118 COLICS AND THEIR TREATMENT 



Another objection to the use of anodynes, including 

 cannabis indica and hysocyamus, lies in the fact that they 

 delay and lessen the effects of the quick acting cathartics, 

 physostigmine and arecoline, although of themselves they 

 do not actually cause constipation. 



There are of course exceptions to this, as to all rules. 

 Occasions do occur in one's practice when a patient is 

 suffering such acute pain as to make him unruly to a de- 

 gree that it is impossible to administer to him, immedi- 

 ately the properly indicated treatment. Such animals 

 must be given an anodyne hypodermatically to render 

 them tractible enough for further treatment. Even for 

 such, I advise the trial of three- or four-grain doses of 

 morphine sulphate instead of the usual five- or six-grain 

 doses. Naturally the smaller the dose, the less the tend- 

 ency to produce constipation or impaction, and the less it 

 will retard the effect of the quick acting cathartics which 

 have become a sine qua non in the treatment of colics. 

 Stock Colic Mixtures of Little Value 



All, I think, will acknowledge that colic in its generic 

 sense cannot be properly nor scientifically treated by stock 

 mixtures which of necessity must be of the "shot-gun" 

 variety. However, we are forced to supply some of our 

 clients with a "colic remedy" for various and obvious 

 reasons, one of which is to prevent them from using 

 quack nostrums and another is to save ourselves from be- 

 ing called out at night. 



This being so, study the question closely and omit drugs 

 like opium, morphine, cannabis indica and hysocyamus, 

 which are non-curative, and will mask the symptoms 

 should the case later demand your personal attention. In 



