Rare. Short mesentery hinders. Occurs with hernia. Symptoms:
obstruction, prostration, colic, tense, painful abdomen, retching,
anorexia, exhaustion. Treatment: laparotomy.
The carnivora seem to be protected against volvulus by the shortness of
their mesentery, the comparative lightness of the intestinal contents,
and the restricted area of the abdominal cavity. Cadiot, Müller, and
Friedberger and Fröhner agree in ignoring the subject as a canine
disease, while Cadeac mentions only such cases as are complicated by
mesenteric hernia, the protruding loop becoming twisted in the wound
through which it has protruded.
“The _symptoms_ are those of invagination or intestinal obstruction;
sometimes the animal is dull, anxious, resting almost constantly down on
his belly, and this prostration dominates the table of symptoms;
sometimes, on the contrary, the subject manifests signs of excitement
and intestinal pain; it trembles, lies down, glances at its flanks;
sometimes it even lets itself fall abruptly, straightens out stiffly its
limbs and head, clenches its jaws and rolls its eyes.”
“In all cases the belly is hard, drawn up, painful to pressure or
palpation; but these means of exploration are insufficient to feel the
intestinal knot.”
“Constipation is persistent, obstinate, and efforts at vomiting
continuous; anorexia is incomplete, or the animal rejects the solid and
liquid aliments immediately after their ingestion. Vomited matters, when
they exist, become glairy, bilious toward the end of the attack; but
sometimes the animal becomes exhausted in his fruitless efforts; one is
rendered uncertain and hesitates to confirm his diagnosis by
laparotomy.”
The only treatment advised is by laparotomy.