332 



DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE APPARATUS. 



2. Gestation. Manual exploration enables us to recognize it; 

 in addition, the general condition is not much altered ; notwith- 

 standing the great distention of the belly, the abdomen is rather 

 dilated on one side only. 



3. Obesity. Old dogs affected by valvular alteration generally 

 have very short respiration ; obesity may mislead the practitioner 

 in such cases. The differential diagnosis has to be established by 

 auscultation of the heart and an exploratory puncture (examination 

 and palpation of the abdomen gives insufficient information). 



4. Hydrometria, pyometria, dropsy of foetal membranes (mainly 

 in the cow), ovarian cysts, abdominal tumors (in a two-year-old 

 foal Cunningham found a tumor weighing 236 livres), renal cysts, 

 etc. All these morbid productions may be recognized by a rectal 

 or vaginal exploration, by an exploratory puncture, or by their 

 resistance to palpation and percussion practised with the animal in 

 different positions. While in ascites the symptoms deduced by 

 percussion differ according to the attitude in which the patients are 

 placed, they do not at all vary in abdominal or ovarian cysts, etc 

 The diagnosis between ascites and coprostasis is always very simple» 



5. Paralysis of the bladder and its abnormal distention. Palpa- 

 tion will enable us to recognize a spherical swinging tumor in the 

 vesical region ; percussion does not show any displacement of dul- 

 ness, no matter in what position the patients are placed. The 

 characters of the urine and the data furnished by catheterization 

 rarely leave the practitioner in doubt, and exploratory puncture 

 insures the diagnosis absolutely. 



6. Rupture of the bladder with accumulation of urine in the 

 abdominal cavity. This accident is quite frequently observed in 

 the ox, being produced in this animal by urethral calculus. It is 

 indicated by colics, stoppage of micturition, emptiness of the 

 bladder, urinary perspiration, a more or less acute febrile reaction, 

 and collapse. 



Prognosis. The prognosis of ascites is almost always very 

 serious. The animals are generally only presented to the veterina- 

 rian when it is no longer possible to combat the caudal trouble with 

 any efficiency, and alterations of the blood already exist (hydremia). 

 However, our personal observations prove that ascites is not equally 

 persistent at all ages ; in young subjects cure may be obtained in 

 many cases, and in some instances it has been seen to disappear 

 spontaneously in young dogs. The prognosis of chronic peritonitis, 



