Diseases of cattle, sheep, goats and swine

by G. Moussu; Jno. A. W. Dollar

In male animals it comprises the examination of the testicles by inspection and palpation, of the vas deferens, and of the intra-pelvic genital organs (vesiculæ seminales, prostate, etc.).

Inspection and palpation of the scrotum reveals hypertrophy, atrophy, œdematous or sanguineous infiltrations, inflammation of the tunica vaginalis, and tumours of the testicle. Intra-pelvic examination partly covers the same ground as examination of the pelvic portion of the urethra, and, provided the anatomical relationships of the different organs encountered are known, there is no difficulty in detecting the position of possible lesions (Fig. 226).

In small male animals, such as he-goats and rams, rectal exploration is confined to the use of one or two fingers.

In female animals examination comprises inspection, intra-vaginal examination, and rectal examination.

Inspection reveals lesions of the vulva and clitoris.

Vaginal examination with the hand establishes the condition of the walls of the vagina, the neck of the uterus, and the vaginal culs-de-sac.

If a lesion is detected, its character can easily be ascertained by means of a speculum, which exposes the base of the vagina, the prominence formed by the uterus, or any particular part of the vagina itself. Examination with the speculum is the only useful method in young female animals, heifers in particular, on account of the narrowness of the genital tract.

In small female animals, such as she-goats, ewes and sows, the fingers alone can be employed.

As regards examination of the uterus, the direct method gives little exact information, and examination by the rectum is to be preferred. By passing the arm into the rectum and gently pressing downwards towards the base of the pelvis, the hand can be brought in contact with the body of the uterus, which can be moved and displaced from right to left; the horns of the uterus can be felt and followed from the body of the uterus as far as the Fallopian tubes and the ovaries. By this means the state of the uterus, its degree of sensitiveness and mobility, as well as the state of the Fallopian tubes and of the ovaries, can all be ascertained. The examination also reveals the existence or non-existence of gestation, during which the uterus becomes hypertrophied and is displaced in a forward direction towards the right flank, at the same time descending in front from the base of the pelvis over the abdominal wall and under the mass of the intestinal convolutions.