944 NOllTH OF ENGLAND VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. 
the rectum it will generally be found empty ; the raucous membrane 
comparatively speaking, is dry, and the hand, when withdrawn, is 
covered with a pasty secretion containing minute portions of faeces. 
In some cases the impacted colon may be felt through the coats of 
the rectum. Before speaking of the treatment of those simple cases, 
I will draw your attention to those important ones where the obstruc¬ 
tion is caused by loss of muscular power in the bowels, or some 
displacement, twist, intussusception, or the presence of calculi. 
As a rule these cases come under our care, in the first place, as 
cases of colic or inflammation of the bowels, and it is only after 
some treatment has been adopted, and a few hours have elapsed, that 
we begin to realize the true position of affairs. Our patient from 
the first has shown all the symptoms of colic or enteritis, we have 
given our anti-spasmodic medicines and enemas, the abdomen has 
been fomented or blistered, and our patient may also have been 
bled, but still he continues suffering, and now is the time to be extra 
careful in our treatment of the case. Examine the pulse, mucous 
membranes, extremities, and the expression of the countenance; 
explore the abdomen outwardly and inwardly as far as possible; 
make, again, careful inquiries into the antecedents of the patient, 
and into the probable cause of the present attack. All those things 
tend materially to aid us in our diagnosis ; but I would here remind 
you that we must not confound “obstructed bowel” with any of 
the other acute abdominal diseases which we meet with in the horse, 
diseases equally common and fatal, but which have special symptoms 
of their own. 
In obstructed bowel the pulse is more or less quickened, generally 
from 50 to 70, but of a good character; indeed, it is surprising how 
long the pulse may continue good in these cases. The breathing is 
a little quickened, the skin is pretty warm but the extremities are 
cold ; the abdomen, particularly the off side, is always swollen ; it 
is tense and drumlike. No faeces are passed; the rectum has 
emptied itself at first, and now there is a complete stoppage. The 
animal is uneasy, is up and down, often on his back, or is wander¬ 
ing about his box. At first the mucous membranes are very slightly 
injected, but they gradually become more so; there is capillary 
congestion, often accompanied by yellowness. The mouth becomes 
foul and pasty, and the countenance gradually assumes an anxious 
expression. 
These are the ordinary symptoms we meet with, but of course 
some variations will be met with in the severity of the symptoms 
and the duration of the disease, depending upon the parts impli¬ 
cated, and the cause in operation to produce the obstruction; and it 
IS these variations, together with the history of the case, that must 
guide us in our diagnosis and prognosis. 
Twist or displacement of the colon is most likely to follow an 
acute and sudden attack of colic, a case in which there has been 
great pain and tympanitis ; the animal may never have had colic 
before, and the attack may have followed drinking cold water, eating 
wet grass, or an extra quantity of food after a long fast; and in one 
