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Some Unsuccessful Cases and Post-Mortem Revelations
332 SOME
The Veter£nary
.'lournal.
UNSUCCESSFUL CASES AND POST-MORTEM REVELATIONS. BY W. PAUKR, M.a.C.V.S., BLACKWATER.
(a) Urethral Calculi.- The subject, a dumber spaniel, eight months old, was found to have difficulty in micturition. The bladder was much distended and occasional drops of urine were voided on pressure of the abdomen over the region of the pelvis. Catheter passed with diffi~ culty, owing to obstructions in urethra at various points. A metal sound was passed and the result clearly showed the nature of the obstruction to be calculi. The dog was in great pain, and from the blood-stained urine it was evident that cystitis was present. The skin over the urethra at the point where the stone was suspected was incised and the urethra exposed, but the calculus had disappeared, and attempts to push the stone to the seat of operation by means of the catheter failed . A few hours afterwards there was considerable swelling at the seat of operation and infiltration of urine in the tissues had extensively set in. As the case seemed hopeless, the animal was destroyed. Post mcrtem showed three very minute calculi, each about half the size of a pea, in different portions of the urethra, and also another in the bladder the size of a small hazel-nut. They were crumbly in consistence, and could easily be broken up. The failure in the operation of pushing the calculi along the urethra was due to the fact that the stones were so small that they were always pushed to one side by the catheter, owing to the expansive nature of the urethra, and to the fact that it was impossible to use a larger catheter, owing to the urethra passing through the os penis, where it does not admit of dilatation. (b) Suppuration of the Head of the Femur.-The subject, a great Dane bitch, about ten years old, had been very slightly lame on the left hind leg. On jumping into a cab she caught her leg against the step and seemed in great pain, as evinced by howling. Lameness was very severe and the leg was seldom put on the ground. Injury to the ligaments of the hip-Joint was diagnosed and fomentations and sedative treatment adopted: No improvement in the lameness took place, pain was apparent when the leg was abducted, there was no swelling present and repeated careful examinations detected no crepitus. After three months' treatment, acute gastric symptoms set in and she was destroyed. . Post-mortem examination showed that the head of the femur had entirely sloughed off owing to suppuration of the cancellated tissue of the bone ; this had extended for quite two-thirds of the shaft. (c) Choking.-A very old pony, of little value, had been eating small potatoes. Usual symptoms of choking were present and resophag~al obstruction by potato was diagnosed. No enlargement of
A Case of Ascz'tes.
333
thoracic porition of the gullet. On the next day the choking symptoms were intensified and the animal was destroyed. On post-mortem examination a potato was found firmly wedged at the entrance to the gullet, and it was evident that the probang had beeq passed into the larynx and trachea and not into the resophagus. The instrument had been carefully passed without any force and entered without difficulty, and the case is instructive in showing one how easily a mistake can be made in the passing of the probang, and that the proper course should be verified by external manipulation of the cesophagus.
TORSION AND STRANGULATION OF THE BLADDER IN A DOG. BY E. LIONEL STROUD, F.R.C. V.S., PADDINGTON, W.
THE patient, a wire-haired fox-terrier dog, 14 years old and rather fat, was brought in for treatment early one morning, with the history that he had been off his feed the day previous, and for the last month or five weeks had been a little weak on the hind legs. He was found unable to move that morning, and much swollen behind. The symptoms presented were : Complete paralysis of the hind limb, intense inflammation and swelling of the perineal region, arms swollen, rectum slightly protruding and humefied. The dog kept on straining as though trying to pass something. On introducing finger into the rectum the swelling could be felt to extend some distance forward, and by manipulating the abdomen it was found nearly as far forward as the umbilicus. There was intense pain shown during the examination. As · the animal was so old, and in such intense agony, it was decided to destroy it. On post mortem the bladder was found to be intensely inflamed, stretched almost to bursting point, as large as a cocoa-nut, and extending from the perinreum for five inches forward. The pubic bones were carefully sawn through and removed, the bladder being found twisted backwards, the neck almost black in colour, and twisted completely from left to right. The fundus was very inflamed, and, upon puncturing, the urine was found to be mixed with blood. The bo-wels, in front of the swelling, were impacted with freces. The penis was _very pal~ in colour.
A CASE OF ASCITES-OPERATION AND RECOVERY. BY S. M. WOODWARD, M.R.C. V.S., SHEPHERD'S BUSH, W.
THE patient, a smooth-haired fox terrier, aged about six or eight years, was first brought for treatment on · November 4, 1903, and was perceptibly the subject of ascites. I prescribed two grains of iodide of
The Veter£nary
.'lournal.
