44 



capricious appetite is liommon in horses tliat have a stone forming in 

 their stomach. There is a disposition to eat the wood work of the sta- 

 ble, earth, and, in fact, ahnost any substance within their reach. This 

 symptom must not, however, be considered as pathognomonic, since it 

 is observed when calculi are not present. Occasional colics may result 

 from these " stomach stones," and when these lodge at the outlet of the 

 stomach they may give rise to symptoms of engorged stomach, already 

 described. I remember one instance in which I found a stone that 

 weighed nearly 4 pounds in the stomach of a horse. 



The position that seems to aftord the most relief to the afflicted ani- 

 mal is sitting upon the haunches. Constipation may or may not be 

 present. From all this we may conclude that there is reason to sus- 

 pect the presence of stone in the stomach, if there is a history of de- 

 praved appetite ; repeated attacks of colic (and particularly if these have 

 recovered abruptly) ; and the position sought by the horse while suffer- 

 ing — sitting on the haunches, or standing with the front feet upon 

 some elevation. During the fatal attack the symptoms are simply 

 those of obstruction, followed by those of inflammation and gangrene, 

 and are not diagnostic. There is, of course, no treatment that will 

 prove effective. We can simi)ly give remedies to move the bowels, to 

 relieve pain, and to combat inflammation. 



Intestinal concretions, calculi (stones) in the intestines. — These concre- 

 tions are found mostly in the large bowels, though they are occasionally 

 met with in the small intestines. They are of various sizes, weighing 

 from 1 ounce to 25 i>ounds ; they may be single or multiple, and differ 

 in composition and appearance, some being soft (composed mostly of 

 animal or vegetable matter), while others are porous or honey-combed 

 (consisting of animal and mineral matter), and others again that are 

 entirely hard and stone-like. The hair-balls, so common to the stomach 

 and intestines of cattle, are very rare in the horse. Intestinal calculi 

 form around some foreign body as a rule, mostly a nail, piece of wood, 

 or something of this description, whose shape they assume to a certain 

 extent. Layers are arranged concentrically around such nucleus until 

 the sizes above spoken of are formed. These stones are also often found 

 in millers' horses, as well also as horses in limestone districts where the 

 water is hard. When the calculi attain a sufficient size and become 

 lodged or blocked in some part of the intestines, they cause obstruction, 

 inflammation of the bowels, colicky symptoms, and death. Some vete- 

 rinarians pretend to diagnose the presence of these bodies during life, 

 but I know of no certain signs or symptoms that reveal them. Recur- 

 ring colics and character of food and water may enable us to make a 

 good guess at times, but nothing more. 



The symptoms will be those of obstruction of the bowels. Upon post- 

 mortem examinations we will discover these stones, mostly in the large 

 bowels ; the intestines will be inflamed or gangrenous about the point 

 of obstruction. Sometimes calculi have been expelled by the action 



