210 MANUAL OF EQUINE MEDICINE. 



INDIGESTION OR DYSPEPSIA. 



Varieties: (1) Acute, and (2) Chronic Dyspepsia (ou?, 

 with difficulty ; and 'm'jtrc;}, I digest;. 



1. ACUTE DYSPEPSIA, OR INDIGESTION WITH 

 ENGORGEMENT. — Etiology. — Acute indigestion results 

 from engorgement of the stomach with food, from imperfect 

 mastication, and from the ingestion of indigestible material, 

 or food specially apt to undergo fermentative changes. 

 Cooked food, brewers' grains, maize, musty hay, and ripe 

 vetches, are especially liable to cause impaction. Wheat 

 and barley are also very likely to induce indigestion, and 

 they frequently also cause purgation, laminitis, and may 

 even lead to a fatal result. 



Horses are more liable to dyspepsia after severe or pro- 

 longed exertion, especially if the food be difficult of diges- 

 tion, or in too large a quantity. 



Symptoms. — The symptoms of acute indigestion are gene- 

 rally sudden in their onset. There is fulness of the abdomen, 

 and the horse is restless and shows indications of colicky 

 pain. He lies down and rises again alternately, and paws 

 the ground with his fore feet. Eructations of wind, occa- 

 sional discharge of saliva from the mouth, and tremors of 

 the superficial muscles, particularly those of the left 

 shoulder, are also among the symptoms of acute indigestion. 



In severe cases the pain is very acute, and the horse throws 

 himself about wildly, and frequently looks towards his flanks. 

 The pulse and respiration are accelerated, and in some in- 

 stances there are attempts at vomition, and the discharge of 

 brown fluid contents of the stomach with the eructations. 



In some instances there is no manifestation of gastric pain, 

 but the horse remains dull and semi-comatose, and the breath- 

 ing may become stertorous ; he refuses his food, is moved 



