DISEASES OF HORSES 129 



prisoned portion the venous circulation is checked or stopped, thereby 

 causing congestion, swelling, inflammation, and, if not relieved, 

 gangrene of the part and death of the animal. According to the 

 time or mode of origin, hernias may be congenital or acquired. 



Congenital Scrotal Hernia. Not a few foals are noticed from 

 birth to have an enlarged scrotum, which gradually increases in size 

 until about the sixth month, sometimes longer. Sometimes the 

 scrotum of a six-months-old colt is as large as that of an adult stal- 

 lion, and operative treatment is considered. This is unnecessary in 

 the great majority of cases, as this enlargement often disappears by 

 the time the colt has reached his second year. Any interference, 

 medicinal or surgical, is worse than useless. If the intestine con- 

 tained within the scrotum should at any time become strangulated, 

 it must then be treated the same as in an adult horse. 



Scrotal hernia is caused by dilatation of the sheath of the testi- 

 cle, combined with relaxation of the fibrous tissues surrounding the 

 inguinal ring, thus allowing the intestine to descend to the scrotum. 

 At first this is intermittent, appearing during work and returning 

 when the horse is at rest. For a long time this form of hernia may 

 not cause the least uneasiness or distress. In course of time, how- 

 ever, the imprisoned gut becomes filled with feces, its return into 

 the abdominal cavity is prevented, and becomes strangulated. 

 While the gut is thus filling the horse often appears dull, is disin- 

 clined to move, appetite is impaired, and there is rumbling and 

 obstruction of the bowels. Colicky symptoms now supervene. 

 Strangulation and its consequent train of symptoms do not always 

 follow in scrotal hernia, for often horses have this condition with- 

 out suffering inconvenience for years. 



Inguinal hernia is but an incomplete scrotal hernia, and, like 

 the latter, may exist and cause no signs of distress, or, again, it may 

 become strangulated and cause the death of the animal. Inguinal 

 hernia is seen mostly in stallions, next in geldings, and very rarely 

 in the mare. Bearing in mind that scrotal hernia is seen only in 

 entire horses, w r e can proceed to detail the symptoms of both stran- 

 gulated, inguinal, and scrotal hernia at the same time. When, dur- 

 ing the existence of colicky symptoms, we find a horse kicking 

 with his hind feet while standing or lying upon his back, we should 

 look to the inguinal region and scrotum. If scrotal hernia exists 

 the scrotum will be enlarged; by pressure we may force a portion 

 of the contents of the gut back into the abdomen. If we take a 

 gentle but firm hold upon the enlarged scrotum and then have an 

 assistant cause the horse to cough, the swelling will be felt to 

 expand and as quickly contract again. 



The history of these cases will materially aid us, as the owner 

 can often assure us of preceding attacks of colic, more or less severe, 

 that have been instantaneously relieved in some unaccountable 

 manner. The colicky symptoms of these hernias are not diagnos- 

 tic, but, probaby, more closely resemble those of enteritis than any 

 other bowel diseases. The diagnosis can, in many cases, be made 

 only by a veterinarian, when he has recourse to a rectal examina- 



