from other forms of colic requiring quite different treatment. Spasmodic
colic always begins suddenly. If feeding, the horse is seen to stop
abruptly, stamp impatiently, and probably look back. He soon evinces
more acute pain, shown by pawing, suddenly lying down, rolling, and
getting up. During the period of pain the intestinal sounds, as heard by
applying the ear over the flank, are louder than in health. There is
then an interval of ease; he will resume feeding and appear to be
entirely well. In a little while, however, the pains return and are
increased in severity, only to pass off again for a time. As the attack
progresses these intervals of ease become shorter and shorter, and pain
may be continuous, though even then there are exacerbations of pain.
Animals suffering from this form of colic evince the most intense pain;
they throw themselves, roll over and over, jump up, whirl about, drop
down again, paw, or strike rather, with the front feet, steam and sweat,
and make frequent attempts to pass their urine. Only a small quantity of
water is passed at a time; this is due to the bladder being so
frequently emptied. These attempts to urinate are often regarded by
horsemen as symptoms of trouble of the kidneys or bladder. In reality
they are only one of the many ways in which the horse expresses the
presence of pain. As a matter of fact, diseases of the bladder or
kidneys of the horse are exceedingly rare.
To recapitulate the symptoms of spasmodic colic: The history of the
case, the type of horse, the suddenness of the attack, the increased
intestinal sounds, the intervals of ease (which become of shorter
duration as the case progresses), the violent pain, the normal
temperature and pulse during the intervals of ease, the frequent
attempts to urinate, etc., should be kept in mind, and there is then but
little danger of confounding this with other forms of colic.
_Treatment._--Since the pain is due to spasm or cramp of the bowels,
medicines that overcome spasms--antispasmodics--are the ones indicated.
Chloral hydrate may be used. This is to be given in a dose of 1 ounce in
a pint of water as a drench. As this drug is irritant to the throat and
stomach, it has to be well diluted. A common and good remedy is
sulphuric ether and laudanum, of each 2 ounces, in a half pint of
linseed oil. Another drench may be composed of 2 ounces each of
sulphuric ether and alcohol in 8 ounces of water. If nothing else is at
hand give whisky, one-half pint in hot water. Jamaica ginger is useful.
If relief is not obtained in one hour from any of the above doses, they
may then be repeated. The body should be warmly clothed and perspiration
induced. Blankets dipped in very hot water to which a small quantity of
turpentine has been added should be placed around the belly and covered
with dry blankets or the abdomen may be rubbed with stimulating
liniments or mustard water. The difficulty, however, of applying hot
blankets and keeping them in place forces us in most instances to
dispense with them. If the cramp is due to irritants in the bowels, a
cure is not complete until a cathartic of 1 ounce of aloes or 1 pint of
linseed oil is given. Injections of warm, soapy water or salt and water
into the rectum aid the cure.
Rectal injections, clysters, or enemas as a rule should be lukewarm, and
from 3 to 6 quarts are to be given at a time. They may be repeated every
half hour if necessary. Great care is to be taken not to injure the
rectum in giving such injections. A large syringe or a piece of rubber
hose 4 or 5 feet long, with a funnel attached at one end, affords the
best means by which to give them. The pipe of the syringe or the hose
introduced into the rectum must be blunt, rounded, and smooth; it is to
be thoroughly oiled and then carefully pushed through the anus in a
slightly upward direction. Much force must be avoided, for the rectum
may be lacerated and serious complications or even death result.
Exercise will aid the action of the bowels in this and similar colicky
troubles, but severe galloping or trotting is to be avoided. If the
horse can have a loose box or paddock, it is the best, as he will then
take what exercise he wants. If the patient is extremely violent, it is
often wise to restrain him by leading him with a halter, since rupture
of the stomach or displacement of the bowels may result and complicate
the trouble.
INDIGESTION OR GASTROINTESTINAL CATARRH.
