108 HORSE, SWINE AND POULTRY DISEASES 



any obstruction or any abnormal condition. These cases go on 

 from bad to worse; the horse constantly and rapidly loses in condi- 

 tion, becomes very much emaciated, the eyes are hollow, and death 

 occurs. 



Treatment is very unsatisfactory. A severe blister should be 

 applied behind and under the jaw; the mouth is to be frequently 

 swabbed out with alum, 1 ounce to a pint of water, by means of a 

 sponge fastened to the end of a stick. Strychnia may be given in 

 1-grain doses two or three times a day. 



This disease may be mistaken at times for foreign bodies in the 

 mouth or for the so-called cerebro-spinal meningitis. It is to be dis- 

 tinguished from the former, upon a careful examination of the 

 mouth, by the absence of any offending body and by the flabby feel 

 of the mouth ; and from the latter by the animal appearing in per- 

 fect health in every particular except this inability to eat or drink. 



Abscesses sometimes form back of the pharynx and give rise 

 to symptoms resembling those of laryngitis or distemper. Inter- 

 ference with breathing that is of recent origin and progression, 

 without any observable swelling or soreness about the throat, will 

 make one suspect the formation of an abscess in this location. But 

 little can be done by the owner in the way of treatment, save to 

 hurry the ripening of the abscess and its discharge by steaming 

 with hops, hay, or similar substances and by poulticing the throat. 

 The operation for opening an abscess in this region necessitates an 

 intimate knowledge of the complex anatomy of the throat region. 



DISEASES OF THE ESOPHAGUS, OR GULLET. 



It is rare to find diseases of this organ, except as a result of the 

 introduction of foreign bodies too large to pass or to the administer- 

 ing of irritating medicines. Great care should be taken in the ad- 

 ministration of irritant or caustic medicines that they be thoroughly 

 diluted. If this is not done erosions and ulcerations of the throat 

 ensue, and this again is prone to be followed by narrowing of the 

 gullet. The mechanical trouble of choking is quite common. It 

 may occur when the animal is suddenly startled while eating apples 

 or roots, and we should be careful never to approach suddenly or 

 put a dog after horses or cows that are feeding upon such substances. 

 If left alone these animals very rarely attempt to swallow the object 

 until it is sufficiently^ masticated. 



Choking also arises from feeding oats in a deep, narrow man- 

 ger to such horses as eat very greedily or bolt their food. Wheat 

 chaff is also a frequent cause of choke. This accident may result 

 from the attempts to force eggs down without breaking or from giv- 

 ing balls that are too large or not of the proper shape. 



Whatever object causes the choking, it may lodge in the upper 

 part of the esophagus, at its middle portion, or close to the stomach, 

 giving rise to the designations of pharyngeal, cervical, and thoracic 

 choke. In some cases where the original obstruction is low we find 

 all that part of the gullet above it to be distended with food. 



The symptoms vary somewhat according to the position of the 

 body causing choke. In pharyngeal choke the object is lodged in 



