DISEASES OF THE STOMACH. 939 



THE STOMACH. 



The stomach is that pouch or bag into which the food passes 

 from the gullet, and in which it undergoes the primary and essen- 

 tial changes in the process of digestion. The stomach of the horse 

 is a comparatively small organ; its shape is generally compared 

 to the air-bag of a pair of bag-pipes. It has two openings, the 

 cardiac, into which the food enters from the gullet, and the py- 

 loric y through which it passes into the bowels, or gut. Its inner 

 surface is lined by two distinct membranes, a cuticular and a 

 villous. The former lines the cardiac portion, and is white and 

 wrinkled ; the latter covers the pyloric, and is yellowish red, soft 

 and velvety to the touch. The latter is the true digestive stomach. 

 In it the gastric juice is secreted, and the essential process of 

 chymification, or the formation of the food into chyme, goes on, 

 the former being merely for macerating and further triturating 

 the masticated food. 



INDIGESTION. 



Indigestion in one form or another is very common in the 

 horse. It occurs in two forms, which may be distinguished as 

 acidity of the stomach, or heart-burn, and acute indigestion, or 

 total arrestment of digestion. 



ACIDITY OF THE STOMACH. 



Acidity of the stomach arises from bad food and irregular 

 feeding. 



Symptoms. The animal is observed to lose condition; the 

 skin is dusty and unthrifty ; he is continually poking and pick- 

 ing among the litter, licking out the corners of the manger, occa- 

 sionally stretching out the nose, and pouting the upper lip. If 

 turned out, he licks earth or sand, and evinces a depraved appe- 

 tite ; at work he is easily sweated ; his bowels are irregular, the 

 dung being light-colored and glazed. 



Treatment. Change the feed, give sweet, well-cured hay, a 

 few bran-mashes, and gentle walking exercise. Give him the 

 following laxative ball : 



6 drachms Barbadoes aloes, 

 2 drachms ground ginger, 

 2 drachms carbonate of soda. 



Make into a ball with molasses or lard. 