From the facts that they merge insensibly into each other and usually
occur simultaneously, there is ample reason for considering these
conditions together. This condition may be acute--that is, of sudden
onset--or it may be chronic. The changes of structure produced by this
disease occur in the mucous membrane lining of the stomach and
intestines. This membrane becomes red from increased blood supply or
from hemorrhage into it, is swollen, and is covered by a coating of
slimy mucus. In some especially severe cases the membrane is destroyed
in spots, causing the appearance of ulcers or of erosions.
The causes of indigestion are numerous, but nearly all are the result of
errors in feeding.
Some horses are naturally endowed with weak digestive organs, and such
are predisposed to this condition. Anything that irritates the stomach
or intestines may cause this disease. Feeds that the animal is
unaccustomed to, sudden changes of diet, imperfectly cured, unripe, or
damaged feeds are all fruitful causes, and so are worms. In suckling
foals this condition may come from some disease of the dam that renders
her milk indigestible, or from overexertion or overheating of the mare.
Another prolific cause is bad teeth, making mastication imperfect, and
thus causing the horse to swallow his feed in a condition unfit for the
action of the digestive juices. Working a horse too soon or too hard
after feeding may cause either colic or indigestion. Any condition that
reduces the vitality, such as disease, overwork, poor feed, or lack of
care, may directly bring on indigestion by weakening the digestive
organs.
_Symptoms._--Indigestion is characterized by irregular appetite;
refusing all feed at times, and at others eating ravenously; the
appetite is not only irregular, but is often depraved; there is a
disposition on the part of the horse to eat unusual substances, such as
wood, soiled bedding, or even his own feces; the bowels are irregular
to-day, loose and bad smelling, to-morrow bound; whole grain is often
passed in the feces, and the hay passed in balls or impacted masses,
undergoing but little change; the horse frequently passes considerable
quantities of sour-smelling wind. The animal loses flesh, the skin
presents a hard, dry appearance and seems very tight (hidebound). If the
stomach is very seriously involved, the horse may yawn by stretching
the head forward and upward and by turning the upper lip outward. There
may be more or less colicky pain. In the chronic cases there is mental
depression; the horse is sluggish and dull. The abdomen gradually
becomes small, giving a "tucked up" appearance, or, on the other hand,
it becomes flaccid and pendulous.
_Treatment._--One should commence with the feed--its quality, quantity,
and time of feeding; examine the water supply, and see, besides, that it
is given before feeding; then carefully observe the condition of the
mouth and teeth; and, continuing the observations as best we may,
endeavor to find the seat of the trouble. If the teeth are sharp or
irregular they must be rasped down; if any are decayed they must be
extracted; if indigestion is due to ravenous eating or bolting, the feed
must then be given from a large manger where the grain can be spread and
the horse thus compelled to eat slowly.
Any irritation, such as worms, undigested feed, etc., that is operating
as a cause is to be removed by appropriate treatment, as advised
elsewhere. If there is a tendency to distention of the stomach and
bowels, with gas, during indigestion, the following may be used: Baking
soda, powdered ginger, and powdered gentian, equal parts. These are to
be thoroughly mixed and given in heaping tablespoonful doses, twice a
day, before feeding. This powder is best given by dissolving the
above-named quantity in a half pint of water and given as a drench.
As a digestive tonic the following is good: Glauber's salt, 2 pounds;
common salt, 1 pound; baking soda, one-half pound. Of this a heaping
tablespoonful may be given in each feed. If diarrhea exists, the
treatment advised below may be used.
DIARRHEA.
Diarrhea is due to indigestion or intestinal catarrh or to irritation of
the bowels from eating moldy or musty feed, drinking stagnant water,
diseased condition of the teeth, eating irritating substances, to being
kept on low, marshy pastures, and to exposure during cold nights, or in
low, damp stables. Some horses are predisposed to scour and are called
"washy" by horsemen; they are those with long bodies, long legs, and
narrow, flat sides. Horses of this build are almost sure to scour if fed
or watered immediately before being put to work. Fast or road work, of
course, aggravates this trouble. Diarrhea may exist as a complication of
other diseases, as pneumonia and influenza, for instance, and again
during the diseases of the liver.
The symptoms are the frequent evacuations of liquid stools, with or
without pronounced abdominal pain, loss of appetite, emaciation, etc.
