42 



NON-SPECIFIC OR GENERAL DISEASES 



Obstruction colic is very often caused by the feeding of too 

 much roughage in the form of straw, shredded fodder, or hay. 

 Debility often contributes to this form of indigestion, and 

 the double colon may become badly impacted with alimentary 

 matter. 



Worms may irritate the intestinal mucous membrane and 

 interfere with digestion, obstruct the intestine and cause debility 

 and circulatory disturbances. The large round worm may form 

 a tangled mass and completely fill a portion of the double colon. 



Fig. 16. — A yearling colt that died ot iiueunsm colic. 



Some species attach themselves to the intestinal wall, suck the 

 blood of the host and cause amrmia and debility. Colic resulting 

 from circulatory disturhances is not common. The female of 

 a certain species of sclerostomw deposits eggs in the mucous 

 membrane. On hatching, the larvae may enter a blood capillary, 

 drift along in the blood stream and finally come to rest in a 

 large blood-vessel that supplies a certain portion of the intestines 

 with blood. Here the parasite develops. The wall of the vessel 

 becomes irritated and inflamed, pieces of fibrin flake off and 

 drift along the blood stream until finally a vessel too small for 



