342 STABLE MANUAL AND HORSE DOCTOR 



by the digestion of any description of horse fodder. A 

 draught of cold hard water, having sul[)hate of lime in sus- 

 pension, will often cause flatulent colic. It somewhat 

 resembles in symptoms the inflated paunch of ruminating 

 animals called " hove," " hoven," or " blown," which is 

 induced by overloading the stomach with succulent herbage, 

 especially clover, by the fermentation of which gas is gene- 

 rated in such volumes as to distend the animal almost to 

 bursting. The horse, however, unlike the cow, has no 

 paunch, and cannot be, strictly speaking, " hoven " ; though 

 it is by no means infrequent for him to be affected by 

 tympany, or windy colic. Windy colic is frequently an 

 afl'ection of the aged horse. It is not the entrance of 

 atmospheric air (which does not pass down the oesophagus 

 in any case, though a small quantity of air is found in the 

 intestines), but the generation of carbonic acid gas, or 

 sulphuretted hydrogen gas, the products of decomposition. 

 Either of these gases will destroy life by asphyxia if drawn 

 into the lungs. 



Syrnil^tonis. — The horse which is oppressed by flatulent 

 colic exhibits uneasiness after feeding ; it hangs the head, 

 breathes laboriously, fidgets, rocks the body, and rests first 

 on one leg, then on the other. These symptoms are exhibited 

 before any enlargement of the abdomen is to be detected. 

 With the swelling of the belly pawing commences ; that 

 action is, however, far too leisurely displayed to be for an 

 instant confounded with the same energetic movement 

 which characterises spasmodic colic. 



The horse will stand in one spot throughout the day; 

 even the movement of the foot, before noticed, appears to 

 be an exertion. The eye is sleepy, the pulse heavy, wind 

 frequently passes from the body ; and in such a condition 

 the animal remains, slowly becoming worse. Almost in the 

 same place the horse may stand three or four days ; then 

 the abdomen is much increased in size ; the animal is rest- 

 less ; the pulse is extremely feeble ; the breathing is very 

 fast ; the pupil of the eye is dilated, and the sight is lost. 

 A walk, as in a mill, is commenced ; obstacles are run into 

 or upset; delirium begins; weak neighs are uttered in 

 reply to visionary challenges ; the coat is ragged ; copious 

 and partial perspirations break forth ; the beat of the 

 artery is lost at the jaw ; an intermittent flutter is dis- 

 tinctly felt at the heart. At last the limbs fail ; the body 