_Treatment_ is at times very simple, but requires the utmost care and
judgment. If due to faulty feed or water it is sufficient to change
these. If it results from some irritant in the intestines this is best
gotten rid of by the administration of an oleaginous purge, for which
nothing is better than castor oil, although raw linseed oil may be used
if the case is not severe. The diarrhea often disappears with the
cessation of the operation of the medicine. If, however, purging
continues it may be checked by giving wheat flour in water, starch
water, white-oak bark tea, chalk, opium, or half-dram doses of sulphuric
acid in one-half pint of water twice or thrice daily. Good results
follow the use of powdered opium 2 drams and subnitrate of bismuth 1
ounce, repeated three times a day. In all cases it should be remembered
to look to the water and feed the horse is receiving. If either of these
is at fault it is at once to be discontinued. We should feed sparingly
of good, easily digested feeds. With that peculiar build of nervous
horses that scour on the road but little can be done as a rule. They
should be watered and fed as long as possible before going on a drive.
If there is much flatulency accompanying diarrhea baking soda or other
alkaline medicines may effect a cure, while if the discharges have a
very disagreeable odor it may be corrected by 1 ounce of sulphite of
soda or dram doses of creolin in water, repeated twice a day. Be slow to
resort to either the vegetable or mineral astringents, since the
majority of cases will yield to change of feed and water or the
administration of oils. Afterwards feed upon wheat-flour gruel or other
light feeds. The body should be warmly clothed.
SUPERPURGATION.--This is the designation of that diarrhea, or flux from
the bowels, that, at times, is induced by and follows the action of a
physic. It is accompanied with much irritation or even inflammation of
the bowels and is always of a serious character. Although in rare
instances it follows from a usual dose of physic and where every
precaution has been taken, it is most likely to result under the
following circumstances: Too large a dose of physic; giving physics to
horses suffering from pneumonia, influenza, or other debilitating
diseases; riding or driving a horse when purging; exposure or drafts of
cold air; or giving large quantities of cold water while the physic is
operating. There is always danger of superpurgation if a physic is given
to a horse suffering from diseases of the respiratory organs. Small and
often-repeated physics are also to be avoided, as they produce debility
and great depression of the system and predispose to this disorder. When
a physic is to be given one should rest the horse and give him sloppy
feed until the medicine begins to operate; clothe the body with a warm
blanket; keep out of drafts; give only warm water in small quantities.
After a horse has purged from twelve to twenty-four hours it can mostly
be stopped, or "set," as horsemen say, by feeding on dry oats and hay.
Should the purging continue, however, it is best treated by giving
demulcent drinks--linseed tea and oatmeal or wheat-flour gruel. After
this the astringents spoken of for diarrhea may be given. Besides this
the horse is to receive brandy in doses of from 2 to 4 ounces, with milk
and eggs, four or five times a day.
Laminitis ("founder") is a frequent sequel of superpurgation and is to
be guarded against by removing the shoes and standing the horse on moist
sawdust or some similar bedding.
DYSENTERY.
This disease, sometimes called "bloody flux," is an intestinal disease
attended with fever, occasional abdominal pains, and fluid discharges
mingled with blood. Discharges in dysentery are coffee colored or
bloody, liquid, and very offensive in odor, and passed with much
straining. It is rare in the horse, but is sometimes quite prevalent
among foals.
_Causes._--Probably the most common cause is keeping young horses in
particular for a long time on low, wet, marshy pastures, without other
feed (a diarrhea of long standing sometimes terminates in dysentery);
exposure during cold, wet weather; decomposed feeds; stagnant water that
contains large quantities of decomposing vegetable matter; low, damp,
and dark stables, particularly if crowded; the existence of some
disease, as tuberculosis of the abdominal form. In suckling foals it may
come from feeding the dam on irritant feeds or from disease of the
udder. In other foals it may be produced by exposure to cold and damp,
to irritant feed, or to worms.
