244 Diseases of the Horse. 



Lime water, alone or containing a draclim of commercial 

 carbolic acid to the pint, is very soothing; while others 

 speak highly of the oil of lobelia, promptly applied. 



HERNIA— EUPTTJRE— BURST. 



Definition. — A protrusion of any j)ort^on of the bowels, 

 or their coverings, through a rent or opening in the walls of 

 the abdomen. 



Causes. — Ruptures are quite common in the horse. They 

 are often seen about the navel at birth, and disappear with- 

 out any treatment, during the first year of life. Stallions 

 are more liable to them than geldings. They may be owing 

 to constitutional weakness in the walls of the belly; or to 

 violent eiiorts and strains tearing the muscular structure; or 

 to kicks, blows and similar violence. 



S3^ptoms. — Tliese differ as to the part of the abdominal 

 wall which has given way. There is usually a visible tumor 

 or bulging, which has a hollow sound on percussion, and on 

 feeling it between the fingers the contents are felt to slip 

 upon each other. Often, by properly directed pressure the 

 gut is slipped back into the belly, and the tumor disappears, 

 but returns as soon as the animal makes any exertion. 



When the hernia is inflamed the tumor is tender, hot to 

 the touch, and there are signs of colic, and often constipation. 

 In the ruptures which take place in stallions when a part of 

 the gut passes into the inguinal canal, there are symptoms of 

 severe colic, which has the peculiarity that the animal seems 

 relieved of the pain when he lies upon his back, a position 

 he retains for half an hour at a time. 



When the rupture is "strangulated,'' that is, when the gut 

 is caught and pinched in a narrow slit in the abdominal walls, 

 the suffering is very intense; the body is covered with cold 

 sweat, the animal sighs, the eyes become bloodshot and the 

 pupils wide and staring. 



