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tinal inflammatory action of a peculiar or specific character, attended 

 with fever, occasional abdominal pain, and fluid alvine discharges, 

 mingled with blood or albuminous materials ; the tissue changes, which 

 are usually regarded as special, being situated chiefly in the minute 

 gland structures and inter-connective tissue of the large intestine, and 

 of an ulcerative or gangrenous character. To be plainer, dysentery is 

 characterized by coffee-colored or bloody discharges, liquid, and very 

 offensive in odor, and passed with much tenesmus (straining). It is 

 very rare in the horse. 



Causes. — Probably the most common cause is keeping young horses 

 in particular for a long time on low, wet, marshy pastures, without 

 other feed (a diarrhea of long standing sometimes terminates in dysen- 

 tery) ; exposure during cold, wet weather; decomposed foods; stagnant 

 water that contains large quantities of decomposing vegetable matter; 

 low, damp, and dark stables, particularly if crowded ; the existence of 

 some disease, as tuberculosis of the abdominal form. 



Symptoms. — The initial symptom is a chill, which probably escapes 

 notice in the majority of instances. The discharges are offensive and 

 for the most part liquid, although it is common to find lumps of solid 

 fecal matter floating in this liquid portion ; shreds of mucous membrane 

 and blood are passed, or the evacuations may be muco-purulent; there 

 is much straining, and, rarely, symptoms of abdominal pain ; the horse 

 lies down a great deal ; the pulse is quickened and the temperature 

 elevated. The appetite may remain fair, but in spite of this the horse 

 rapidly loses flesh and becomes a sorry-looking object. Death rarely 

 follows under two to three weeks. Thirst is a prominent symptom. 



Treatment — This is most unsatisfactory, and 1 am inclined to place 

 more dependence upon the care and feed than any medication that may 

 be adopted. First of all the horse must be placed in a dry, warm, yet 

 well- ventilated stable; the skin is to receive attention by frequent rub- 

 bings of the surface of the body, with blankets, and bandages to the 

 legs. The water must be pure and given in small quantities; the food, 

 that which is light and easily digested. Medicinally, we must give at 

 first a light dose of castor oil, about one-half pint, to which has been 

 added 2 ounces of laudanum. The vegetable or mineral astringents 

 are also to be given. Starch injections containing laudanum often 

 afford great relief. The strength must be kept up by milk punches, 

 eggs, beef tea, oat-meal gruel, etc. In spite of the best care and treat- 

 ment, however, dysentery mostly proves fatal. 



Hcemorrlioids — Piles. — These are rare in horses, although more fre- 

 quently met with than most people suppose. They are diagnosed by 

 the appearance of bright-red irregular tumors after defecation, which 

 may remain visible at all times or be seen only when the horse is down 

 or after passing his manure. They are mostly due to constipation, to 

 irritation or injuries, or follow from the severe straining during dysen- 

 tery, I have observed them to follow from severe labor pains in the 

 mare. 



