40 



He soon evinces more acute pain, and this is shown bj^ pawing, sud- 

 denly lying down, rolling, and getting up. There is then an interval 

 of ease; he will resume feeding, and api^ear to be entirely well. In a 

 little while, however, the pains return and are increased in severity, 

 only to again i^ass off for a time. As the attack i)rogresses these 

 intervals of ease become shorter and shorter, and pain may be con- 

 tinuous, though even now there are exacerbations of pain. Animals 

 suffering from this form of colic evince the most intense j^ain; they 

 throw themselves down, roll over and over, jumj) up, whirl about, 

 drop down again, paw, or strike, rather, with the front feet, steam and 

 sweat, make frequent attempts to pass their urine, and the penis is 

 partially erected. Only a small amount of water is passed at a time, 

 and this is due to the bladder being so frequently emptied, i. e., fliere 

 is hut little water to pass. These attemi)ts to urinate are almost alwaj^s 

 regarded as sure symptoms of trouble of the kidneys or bladder. In 

 reality they are only one of the many ways in which the horse expresses 

 the presence of pain. Allow me to digress slightly, and to assure the 

 reader that diseases of the bladder or kidneys of the horse ar^e exceed- 

 ing! ij rare. The stomach and bowels are affected in a thousand 

 instances where the kidneys or bladder are once. Attempts to pass 

 water and failure to do so are not enough to warrant us in joronounc- 

 ing the case one of "trouble with his water," nor should we, if a horse 

 jields or sinks when pinched over the loins, declare that kidney 

 disease exists. Try this pressure on any horse, and the great majority 

 will be seen to thus yield; in fact, this is rather a sign or sj'mptom of 

 health than of disease. 



To recapitulate the symptoms of spasmodic colic: Keep in mind the 

 history of the case, the type of horse, the suddenness of the attack, the 

 intervals of ease (which become of shorter duration as the case pro- 

 gresses), the violent pain, the normal temperature and pulse during 

 the intervals of ease, the frequent attempts to urinate, the erection of 

 the penis, etc., and there is but little danger of confounding this with 

 other forms of colic. 



Treatment. — Since the pain is due to spasm or cramj) of the bowels, 

 medicines that overcome spasms — anti-spasmodics — are the ones indi- 

 cated. Probably there is no medicine better than chloral hj^drate. 

 This is to be given in a dose of 1 ouiK?e in a half pint of water as a 

 drench. A very common and good remedy is sulphuric ether and lau- 

 danum; of each 2 ounces in half pint of linseed oil. Another drench 

 may be composed of 2 ounces each of sulphuric ether and alcohol in 8 

 ounces of water. If nothing else is at hand we may give whisky; one- 

 half pint in hot water. If relief is not obtained in one hour from any 

 of the above doses, they may then be repeated. The bodj^ should be 

 warmly clothed and persi^iration induced. Blankets dipped in very 

 hot water to which a small quantity of turpentine has been added 

 should be placed around the belly and covered with dry blankets, or 



