112 HORSE, SWINE AND POULTRY DISEASES 



horse plunges about, throws himself down, rolls, assumes unnatural 

 positions, as sitting on the haunches, and grunts loudly. Usually 

 the pain is not constant, and during the intermissions the horse 

 may eat and appear normal. During the period of pain sweat is 

 poured out freely. Sometimes the horse moves constantly in a 

 circle. The respirations are accelerated, and usually there is no 

 fever. 



(1) ENGORGEMENT COLIC. This form of colic consists in an 

 overloading of the stomach with food. The horse may have been 

 overfed or the food may have collected in the stomach through 

 failure of this organ to digest it and pass it backward into the intes- 

 tines. Even a normal amount of food that the horse is unaccus- 

 tomed to may cause disease. Hence a sudden change of food may 

 produce engorgement colic. Continued full rations while the horse 

 is resting for a day or two or working too soon after feeding may 

 serve as a cause. New oats, corn, or hay, damaged food, or food dif- 

 ficult of digestion, such as barley or beans, may incite engorgement 

 colic. This disease may result from having fed the horse twice by 

 error or from its having escaped and taken an unrestricted meal 

 from the grain bin. Ground feeds that pack together making a 

 sort of dough may cause engorgement colic if they are not mixed 

 with cut hay. Greedy eaters are predisposed to this disease. 



Symptoms. The horse shows the general signs of abdominal 

 pain, which may be long continued or of short duration. Retching 

 or vomiting movements are made; these are shown by labored 

 breathing, upturned upper lip, contraction of the flank, active mo- 

 tion at me throat, and drawing in of the nose toward the breast, 

 causing high arching of the neck. The horse may assume a sitting 

 position on his haunches, like a dog. At times the pain is very 

 great and the horse makes the most violent movements, as though 

 mad. At other times there is profound mental depression, the 

 horse standing in a sleepy, or dazed, way, with the head down, the 

 eyes closed, and leaning his head against the manger or wall. There 

 as, during the struggles, profuse perspiration. Following retching, 

 gas may escape from the mouth, and this may be followed by a 

 sour froth and some stomach contents. The horse can not vomit 

 except when the stomach is violently stretched, and, if the accumu- 

 lation of food or gas is great enough to stretch the stomach so that 

 vomiting is possible, it may be great enough to rupture this organ. 

 So it happens not infrequently that a horse will die from ruptured 

 stomach after vomiting. But after the stomach ruptures vomiting 

 is impossible. The death rate in this form of colic is high. 



Treatment. The bowels should be stimulated to contraction 

 by the use of large quantities of water and of glycerin. It is not 

 profitable to give remedies by the stomach, for they can not be ab- 

 sorbed. But small doses of morphine (5 grains) may be placed in 

 the mouth and are absorbed in part, at least, without passing to the 

 stomach. This drug lessens pain and thus helps to overcome the 

 violent movements that are dangerous, because they may be the 

 means of causing rupture of the diaphragm or stomach. If fa- 



