32 



This is most injudicious. The horse starts to his work feeling full 

 and oppressed; he soon grows dull and listless, and fails to respond 

 to the whip; sweats profusely; attempts to lie down; his head is car- 

 ried forward and doAvnward, and if checked up is heavy on the reins, 

 stumbles or blunders forward, and often falls. If looked at carefully 

 you can not fail to observe that he is unusuallj^ full over the posterior 

 ribs. The flanks may also be distended with gas, and sound like a 

 drum on being struck, though I have seen cases where the gases were 

 entii'ely confined to the stomach. With this condition the pain and 

 distress are constant; the swelling referred to plainly appreciable; 

 head extended and low, retching or even vomiting of fermented food. 

 On placing the ear to tlie horse's windpipe a distinct metallic sound 

 can be heard, as of air rushing through the windpipe. Such cases 

 are rapid in their course and often fatal. 



Treaiment must be prompt and energetic. An antacid should be 

 given, and, as these cases mostly occur on the road awaj^, i^robably, 

 from all drug-stores, you should hasten to the first house. Get com- 

 mon baking soda, and administer 2 to 4 ounces of it as quickly as pos- 

 sible. One-half ounce of cayenne pepper may be added to this with 

 advantage, as it serves to aid the stomach to contract upon its con- 

 tents, and expel the gas. Charcoal, in any amount; chloride of lime, 

 one-half ounce; carbonate of ammonia, one-half ounce; or any -medi- 

 cine that will check or stop fermentation, or absorb the gases, may be 

 given. A jDhj^sic of 1 ounce of aloes, or 1 pint of linseed oil, should 

 be given to unload the stomach and bowels. Cold water, dashed with 

 force over the stomach, is thought hy some to favor condensation of 

 the gas. This lesson should be learned from one of these attacks — 

 and doubtless will be if, as is often the case, the horse dies — that when 

 a horse or any other animal is expected to do an unusual amount of 

 work in a short time he will best do it upon a spare feed. Curb j^our gen- 

 erosity and humanity (?) for the brute until the journey's end, and 

 even then wait until the horse is thoroughly rested before giving the 

 usual feed. 



Rupture of the stomach. — This mostly occurs as a result of engorged 

 or tympanitic stomach, and from the horse violently throwing himself 

 when so affected. It may result from disease of the coats of the stom- 

 ach, gastritis, stones or calculi, tumors, or anything that closes the 

 opening of the stomach ijito the intestines, and very violent pulling 

 or jumping immediately after the animal has eaten heartily of bulky 

 food. These or similar causes may lead to this accident. 



The symptoms of rupture of the stomach are not constant, nor 

 always reliable. We should always make inquiry as to what and how 

 much the horse has been fed at the last meal. Vomiting has, pretty 

 generally, been declared to be a symptom of ru^jture of this organ. I 

 wish to preface what I may say concerning this with the statement that 

 I have observed vomiting when the post-mortem examination revealed 



