104 DISEASES OF THE STOMACH AND BOWELS 



Occurrence. — G astro-intestinal catarrh is a very common 

 disease of horses. 



Etiology. — Primary gastro-intestinal catarrh is due to: 

 (a) Bad food (inoldy forage, smutty oats, rotten straw), 

 forage containing irritant weeds or sharp objects. Food 

 which is too hot or on the other hand frozen and food con- 

 taining foreign material as sand. 



(6) Good food injudiciously fed. (Too rapid eating with 

 incomplete mastication when very hungry, not enough 

 saliva being mixed with food hastily swallowed; overloading 

 stomach. Sudden change from accustomed to unaccustomed 

 foods as oats to corn, corn to barley or wheat, etc.). 



(c) Water. Large quantities of cold water when hot and 

 fatigued. Water from stagnant pools. 



(d) Disturbance in mastication (bad teeth). 



(e) Psychic influences. (Extreme nervousness in race 

 horses, casting, tying head too high, pain following opera- 

 tions or wounds.) 



(/) Animal parasites (ascarides). 



(g) Irritant drugs and poisons (arsenic, calomel, acids, 

 alkalies) . 



Chronic gastro-intestinal catarrh is due to much the same 

 causes as the acute but acting less intensively. They are: 



(a) Bad food (sanded food, frozen food). 



(&) Improper feeding. 



(c) Bad teeth (sharp teeth, split teeth, alveolar periostitis, 

 caries, etc.). 



(d) Vices (wind sucking, cribbing). 



(e) Chronic diseases of liver, lungs, heart (induce conges- 

 tion of portal system) . 



(/) Parasitism. 



ig) Senility (most decrepit "anatomy skates" suffer from 

 chronic gastro-intestinal catarrh). 



Acute gastro-intestinal catarrh is secondary to acute 

 general infectious diseases (influenza, strangles), blood dis- 

 eases (anemia, leukemia, pseudoleukemia, etc.). It may also 

 be embolic in origin from Strongylus armatus in anterior 

 mesenteric artery. 



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