place as important as all other 

 diseases together. The cause of this extreme frequency of diseases 

 of the stomach lies probably in the irregular alimentation to which 

 this animal is subjected ; the regular diet itself is often improper, 

 and the very common habit of giving one meal only per day leads 

 to a daily overloading of the stomach. Hunting dogs and nursing 

 bitches are those most commonly affected, on account of their great 

 need of nourishment. But it can be seen in all famished dogs, 

 which literally stuff themselves with potatoes, bread, bones, etc. 



The most common etiological agents of catarrh of the stomach 

 are : all hard, irregular, heavy, spoiled, rotten, or fermented food ; 

 also foreign bodies used as playthings by puppies, and which are 

 sometimes swallowed by them. We must also mention : decay of 

 the teeth, a too rapid ingestion of the food, especially when it is too 

 hot, and external colds after shearing or bathing. 



Gastro-intestinal catarrh may be developed as a phenomenon of 

 passing ailments and of several chronic affections — as ulcers of the 



