Animal Digestive System
1. Appetite - Loss of appetite is called Anorexia noted in fever, digestive disturbances and in pain. Capricious (changeable) appetite is also noted under similar circumstances. Bulymia means excessive appetite — noted in ailmentary parasites and in Diabetes mellitus. Cynorexia is depraved appetite occurring in indigestion, Rabies, Pica, where the appetite is defective, the mouth and teeth may be examined.
2. Salivation - dripping of saliva from mouth is due to a variety of conditions; such assume inflammation of mouth, foreign bodies, defective teeth, inability to swallow, or the action of certain drugs. A dry mouth (want of saliva) is local condition, the cause of which is not always evident but may be due to atrophy.
3. Thirst - abnormal desire for water is noted in fever, the exception being the horse, in Diabetes mellitus and Diabetes insipid us and in certain forms of Enteritis. Lack of desire for waterish observed in colic and in some acute alimentary disorders in diseases of first three stomachs of cattle. Rumination is absent in Ruminants in fever, acute digestive disorders and painful conditions.
Mastication - of the food is important face-tor indigestion. In Ruminants, the movement of rumen in the left flank may be seen and felt. The abdominal wall there swells out once in every half minute.
Auscultation - of the abdomen, Borborygmous in the form of loud rumbling sounds is normally noticed. It is increased in diarrhea and when the contents of ingest are fluid and move-mints are active. It is decreased or absent in constipation or impaction. Over the rumen, crepitating sounds are heard due to gas. Theborborygmous is due to passage of gas and fluid through the bowel.
Percussion - it is only of moderate value. In Tympani of rumen in Ruminants, percussion gives resonant sound on the left side. In tympani in the intestine of horse, a similar sound is heard on the right flank.
Rectal Exploration - is digital in small animals and manual in large animals. For this purr-pose, finger nails must be cut very short to avoid damage to rectal mucosa and the finger or hand must be lubricated. The examination should be carried out gently. In the large animal, the hand should be inserted in the form of a cone and the feces removed as they are obstructed. Considerable force should be avoided and, when the bowels strongly contracting, the hand should not be forced forward. The hand and arm should be removed quietly in order to avoid any danger ofprolapse of rectum.