138 COLICS AND THEIR TREATMENT 



Defective teeth, lack of water, lack of exercise and 

 torpidity of the bowels are predisposing factors. 



Quite frequently horses will develop impaction when 

 turned into alfalfa fields early in the spring. Impac- 

 tion in this case would seem improbable, but is some- 

 times explained by the fact that it is the old last year's 

 stubble which causes the trouble and not the young 

 plants. 



The symptoms are doubtless familiar to every xet- 

 erinarian, but they frequently present some peculiari- 

 ties which will mislead the practitioner if not carefully 

 observed. For instance, diarrhea is not uncommon 

 and misleads the unwary. Too often the practitioner 

 gives an anodyne and an intestinal astringent, only 

 to find later that it reality the case called for active 

 purgatives because of an impaction. However, the 

 diarrhea is in evidence for only a few hours, and the 

 evacuations are never copious. I regard this diarrhea 

 as the result of an effort on the part of nature to re- 

 move the impacted mass, but is successful in removing 

 only such feces as are within the bowel posterior to 

 the obstruction. 



The presence of flatulence and a rise of temperature 

 may mislead the diagnostician but since these are 

 present only in the later stages, they should not con- 

 fuse the experienced practitioner. The flatulence is 

 the most troublesome symptom since it practically 

 inhibits manual examination through the rectum. 



To diagnose a case as impaction solely because peris- 

 talsis is absent, or nearly so, would be a mistake, for 

 in the earlier stages peristalsis is quite active, as is 



