274 THE COMMON COLICS OF THE HORSE 



existence of the latter being evident only to a man of 

 some experience), may suggest that nothing serious is 

 to be looked for. 



These are difficulties, however, that the veterinarian 

 in course of time learns how to surmount. As he ripens 

 in experience, he comes to approximate these apparently 

 misleading manifestations at their true value. He knows 

 that the pulse, although now full and strong, may 

 quickly become weak and compressible, and learns not 

 to rely on that alone. Gradually he comes to distinguish 

 between the irritable passing of the very small quantities 

 of faeces induced by grave mischief ' further forward,' and 

 the evacuation of a quantity, small perhaps, but of 

 normal appearance and consistence, and accompanied 

 by the more or less normal movements and attitudes 

 of the patient suffering from subacute impaction only. 

 Neither is he misled by the periods of apparent ease. 

 He sees the animal standing quiet, perhaps, but he reads 

 plainly enough by the ' catchy ' movements in the flank, 

 by the coming and going of the patchy perspirations, and 

 by occasional changes in the character of the pulse, that 

 pain is still in existence. All little things, granted. But 

 all significant. 



Here it is that the history of the case as we have 

 referred to it when discussing the causes and symptoms 

 gives the observer help. He learns that there was a 

 long stretch of heavy labour on the day previous, gathers 

 that there was subsequent hearty feeding, and hears 

 that not until the early morning following was there 

 manifestation of pain. That excessive muscular action 

 on the part of the bowel in dealing with an impaction 

 has been in existence appears to him more than likely, 

 and prompts the veterinarian to be on the alert for 

 torsion as the cause of the symptoms he now sees. 



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