DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 183 



oo regularly fed from meal to meal (not carelessly overfed), yet 

 the stomach, being disordered, does not digest the usual meal. A 

 portion of it is " left over," as the saying is, and thus gradually 

 accumulates in that organ, until over-distension, with its conse- 

 qii&nces, commands our attention. The reader must also bear in 

 mind that horses sometimes free themselves from the halter at 

 night, or when the groom is absent, and voluntarily gorge them- 

 selves ; therefore the person who has charge of and feeds the sub- 

 ject is not always at fault. When engorgement of the -stomach 

 occurs, and is associated with flatulency, the sufferings are doubly 

 severe, because then the intestines are also the seat of distension, 

 and the pain from that alone is sometimes terrific. 



The following case, which lately occurred in the author's prac- 

 tice, fully illustrates the condition just alluded to. The subject 

 was a bay gelding, aged about seven years, the owner of which in- 

 formed me that the animal had, in the early part of the morning, 

 broken loose from his stall, and immediately commenced a des- 

 perate attack on a bag of oats, which happened to be within reach. 

 The horse was known as a ravenous feeder, and the probability is 

 that he did not spare the oats, but took a pretty large dose, so as 

 to over-distend his stomach. The services of the animal being re- 

 quired, a few hours afterward he was hitched up. He soon, how- 

 ever, showed symptoms of distress, attempted to lie down, and 

 finally got into a profuse perspiration. Shortly after this, my 

 attention was called to him. I found the patient in great distress — 

 his head pendulous; breathing, much embarrassed; pulse, very 

 rapid ; body, bedewed with a chilly perspiration ; legs and ears, 

 cold ; continual eructations of gas ; at the same, time efforts to 

 vomit, which brought away nothing more than salival secretion, 

 which, however, was quite profuse. The patient rolled and tum- 

 bled about considerably, and would occasionally stand up for a few 

 seconds at a time. 



Treatment. — It appeared that the indications, in view of relief, 

 »vere to arouse the action of the stomach, and, at the same time, to 

 arrest fermentation. I was under the impression that the contents 

 of the gorged stomach could only be got rid of in the ordinary way, 

 viz. : by digestion. I am aware that it is customary to give drastic 

 cathartics, in view of getting rid of the contents of the stomach - 

 ret I would not advise the reader to do this, for the horse may die 

 ■»■ *v> medicine operates. The following drench was administered : 



