DISEASES OF HORSES 115 



favor the expulsion of this mass. Walking exercise must occasion- 

 ally be given. If this treatment is faithfully carried out from the 

 start the majority of cases will terminate favorably. Where relief is 

 not obtained inflammation of the bowels may ensue, and death fol- 

 low from this cause. 



Constipation, or Costiveness. This is often witnessed in the 

 horse, and particularly in the foal. Many colts die every year from 

 failure on the part of the attendant to note the condition of the 

 bowels soon after birth. Whenever the foal fails to pass any feces, 

 and in particular if it presents any signs of colicky pains strain- 

 ing, etc., immediate attention must be given it. As a rule, it will 

 only be necessary to give a few injections of soapy water in the 

 rectum and to introduce the finger through the anus to break down 

 any hardened mass of dung found there. If this is not effective, a 

 purgative must be given. Oils are the best for these young animals, 

 and preferably castor oil, giving from 2 to 4 ounces. The foal 

 should always get the first of the mother's milk, as this milk, for a 

 few days, possesses decided laxative properties. If a mare, while 

 suckling, is taking laudanum, morphine, or similar medicines, 

 the foal should be fed during this time by hand and the mare 

 milked upon the ground. Constipation in adult horses is often the 

 result of long feeding on dry, innutritions food, deficiency of intes- 

 tinal secretions, scanty water supply, or lack of exercise. If the case 

 is not complicated with colicky symptoms, a change to light, sloppy 

 diet, linseed gruel or tea, with plenty of exercise, is all that is re- 

 quired. In very many instances the constipated condition of the 

 bowels is due to lack of intestinal secretions, and when so due, may 

 be treated by giving fluid extract of belladonna three times a day 

 in 2-dram doses, and handful doses daily of Epsom salts in the feed. 

 It is always best, when possible, to overcome this trouble by a 

 change of diet rather than by the use of medicines. For the relief 

 of constipation such succulent foods as roots, grass, or green forage 

 are recommended. Silage, however, should be fed sparingly, and 

 not at all unless it is in the very best condition. Moldy silage may 

 cause fatal disease. 



Foreign Bodies (Calculi (Stones) in the Stomach). There 

 are probably but few symptoms exhibited by the horse that will 

 lead one to suspect the presence of gastric calculi, and possibly none 

 by which we can unmistakably assert their presence. Stones in the 

 stomach have been most frequently found in millers' horses fed 

 sweepings from the mill. A depraved appetite is common in horses 

 that have a stone forming in their stomach. There is a disposition 

 to eat the woodwork of the stable, earth, and, in fact, almost any 

 substance within their reach. Occasional colics may result from 

 these "stomach stones," and when these lodge at the outlet of the 

 stomach they may give rise to symptoms of engorged stomach, al- 

 ready described. There is, of course, no treatment that will prove 

 effective. Give remedies to move the bowels, to relieve pain, and to 

 combat inflammation. 



