158 CAUSES, SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENT OF 



it is spasmodic colic, he will likely stand still for half a minute or more, 

 and the pain is almost (but not absolutely) continuous in enteritis. The 

 eye has a peculiar lustre, becomes reddened and injected, and the same 

 is true of the mucous membranes ; the ears and legs may now be cold, or 

 hot and cold alternately ; and costiveness is another symptom. Although 

 there may have been slight diarrhcea in the first stage, and although you 

 could move the bowels, it would not relieve the difficulty, as is sometimes 

 supposed. There may be some hard feces passed, which may be covered 

 with mucous, and attempts are made to urinate frequently, and some 

 urine- may be passed. In the early stage the belly is somewhat tucked 

 up, and pressure upon it increases the pain, while in colic it relieves it, 

 and after a time there is perspiration about the flank, behind the ears 

 and shoulders, and a peculiar breathing, and if an animal has suffered 

 some time from abdominal pain, and there is this peculiar breathing, it 

 is a dark case, and the symptoms increase in violence, the pulse runs up 

 to eighty per minute, loses its bounding character and becomes weak, 

 then you may make up your mind that a considerable amount of exuda- 

 tion has taken place, and a well marked symptom at this time is the 

 amaurotic expression of the eye, and as it advances the animal becomes 

 almost blind and almost unconscious, and if you lift the head, the ani- 

 mal may fall back. This is caused by a lack of blood to the head, and 

 you must approach him wuth caution. These symptoms may have been 

 going on for from six to fifteen hours, when all at once the animal may 

 become quiet, perhaps take some food, but does not masticate it ; the 

 perspiration continues, the extremities are deathly cold, the mouth 

 clammy, which shows that gangrene has taken place, and the animal 

 may live two or even ten hours, but generally dies in an hour or hour 

 and a half, according to the intestine affected. 



Treatment is not successful, but we sometimes meet with a case that 

 may be treated with success, and opium is the great sheet-anchor, so to 

 speak, of treating it. I recommend giving large doses of opium — a 

 drachm dose of the powder every hour or two until tour or six doses have 

 been given ; or, give two or three grains of the acetate of morphia hj'po- 

 dermically, repeated in half the dose in an hour or a half hour, if neces- 

 sary ; and it may be necessary to give injections, and I think there is 

 benefit in counter-irritation ; use ammonia of water — I believe hot water 

 is the best. You may give Flemming's tincture of aconite in ten or 

 fifteen drop doses, and you can give larger doses in enteritis than in any 

 other disease. Blood-letting is another remedy, and I believe in 

 some cases is of benefit, but it must be done in the early stage of 

 the disease, and in a horse of good condition ; but if the inflammatory 

 action has poured out an exudation, then any such things should be care- 

 fully used, and use gentle stimulants with sweet spirits of nitre, opium, 

 ale, beer, whisky, etc ; and although the bowels do not move, you need 

 not be alarmed, but in some cases of constipation, which is setting up 

 irritation, a purgative may be given, which may remove the constipation 

 and relieve the irritation, and, in connection with the purgative, nux 

 vomica may be added. There is another method of treatment, which I 

 do not say is successful ; it is to put the animal under the influence of 

 chloroform, or hypodermic injections, keeping him under its influence 

 for perhaps an hour, and I think it is worthy of trial. Re sure and keep 

 the animal warm, well clothed, and rub well, to equalize the circulation ; 

 and when treating a case, and have given two or three doses of opium or 

 hypodermic injections, the animal holds the head up some, then cover 

 and keep him warm, but do not push medicine too far. It is as neces- 

 sary to know when to quit giving medicine as to know when to give it. 



