473 
INDIGESTION IN THE HORSE. 
also debility of the digestive organs, or an unhealthy state 
of the general system; or it may be caused by excessive 
fatigue, producing general weakness; cold water given in large 
quantities too soon after eating, by washing the ingesta from 
the stomach before it is properly chymified, will cause it; 
allowing the body to cool too quickly when warm; bad treat¬ 
ment; and so will irregularity of work or nervous excitement of 
any kind. 
The symptoms of the acute form of this disease will depend 
altogether upon its particular seat. If the horse has overloaded 
his stomach, he will have excessive nausea, expressed by the 
drooping of the head, turning up of the nose, attempts to vomit, 
eructations, a slow weak pulse and great prostration and heavi¬ 
ness, distention of the abdomen and colicy pains. There may or 
may not be sympathetic affections of the brain , producing stupor 
and staggers. 
There are many cases where this symptom is not present, 
though the stomach is distended to the utmost. The horse is 
frequently attacked in the middle of his work, becomes uneasy, 
and will lie down, and at times at full length, for a considerable 
period; the extremities are cold, the mucous membranes are not 
much injected, the bowels are constipated, the mouth dry and 
clammy, and the horse has a peculiar haggard countenance, which 
becomes more and more ghastly as the disease advances; should 
the stomach burst he becomes pulseless, cold sweats break over 
him, the mucous membranes are pale as in death, he makes fre¬ 
quent attempts to urinate and to force everything from the rec¬ 
tum, he reels, staggers and very soon falls headlong into a corner 
of the building and dies. 
Although cases of acute indigestion, such as I have just de¬ 
scribed, where the disease is altogether confined to the stomach, 
are by no means rare, still the true seat of the great bulk of our 
acute cases will be found in the coeeum and colon, that mighty 
receptacle, which indeed, might be called the horse’s second 
stomach, for it is indisputable that large masses of nearly indi¬ 
gestible matter lodge there, no doubt for the wise purpose of ex¬ 
tracting from it the last particle of its nutritive properties; and it 
