CHAPTER LVIL 



SPOEADIC DISEASES— continued. 



LOCAL BISEASES—contmued. 



(N.) DISEASES OF THE STOMACH. 



INDIGESTION WITHOUT ENGORGEMENT. 



From various causes, such as improper food, the process of 

 dentition, diseases of the teeth causing imperfect mastication, 

 ravenous feeding, the presence of other diseases, debility of the 

 stomach itself resulting from some constitutional predisposition, 

 or from food given at uncertain and rare intervals, a condition 

 of indigestion is induced in the horse. In young animals the 

 same is induced by draughts of cold milk ; removal from the 

 dam at too early an age, or, what is commonly the case in some 

 districts, compelling the dam to work shortly after the birth of 

 the offspring, and allowing it to suckle at rare intervals and 

 when the dam is heated. 



Symptoms. — In the horse the symptoms are, loss of appetite, 

 or depravity and capriciousness of it, manifested by the animal 

 eating at irregular intervals, or having a desire to eat filth — 

 bulimia — with sourness of the mouth, and usually increased 

 thirst ; the animal soon becomes hide-bound, has a dry, scurfy 

 skin, there is irregularity of the bowels, and frequent escape of 

 flatus by the anus. If caused by imperfectly masticated food, 

 such as whole oats or coarse hay, these may be found in the 

 faeces. In addition to the above diagnostic symptoms, there 

 may be a dry cough, or irregularity of the pulse, which may be 

 slower or faster than natural ; colicky pains may also be present 

 in some cases, occurring more particularly in an hour or two 

 after the animal has partaken of food ; whilst in others, fits of 

 giddiness — megrims — and even paralysis occur, the latter con- 

 dition being not seldom seen in cattle, and very often in dogs. 



In the young the above symptoms are more commonly 

 associated with diarrhoea than in the older animal, in which 

 constipation is generally present. The f?eces often resemble 

 the colour of the food : for example, if the horse be fed on 



