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TREATMENT OF PARALYSIS OF THE RECTUM. 
The disease takes a chronic course and treatment has no visible effect, 
but however slow its progress, the animals finally become useless, and 
may even die of the disease. 
Dilatation of the anus is commonest in animals which have long 
suffered from severe diarrhoea, or been much weakened by internal 
diseases. Even after prolonged rectal examination, when the arm has 
been in the bowel for a considerable time, paralysis of the sphincter ani 
may persist for several days; the anus remaining open, and the air, 
which streams in and out during breathing, producing a loud noise. 
Stenosis of the anus and rectum soon impedes defsecation and attracts 
notice ; the position, degree, and extent of the condition is at once 
recognised on local examination. Honisch saw a horse which had Ions 
shown difficulty in passing ffeces ; it placed the hind feet as far forward 
as possible and discharged single small, hard masses. The post-mortem 
discovered cicatricial stricture and thickening of the rectum, which 
extended about 5 inches forwards from the anus. It has been said 
that chronic inflammation in the paraproctal connective tissue may 
cause stenosis, but as a rule the cases published throw no light on the 
question. 
Prognosis is guided by the above-mentioned facts. Though usually 
unfavourable, the animal s usefulness depends on the primary disease 
and the work to be done* Complete and lasting cure is seldom to be 
expected, but Harms s case of paralysis of the rectum in a cow, resulting 
from fracture between the sacrum and first coccygeal vertebra, recovered 
in a month. A case is also described in the annual report of the 
Prussian army, where a horse recovered in three weeks from paralysis of 
this nature following a fall. 
Treatment. Cicatricial stricture of the anus and posterior sections of 
the rectum may be temporarily relieved by forcible dilatation ; in man, 
bougies are employed, but their use in animals is attended with difficulty, 
and is only justified when, for instance, a favourite and very valuable 
dog is in question, for whose recovery every means must be employed. 
Bougies consist of cylindrical hollow or solid rods, formed of hard rubber, 
or of material similar to that of which catheters are made. To be 
successful they require to be very frequently passed. Another method 
is to forcibly dilate constrictions with forceps. Johow relates having, 
after incision, dilated with the hand a firm ring-shaped stricture in the 
rectum of a horse. Yolk cured a pig whose anus had closed, after 
prolapse of the rectum, by making a cross-shaped incision over the anus 
and breaking down the adhesions. 
Constipation, following either constriction or dilatation, is treated by 
suitable diet and the use of purgatives or clysters ; the intestinal contents 
being softened by copious injections of lukewarm water. In advanced 
