208 THE HORSE, 



striking at his belly, looking wildly at his flanks, groaning, and rolling. 

 The pulse will be quickened and small ; the cars and legs cold ; the belly 

 tender, and sometimes hot; the breathing quickened ; the bowels costive; 

 and the horse becoming rapidly and fearfully weak. 



It may be useful to give a short table of the tlistinguishing symptoms of 

 colic and inflammation of the bowels, because the treatment recommended 

 for the former would often be fatal in the latter. 



COLIC. INFLAMMATION. 



Sudden in its attack. Gradual in its approach, with previoua 



indications of fever. 

 Pulse rarely much quickened in the early Pulse very much quickened, but small, 

 stage of the disease and during the intervals and often scarcely to be felt, 

 of ease, but evidently fuller. 



Legs and ears of natural temperature. Legs and ears cold. 



Relief obtained from rubbing the belly. Belly exceedingly tender, and painful to 



the touch. 

 Relief obtained from motion. Motion evidently increasing the pain. 



Intervals of rest. Constant pain. 



Strength scarcely affected. Rapid and great weakness. 



The causes of this disease are, first of all and most frequently, sudden 

 exposure to cold. If a horse that has been highly fed, carefully groomed, 

 and kept in a warm stable, be heated with exercise, and have been for 

 some hours without food — and in this state of exhaustion be suffered to 

 drink freely of cold water, or be drenched with rain, or have his legs and 

 belly washed with cold water — an attack of inflammation of tiie bowels will 

 often follow. An over-fed horse, subjected to severe and long-continued 

 exertion, if his lungs were previously weak, will probably be attacked by 

 inflammation of them; but if the lungs were sound, the bowels will on the 

 following day be the seat of disease. Stones in the intestines are an occa- 

 sional cause of inflammation, and colic neglected, or wrongly treated, will 

 terminate in it. 



The treatment of inflammation of the bowels, like that of the lungs, 

 should be prompt and energetic. The first and most powerful means of 

 cure will be bleeding. From six to eight or ten quarts of blood should be 

 taken as soon as possible, and the bleeding repeated to the extent of lour or 

 five quarts more if the pain be not relieved, and the pulse have not become 

 rounder and fuller. The speedy weakness that accompanies this disease 

 should not deter from bleeding largely. It is the weakness that is the con- 

 sequence of violent inflammation of these parts, and if that inflammation be 

 subdued by the loss of blood, the weakness will disappear. The bleeding 

 should be effected on the first appearance of the disease ; for there is no 

 malady that so quickly runs its course. 



Next to bleeding will follow clysters. Although the bowels are usually 

 confined, we cannot administer a strong purgative;* for the intestines are 

 already in far too irritable a state. The clyster may consist of warm water, 

 or very thin gruel, in which half a pound of Epsom salts, or half an ounce 

 of aloes has been dissolved, and too much fluid can scarcely be thrown up. If 

 the common ox-bladder and pipe be used, it should be frequently replenished: 

 but with Reid's patent pump, already referred to, suflicient may be injected 

 to penetrate beyond the rectum, and reach to the colon and ccecum, and 



♦ The human practitioner gives, under this disease, and with advantage, very powerful 

 doses of purgative medicine; and he may be disposed to demur to the cautious mode of 

 proceeding w5 recommend with regard to tlie horse. Although we may not be al)le to 

 give him a satisfactory theoretical reason in defence of our treatment, we can appeal to the 

 experience of every veterinary surgeon, that a strong dose of physic, given in inflam'i Ption 

 of the bowels, would be certain poison. 



