CHAP. I.] SYMPTOMS OF GRIPES. 269 



though the symptoms set down in the second co- 

 lumn of the " table," at page 253, do not appear ; 

 for, he may be afflicted with pain in the kidneys, 

 or inflammation of the bladder, which the attendant 

 should ascertain before giving the stimulants that 

 may be very proper in most stages of colic, but 

 would accelerate the disease incident to those 

 " urinary organs." The careful reader should 

 therefore turn to the subjects " Kidneys," and 

 u Urinary organs," before he proceeds to treat the 

 animal simply for colic pains. 



In its mildest state, flatulent colic first appears 

 in the form of violent purging, which is in fact no 

 positive disease, as before observed, but an effort 

 of nature to rid itself of a collection of offensive 

 matter, either indigestible, cold, or irritating. Of 

 what precise kind this may be at any time is ascer- 

 tainable upon the view, and requires only to be as- 

 sisted in coming off, provided but little pain is 

 evinced by the animal. If he be a crib-biter, pieces 

 of extraneous matter are usually found among the 

 dung, as bits of wall, of wood, litter, &c. ; if an aged 

 horse, or one that has been kept on bad hay, his 

 food comes off undigested ; if a very fat horse, the 

 mucous secretion comes away as described under 

 " molten grease," just above — and all these require 

 at most some of the milder purgatives that are least 

 likely to irritate the bowels. 



Whenever the ears become cold, after gripes 

 have continued some hours, it is a certain indica- 

 tion that inflammation has taken place of some one 



n 3 



