COLIC OR G KITES 



Drinking copiously of cold water on an empty stomach when exhausted 

 by prolonged exertion is another cause. Some springs of water are 

 specially prone to produce gripes, and are avoided by horse-owners for that 

 reason. The presence of parasites when in large numbers, and the existence 

 of calculi (stones) and other concretions, are fruitful causes of the malady. 

 It also results from the lodgment of foreign bodies in the bowels, and 

 chronic disease of the latter is sometimes its cause. 



Symptoms. — These are usually very sudden in their onset. All at 

 once the horse is seized with pain, which he evinces by pawing and scraping 



Fig. 100. -Spasmodic Colic (1) 



the ground with his front feet, stamping and striking the belly with the 

 hind ones, lays back his ears and looks round to his Hank. From time to 

 time he shows a desire to lie down, crouching as if to do so, and again 

 raising himself to the upright position. He may repeat these movements 

 several times, and then go down almost recklessly, perhaps to rise imme- 

 diately or roll over from side to side in a violent manner. True or 

 spasmodic colic is intermittent, and in the midst of his sufferings the 

 patient may get up, shake himself, and begin to feed as if nothing ailed 

 him. This, however, only marks a brief respite as a rule, for the symptoms 

 will again return, and often with increased violence, when the animal will 

 wander round the box and throw himself violently down in the fits of pain. 

 Examination of the faeces generally prove them to be small in amount, 

 hard, and not unfrequently coated with glairy mucus. It may also be that 



