222 



ENTERITIS 



It will now be prudent to endeavor to excite considerable 

 external inflammation as near as possible to the seat of the inter 

 nal disease, and therefore the whole of the belly should be blis- 

 tered. In a well-marked case of this disease, no time should be 

 lost in applying fomentations, but the blister at once resorted 

 to. The tincture of Spanish flies, whether made with spirit of 

 wine or turpentine, should be thoroughly rubbed in. The legs 

 should be well bandaged in order to restore the circulation in 

 them, and thus lessen the flow of blood to the inflamed part ; 

 and, for the same reason, the horse should be warmly clothed ; 

 but the air of the stable or box should be cool. 



No corn or hay should be allowed during the disease, but bran 

 mashes, and green feed if it can be procured. The latter will be 

 the best of all food, and may be given without the slightest ap- 

 prehension of danger. When the horse begins to recover, a 

 handful of grain may be given two or three times in the day ; 

 and, if the weather is warm, he may be turned into a paddock 

 for a few hours in the middle of the day. Clysters of gruel 

 should be continued for three or four days after the inflammation 

 is beginning to subside, and good hand-rubbing applied to the 

 legs. 



The second variety of inflammation of the bowels afiects the 

 internal or mucous coat, and is generally the consequence of 

 physic in too great quantity, or of an improper kind.. The purg- 

 ing is more violent and continues longer than was intended ; the 

 animal shows that he is sufl^ering great pain ; he frequently looks 

 round at his flanks ; his breathing is laborious, and the pulse is 

 quick and small — not so small, however, as in inflammation of 

 the peritoneal coat, and, contrary to some of the most frequent 

 and characteristic symptoms of that disease, the mouth is hot and 

 the legs and ears are warm. Unless the purging is excessive, 

 and the pain and distress great, the surgeon should hesitate at 

 giving any astringent medicine at first ; but he should plentifully 

 administer gruel or thin starbh, or arrow-root, by the mouth and 

 by clyster, removing all hay and cotn, and particularly green 

 feed. He should thus endeavor to soothe the irritated surface of 

 the bowels, while he permits all remains of the purgative to be 

 carried off". If, however, twelve hours have passed, and the 

 jiurging and the pain remain undiminished, he should continue 

 the gruel, adding to it chalk, catechu, and opium, repeated every 

 six hours. As soon as the purging begins to subside, the astrin- 

 gent medicine should be lessened in quantity, and gradually dis- 

 continued. Bleeding will rarely be necessary, unless the inflam- 

 mation is very great, and attended by symptoms of general fever. 

 The horse should be warmly clothed, and placed in a comforta- 

 ble stable, and his legs should be hand-rubbed and bandaged 



