DISEASES OF HORSES. 219 



membranes of the mouth, nose, and eyelids are often redder than 

 natural. As the disease advances, the pain, before not violent, 

 now increases so as to force the horse to lie down and rise again 

 freqirently ; and when very violent, he kicks at his belly, or looks 

 round at his sides, pawing his litter very frequently. The pulse is 

 usually small, quick, or hard ; sometimes it is more full and smaU, 

 but always hard. Breathing is quickened, the extremities are 

 alternately hot and cold, but continue longer cold than hot ; and 

 the animal is costive ; sometimes pain may force away a few har- 

 dened balls of fcEces, but the principal contents are retained. 

 Blaine has given the distinguishing features between this disease 

 and colic, under which head we have stated them. 



47. The treatment must be active and immediate, or a fatal ter- 

 mination mr-y be expected. Begin by abstracting a considerable 

 quantity of blood ; from a large horse to the amount of 7 or 8 quarts ; 

 proceed to back-rake, throw up a large clyster of warm gruel. Give 

 by the mouth, a pint of castor oil, mixed by the means of the yelk 

 of two eggs, with half a pint of broth or gruel. Or, give olive oil 

 instead, following it up in half an hour by a gruel drench in which 

 six ounces of Epsom salts liave been dissolved. A sheep skin, im- 

 mediately as it is removed from the sheep, may be applied to the 

 belly, which should first be well rubbed with the stronger liquid 

 blister. {Vet. Pha. 141.) In four hours repeat the bleeding, if con- 

 siderable improvement have not taken place, and if the bowels be 

 not unloaded, give more oil, and clyster frequently, having first 

 back-raked. Avoid exercise ; first hand-rub, and afterwards wrap 

 up the extremities to the knees. As a clear passage for the dung 

 is found, the symptoms mitigate, and the animal slowly recovers ; 

 but he must be fed at first very sparingly. 



48. Inflammation of the inner surface of the intestines is, in some 

 measure, different from the former, which is rather an affection of 

 their outer covering ; whereas this is usually confined to their villous 

 surface, and may be brought on by superpurgation from over-strong 

 physic, or from mineral acids being taken in, particularly mercu- 

 rials, which often exert more influence on the bowels than on the 

 stomach. It differs from the former in the symptoms being genei-- 

 ally accompanied with purging ; neither is there usually so much 

 pain or uneasiness present, nor such cold extremities, but where 

 from the violence of the inflammation these symptoms are present, 

 bleeding to the amount of three or four quarts is a proper pre- 

 liminary, but can hardly be with propriety continued. The same 

 Btimulants to the outside of the belly should be used as in the last 



20 