UNSUCCESSFUL CASES AND POST-MORTEM REVELATIONS. BY W. PAUKR, M.a.C.V.S., BLACKWATER.
(a) Urethral Calculi.- The subject, a dumber spaniel, eight months old, was found to have difficulty in micturition. The bladder was much distended and occasional drops of urine were voided on pressure of the abdomen over the region of the pelvis. Catheter passed with diffi~ culty, owing to obstructions in urethra at various points. A metal sound was passed and the result clearly showed the nature of the obstruction to be calculi. The dog was in great pain, and from the blood-stained urine it was evident that cystitis was present. The skin over the urethra at the point where the stone was suspected was incised and the urethra exposed, but the calculus had disappeared, and attempts to push the stone to the seat of operation by means of the catheter failed . A few hours afterwards there was considerable swelling at the seat of operation and infiltration of urine in the tissues had extensively set in. As the case seemed hopeless, the animal was destroyed. Post mcrtem showed three very minute calculi, each about half the size of a pea, in different portions of the urethra, and also another in the bladder the size of a small hazel-nut. They were crumbly in consistence, and could easily be broken up. The failure in the operation of pushing the calculi along the urethra was due to the fact that the stones were so small that they were always pushed to one side by the catheter, owing to the expansive nature of the urethra, and to the fact that it was impossible to use a larger catheter, owing to the urethra passing through the os penis, where it does not admit of dilatation. (b) Suppuration of the Head of the Femur.-The subject, a great Dane bitch, about ten years old, had been very slightly lame on the left hind leg. On jumping into a cab she caught her leg against the step and seemed in great pain, as evinced by howling. Lameness was very severe and the leg was seldom put on the ground. Injury to the ligaments of the hip-Joint was diagnosed and fomentations and sedative treatment adopted: No improvement in the lameness took place, pain was apparent when the leg was abducted, there was no swelling present and repeated careful examinations detected no crepitus. After three months' treatment, acute gastric symptoms set in and she was destroyed. . Post-mortem examination showed that the head of the femur had entirely sloughed off owing to suppuration of the cancellated tissue of the bone ; this had extended for quite two-thirds of the shaft. (c) Choking.-A very old pony, of little value, had been eating small potatoes. Usual symptoms of choking were present and resophag~al obstruction by potato was diagnosed. No enlargement of
A Case of Ascz'tes.
333
thoracic porition of the gullet. On the next day the choking symptoms were intensified and the animal was destroyed. On post-mortem examination a potato was found firmly wedged at the entrance to the gullet, and it was evident that the probang had beeq passed into the larynx and trachea and not into the resophagus. The instrument had been carefully passed without any force and entered without difficulty, and the case is instructive in showing one how easily a mistake can be made in the passing of the probang, and that the proper course should be verified by external manipulation of the cesophagus.
TORSION AND STRANGULATION OF THE BLADDER IN A DOG. BY E. LIONEL STROUD, F.R.C. V.S., PADDINGTON, W.
THE patient, a wire-haired fox-terrier dog, 14 years old and rather fat, was brought in for treatment early one morning, with the history that he had been off his feed the day previous, and for the last month or five weeks had been a little weak on the hind legs. He was found unable to move that morning, and much swollen behind. The symptoms presented were : Complete paralysis of the hind limb, intense inflammation and swelling of the perineal region, arms swollen, rectum slightly protruding and humefied. The dog kept on straining as though trying to pass something. On introducing finger into the rectum the swelling could be felt to extend some distance forward, and by manipulating the abdomen it was found nearly as far forward as the umbilicus. There was intense pain shown during the examination. As · the animal was so old, and in such intense agony, it was decided to destroy it. On post mortem the bladder was found to be intensely inflamed, stretched almost to bursting point, as large as a cocoa-nut, and extending from the perinreum for five inches forward. The pubic bones were carefully sawn through and removed, the bladder being found twisted backwards, the neck almost black in colour, and twisted completely from left to right. The fundus was very inflamed, and, upon puncturing, the urine was found to be mixed with blood. The bo-wels, in front of the swelling, were impacted with freces. The penis was _very pal~ in colour.
A CASE OF ASCITES-OPERATION AND RECOVERY. BY S. M. WOODWARD, M.R.C. V.S., SHEPHERD'S BUSH, W.
THE patient, a smooth-haired fox terrier, aged about six or eight years, was first brought for treatment on · November 4, 1903, and was perceptibly the subject of ascites. I prescribed two grains of iodide of