58 BUBEACJ OF ANIMAL INDUSTET. 



mild attacks going on to spced^^ dcatli, while others that appear at 

 the onset to be very severe yielding rapidly to treatment. Do not 

 cease your efforts until you are (sure the animal is dead. In these 

 severe cases puncturing of the bowels in the most prominent (dis- 

 tended) part by means of a small trocar and cannula or with a needle of 

 a hypodei-mic 83-ringe, thus allowing the escape of gas, has often saved 

 life, and such punctures, if made with a clean, sharp instrument that 

 is not allowed to remain in the horse too long, are accompanied by 

 little danger and do more to quickly lelieve the patient than any 

 other treatment. 



(■i) Spasmodic, ok ceamp, colic. — This is the name given to that 

 form of colic produced by contraction, or spasm, of a portion of the 

 email intestines. It is produced b}^ indigestible food; large drinks of 

 cold water when the animal is warm; driving a heated horse through 

 deep streams; cold rains; drafts of cold air, etc. Unequal distribu- 

 tion of or interference with the nervous supply here produces cramp 

 of the bowels, the same as external cramps are produced. Spasmodic 

 colic is much more frequently met with in high-bred, nervous hor.;es 

 than in coarse, lvm})hatic ones. 



Symptoms. — These should be carefuib,' studied in order to diagnose 

 this from other forms of colic requiring quite ditlerent treatment. 

 Spasmodic colic always begins suddenly. If feeding, the horse is seen 

 to stop abrupt!}-, stamp impatientl}^, and proljtibly look back. He 

 soon evinces more acute pain, and this is shown ])y pawing, suddenlv 

 13-ing down, rolling, and getting up. During the period of pain the 

 intestinal sounds, as heard by applying the ear over the flank, are 

 louder than in health. There is then an interval of ease; he v,^ill 

 resume feeding and appear to be entirely well. In a little while, hov/- 

 ever, the pains return and are iricreased in severity, onh'^ to again pass 

 off for a time. As the attack progresses these intervals of ease become 

 shorter and shorter, and pain may be continuous, though QXQXi now 

 there are exacerbations of jjiiin. Animals suffering from this form of 

 colic evince the most intense pain; the}' throw themselves down, roll 

 over and over, jump up, whirl about, drop down again, paw, or strike 

 rather, w'ith the front feet, steam and sweat, and make frequent 

 attempts to pass their urine. Only a small amount of water is passed 

 at a time, and this is due to the bladder bein^g so frequentl}-- emptied. 

 These attempts to urinate are often regarded by horsemen as s^Miip- 

 toms of trouble of the kidne3's or bladder. In reality they ai"e only 

 one of the many w^a^^s in which the horse expresses the presence of 

 pain. As a matter of fact, diseases of the bladder or kidney's of the 

 horse are exceedingly rare. 



To recapitulate the symptoms of spasmodic colic: Keep in mind the 

 history of the case, the type of horse, the suddenness of the attack, 

 the increased intestinal sounds, the intervals of ease (which become of 



