142 , THEORY AND PRACTICE 



he drops and soon dies. He may live 48-60 hours with this 

 disease but an ordinary case will run its course and terminate 

 in 6 hours after the first symptoms are visible. 



Post Mortem. — Upon opening the bowel there is found 

 patches of ecchymosis on the serous covering. The wall is 

 greatly thickened in the average case ^ to ^ inches. The 

 contents of the bowel are semi-fluid and bloody. This blood is 

 from hemorrhag-e by rhexis. The thickened bowel wall will be 

 infiltrated with serum and lymph. On the surface of the mucous 

 membrane there will be a gelatinous coat of more or less coagu- 

 lated lymph. The general appearance of the mucous membrane 

 is very dark red, almiost black. Other animals suffering from 

 enteritis are usually very quiet, semi-stupid as it were. Pulse 

 and temperature run about the same as in the horse. 



Treatment. — It is difficult to prescribe rationally for enter- 

 itis for there are antagonizing conditions. Our best efforts, how- 

 ever, should be directed toward removing the cause in the hope 

 that if we succeed the effects will cease. As a logical reasoning 

 for this conclusion, we will say that whatever the cause of enter- 

 itis is if it is not removed, the horse will die. Consequently we 

 want to get a free evacuation of the bowels and we treat as for 

 constipation. Give oil in liberal quantities and eserine and are- 

 colin. Give rectal injections, liberal counter-irritation, alcoholic 

 stimulants, give anodynes liberally, such as chloral hydrate, can- 

 nabis indica, etc., morphia not being so much indicated. In other 

 animals besides the horse, opium is used freely, to quiet the 

 bowel and suspend peristalsis and then give attention to reducing 

 the fever. Such antipyretics as acetanilid are good, but in the 

 horse the disease runs such a rapid course that we have not time 

 for the drugs to act. We rely chiefly upon removing the cause 

 and evacuating the bowels. It is always advisable to make a 

 post mortem in a case of enteritis, especially so as to convince 

 the owner that it was impossible to save the animal. 



In mild cases such remedies as camphor, aconite and bella- 

 donna are indicated. Bleeding has been resorted to and has 

 been found useless. 