_Symptoms._--The initial symptom is a chill, which probably escapes
notice in the majority of instances. The discharges are offensive and
for the most part liquid, although it is common to find lumps of solid
fecal matter floating in this liquid portion; shreds of mucous membrane
and blood may be passed or the evacuations may be mucopurulent; there is
much straining, and, rarely, symptoms of abdominal pain; the subject
lies down a great deal; the pulse is quickened and the temperature
elevated. Thirst is a prominent symptom. In the adult, death rarely
follows under two to three weeks, but in foals the disease may end in
death after a few days.
_Treatment._--This is most unsatisfactory, and I am inclined to place
more dependence upon the care and feed than any medication that may be
adopted. First of all the horse must be placed in a dry, warm, yet
well-ventilated stable; the skin is to receive attention by frequent
rubbings of the surface of the body, with blankets, and bandages to the
legs. The water must be pure and given in small quantities; the feed,
that which is light and easily digested. Medicinally, give at first a
light dose of castor oil, about one-half pint, to which has been added 2
ounces of laudanum. The vegetable or mineral astringents are also to be
given. Starch injections containing laudanum often afford great relief.
The strength must be kept up by milk punches, eggs, beef tea, oatmeal
gruel, etc. In spite of the best care and treatment, however, dysentery
is likely to prove fatal. In the case of nurslings, the dam should be
placed in a healthy condition or, failing in this, milk should be had
from another mare or from a cow.
GASTROENTERITIS.
This condition consists in an inflammation of the stomach and
intestines. Instead of being confined to the mucous, or lining,
membrane, as in gastrointestinal catarrh, the inflammatory process
extends deeper and may even involve the entire thickness of the wall of
the organ.
This disease may be caused by irritant feed, hot drinks, sudden
chilling, moldy or decayed feeds, foul water, parasites, or by chemical
poisons. It may also complicate some general diseases, especially
infectious diseases, as anthrax, influenza, rabies, or petechial fever.
Long-continued obstruction of the bowels or displacement resulting in
death are preceded by enteritis.
_Symptoms._--The symptoms differ somewhat with the cause and depend
also, to some extent, upon the chief location of the inflammation. In
general the animal stops eating or eats but little; it shows colicky
pain; fever develops; the pulse and respiration become rapid; the mucous
membrane becomes red; the mouth is hot and dry. Pressure upon the
abdomen may cause pain. Intestinal sounds can not be heard at the flank.
There is constipation in the earlier stages that is, followed later by
diarrhea. The extremities become cold. Sometimes the feces are coated
with or contain shreds of fibrin, looking like scraps of dead membrane,
and they have an evil, putrid odor. If the disease is caused by moldy or
damaged feed there may be great muscular weakness, with partial
paralysis of the throat, as shown by inability to swallow. If chemical
poisons are the cause, this fact may be shown by the sudden onset of the
disease, the history of the administration of a poison or the entire
absence of known cause, the rapid development of threatening symptoms,
the involvement of a series of animals in the absence of a contagious
disease, and the special symptoms and alterations known to be produced
by certain poisons. To make this chain of evidence complete, the poison
may be discovered in the organs of the horse by chemical analysis. In
nearly all cases of gastro-enteritis there is nervous depression.
The poisons that are most irritant to the digestive tract are arsenic,
corrosive sublimate, sugar of lead, sulphate of copper, sulphate or
chlorid of zinc, lye, or other strong alkalies, mineral acids, and,
among the vegetable poisons, tobacco, lobelia, and water hemlock.
_Treatment._--The treatment will depend upon the cause, but if this can
not be detected, certain general indications may be observed. In all
cases feed should be given in small amounts and should be of the most
soothing description, as oatmeal gruel, flaxseed tea, hay tea, fresh
grass, or rice water. The skin should be well rubbed with alcohol and
wisps of straw, to equalize the distribution of the blood; the legs,
after being rubbed until warm, should be bandaged in raw cotton or with
woolen bandages. The horse should be warmly blanketed. It is well to
apply to the abdomen blankets wrung out of hot water and frequently
changed; or mustard paste may be rubbed on the skin of the belly.
