264 COLIC. 



In the ox colic is more rare than in the horse, but it is 

 due to similar causes. 



Irritant poisons in all animals induce symptoms of colic, 

 and then the disease is often inflammatory. 



Symptoms. Indications of abdominal pain ; pawing, 

 shifting about, and crouching; the horse looks round at his 

 flanks, sometimes attempts to bite himself; he lies down and 

 turns on his belly, or rolls on his back, and often as the 

 paroxysm is abating, he lies outstretched on his side as if to 

 rest himself; he then rises, shakes himself, is no more in 

 pain, and seeks food. When the animal is suffering, the 

 pulse is frequent, the breathing accelerated and panting ; the 

 eyes are prominent and staring; there is an expression of 

 anguish, and often great listlessness. All subsides but 

 shortly the symptoms return, often in an aggravated form. 

 Sometimes the attacks diminish in violence, become fewer 

 and far between, and the animal recovers; but under other 

 circumstances the pain becomes continued, the pulse quick 

 and hard ; there is sympathetic derangement of the brain ; 

 the animal reels to and fro, lies down, obstinately turns on 

 his back, relaxing the muscles of his hind limbs, the latter 

 drop forwards so that the tense state of the belly may be re- 

 lieved; the extremities are cold; there is twitching of the 

 muscles; cold sweats bedew the body here and there; the 

 lips are retracted, the teeth exposed, and the horse dies. 



From first to last, animals affected with colic are costive 

 few and small balls of dung are occasionally passed. There 

 is colic, with diarrhoea or looseness of the bowels, which 

 occurs when the disease arises from eating diseased pota- 

 toes, not unfrequently given to farm-horses. Urine is 

 scanty, if any be passed at all; and whenever there is a 

 copious evacuation, it is considered a critical and favourable 

 sign, and the horse is then often looked upon as cured. 



