742 NORTH OF ENGLAND VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. 
esting, but the notice I received being so short, and time limited, I took 
the liberty of thinking that one and all of you would kindly assist me in 
my undertaking. 
You will, I am sure, agree with me that these are diseases to which 
the lower animals are very subject, especially the horse, but not so 
common now as they were in former days, thanks to science, I think I 
may justly say veterinary science; also to the better management and 
feeding of horses. I do not intend to give you an elaborate paper, 
neither shall I describe all the diseases to which the bowels are liable, 
but confine myself to the most important ones, viz. indigestion, 
impaction of the stomach, constipation and obstruction, spasmodic and 
flatulent colic. 
These diseases occur most frequently during the winter months and at 
the change of seasons, and are generally the results of errors of feeding. 
Horses are, as a rule, best kept in health when fed upon food requiring 
thorough mastication ; we find when horses are properly fed the stomach 
seldom suffers from disease. Give a hungry horse a feed of cooked meat 
or a mash which is eaten very heartily without mastication, and we 
get an acute case of what is generally called gripes. I have no doubt 
it fe badly griped, and unless it gets immediate relief the case terminates 
fatally from a ruptured stomach. Doubtless many of us have been called 
in to make 'post-mortems upon horses that have been found dead in the 
morning which were left in perfect health the previous night, and 
upon inquiry the horse has been a long journey, got home late, had a 
mash, and was left for the night. On making a post-mortem the stomach 
is found ruptured and full of non-masticated food. In many of these 
cases, where no post-mortems are made, the poor animal gets the credit of 
having hanged itself. 
The first disease to which I shall call your attention is 
Indigestion. 
This arises from various causes, such as the process of dentition, dis¬ 
eases of the teeth, ravenous feeding, improper food, or food given at im¬ 
proper intervals, or from some constitutional predisposition. In young 
animals it is generally caused by removal from the dam at too early an 
age, draughts of cold milk, or sucking when the dam is heated by work¬ 
ing too soon after the birth of the offspring. 
Symptoms .—Loss of appetite, or capriciousness and depravity of it, 
the animal eating at irregular intervals, or having a desire to eat 
filth ; the tongue is white and pasty, with a bad smell, often a dry cough, 
hide-bound, a dry scurfy skin, stretches out the nose, and retracts the 
upper lips; irregularity of the bowels, and occasionally pawing with one 
or both fore feet; if caused by imperfectly masticated food, the oats and 
hay, or whatever the animal is fed upon, will be found in the feces. The 
feces often resemble the colour of the food. 
In young animals the above symptoms are generally present, associated 
with diarrhoea, and if fed on milk the feces often resemble it in colour 
and consistency, and are generally fetid. Should these symptoms in 
a^ed animals have spread over a considerable time diabetes often sets in ; 
oolicky pains may also be present in some cases, especially a short time 
after being fed. 
Treatment .—If possible find out the cause and remove it, this 
generally in the earlier stages effecting a cure; if due to the process of 
dentition the presence of unshed temporary teeth or any irregularity 
of the permanent ones should be treated by the ordinary method; if 
from improper feeding or bad food a complete change of diet is gene- 
