174 DISEASES OF THE HORSE. 



for some time no inconvenience, until food enters and distends 

 it, and is prevented passing onwards by the knot. This, at any 

 rate, must be the case whenever the noose is formed by adven- 

 titious substance, or by a portion of the mesentery ; which often 

 exhibits the appearance of having been formed for a length of 

 time. 



Intro-susception is more likely to be of recent origin, pro- 

 duced probably by the spasmodic action of the bowels in colic ; 

 and so likewise when it is siuiply a case of twisting of the 

 intestines. It appears that in the greater number of instances 

 on record, the ileum is the gut most frequently entangled ; 

 which may be accounted for by the fact of this intestine being 

 less confined than any other. Next to the ileum is the rectum ; 

 and the duodenum is most liable to stricture. 



The Treatment. — It is impossible to ascertain positively the 

 existence of entanglement of the bowels ; and if we could do so, 

 in the majority of cases our ti'catment would be useless. Where, 

 however, we have reason to expect the existence of such morbid 

 formation, the treatment indicated would be copious venesec- 

 tion, frequent injections of warm water or tobacco smoke, and 

 strong doses of opium, so as to quiet the system as much as pos- 

 sible ; and to avoid all food and purgative medicines. By 

 adopting this plan, nature may perhaps right herself, and the 

 spasms being quieted the gut may be released ; which, in a case 

 of simple twisting, is indeed very likely to occur. — Ed.] 



Crib-hiting. 



This, though only a trick or haljit which a horse gets, and 

 which he may teach another that stands next him, especially 

 a young horse, may be considered as a disorder, because it 

 renders him very liable to indigestion and flatulent colic. There 

 is no doubt that in crib-biting a horse swallows air ; and I have 

 seen a horse distend his stomach and bowels with it in an enor- 

 mous degree, and he would thereby often get the flatulent colic, 

 and sometimes swell himself so that he could scarcely move. 

 The only convenient method of preventing crib-biting is to put 

 a leather strap round the neck close to the jaws, which prevents 

 him from laying hold of the manger : it may impede his feeding, 

 however, and this must be attended to. A muzzle sometimes 

 answers the purpose. [There are now muzzles invented that ad- 

 mit of feeding, and yet prevent the horse opening his mouth 

 sufiiciently to seize the manger with his teeth. In many cases 

 they prove very useful, though in some they altogether fail. — Ed.] 



