120 THEORY AND PRACTICE 



ter, the horse perhaps will not eat his breakfast, and is inclined 

 to lie down a good deal. If you drive him out, he will paw, and 

 if loose in the box stall he will turn around and lie down again. 

 This condition continues, gradually growing worse in the way of 

 pawing more, getting up and down at shorter intervals, switch- 

 ing the tail, etc. At the end of the third day or the beginning 

 of the third, the temperature rises. It may be 102°, and the 

 pulse is increased in frequency about 50. By the end of the 

 third day the temperature will be 103°, pulse 55 ; fourth day, 

 temperature 105°, pulse 60 and getting small and hard. By the 

 morning of the fifth day the animal is in bad condition,- — tem- 

 perature 105° or more, pulse 60 to 70, respirations 25 or 30, 

 haggard countenance, injected mucous membrane, etc. He be- 

 gins to tramp, — to walk round and round the stall. If he does 

 not get relief before night, he will die from enteritis. 



If the constipation is caused by a de'ntient water supply, the 

 rectum is apt to be everted to the extent of two or three inches. 

 This is caused by straining. The everted rectum is very dark 

 red, and if it stays out very long it becomes nearly purple. 



If the third cause is the factor producing the condition, the 

 pellets wall be small, hard and dry, sometimes falling on to the 

 floor like marbles. In aggravated cases of this kind there will be 

 an inclination to lie down more than usual and mild colicy pains 

 when standing. This form of constipation occurs in driving 

 horses that are highly fed on hay and oats and are overworked, 

 keeping them thin in flesh. 



In constipation from the first and third causes 5-15 days may 

 elapse before enteritis develops, but in all cases, if the horse is 

 not relieved, the enteritis will eventually kill him. 



When a foal cannot have its first passage on account of the 

 dryness of the meconium, you will find that the mare has been 

 worked too hard and kept on dry feed so that there is not 

 enough water in her system and the young foal partook of the 

 same dryness from which the mother suffered. If the mother 

 is kept on soft feed for a month before the birth, this is not 

 likely to occur. In case the foal does not have a passage by the 

 end of 10-12 hours, he must be relieved. 



If the constipation is due to the second cause, the contents of 



