Protracted or Prolonged Colics. 



Nearly all practitioners of veterinary medicine 

 have had cases of abdominal pain which were difficult 

 to terminate. 



Frequently a case presents almost typical signs 

 of acute indigestion, or possibly of a simple spasmodic 

 colic, or of mild impaction. The treatment, which is 

 usual in such cases, is given and while, possibly, some 

 temporary improvement is shown the case slowly 

 develops certain symptoms which are atypical and 

 "hang fire." 



We continue our treatment from stomach tube to 

 eserine and everything that could possibly be indi- 

 cated. If we have profited by former experience with 

 cases of this kind, we go slowly as soon as we recog- 

 nize what we have ; we begin a sort of "watchful wait- 

 ing" process; and the horse finally recovers. Before 

 we had profited by experience, with these cases, we 

 kept up our treatment continuously, we did too much, 

 and we lost the patient. 



It is my opinion that in all of these cases a local- 

 ized enteritis or gastritis has developed, either from 

 excessive pressure on a small area from gas or from 

 coprostasis. This area may be very small, possibly 

 no more than a few inches square, as I have noted 

 repeatedly on post mortem examination in cases which 

 died from typical attacks of acute indigestion. 



If the veterinarian desists from administering fur- 

 ther heroic treatment as soon as he realizes that he 

 has a case of this kind in hand, the process stops and 

 recovery supervenes. If, on the other hand, he does 



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