Internally, opium is of service to allay pain, check secretion, and
soothe the inflamed membrane. The dose is from 1 to 2 drams, given every
three of four hours. If there is constipation, the opium should be mixed
with 30 grains of calomel. Subnitrate of bismuth may be given with the
opium or separately in 2-dram doses. Stimulants, such as alcohol,
aromatic spirits of ammonia, or camphor may be given in 2-ounce doses,
mixed with warm water to make a drench.
If putrid feed has been consumed, creolin may be administered in doses
of 2 drams, mixed with 1 pint of warm water or milk. If there is
obstinate constipation and if a laxative must be employed, it should be
sweet or castor oil, from 1 pint to 1 quart.
_Antidotes for poisons._--For the various poisons the remedies are as
follows:
Arsenic: Oxyhydrate of iron solution, 1 pint to 1 quart; or calcined
magnesia, one-half ounce in 1 pint of water.
Corrosive sublimate (bichlorid of mercury): The whites of a dozen eggs,
or 2 ounces of flowers of sulphur.
Sugar of lead: Glauber's salt, 1 pound in 1 quart of warm water; to be
followed with iodid of potash, 3 drams at a dose, in water, three times
daily for five days.
Sulphate of copper: Milk, the whites of eggs, or reduced iron.
Sulphate or chlorid of zinc: Milk, the whites of eggs, or calcined
magnesia.
Lye or alkalies, as caustic potash or soda: Vinegar, dilute sulphuric
acid, and linseed tea, with opium, 3 drams.
Mineral acids: Chalk, or calcined magnesia, or baking soda; later give
linseed tea and opium.
HEMORRHOIDS, OR PILES.
These are rare, comparatively, in horses. They are diagnosed by the
appearance of bright-red irregular tumors after defecation, which may
remain visible at all times or be seen only when the horse is down or
after passing his manure. They are mostly due to constipation,
irritation, or injuries, or follow from the severe straining during
dysentery. I have observed them to follow from severe labor pains in the
mare.
_Treatment._--Attention must be paid to the condition of the bowels;
they should be soft, but purging is to be avoided. The tumors should be
washed in warm water and thoroughly cleansed, after which scarify them
and gently but firmly squeeze out the liquid that will be seen to follow
the shallow incisions. After thus squeezing these tumors and before
replacing through the anus, bathe the parts with some anodyn wash. For
this purpose the glycerite of tannin and laudanum in equal parts is
good. Mucilaginous injections into the rectum may be of service for a
few days.
HERNIA, OR RUPTURE.
There are several kinds or hernias that require notice, not all of
which, however, produce serious symptoms or results. Abdominal hernias,
or ruptures, are divided into reducible, irreducible, and strangulated,
according to condition; and into inguinal, scrotal, ventral, umbilical,
and diaphragmatic, according to their situation. A hernia is reducible
when the displaced organ can be returned to its natural location. It
consists of a soft swelling, without heat, pain, or any uneasiness,
generally larger on full feed, and decreases in size as the bowels
become empty. An irreducible hernia is one that can not be returned into
the abdomen, and yet does not cause any pain or uneasiness. Strangulated
hernia is one in which the contents of the sac are greatly distended, or
when from pressure upon the blood vessels of the imprisoned portion the
venous circulation is checked or stopped, thereby causing congestion,
swelling, inflammation, and, if not relieved, gangrene of the part and
death of the animal. According to the time or mode of origin, hernias
may be congenital or acquired.
CONGENITAL SCROTAL HERNIA.--Not a few foals are noticed from birth to
have an enlarged scrotum, which gradually increases in size until about
the sixth month, sometimes longer. Sometimes the scrotum of a
six-months-old colt is as large as that of an adult stallion, and
operative treatment is considered. This is unnecessary in the great
majority of cases, as the enlargement often disappears by the time the
colt has reached his second year. Any interference, medicinal or
surgical, is worse than useless. If the intestine contained within the
scrotum should at any time become strangulated, it must then be treated
the same as in an adult horse.
SCROTAL HERNIA is caused by dilatation of the sheath of the testicle,
combined with relaxation of the fibrous tissues surrounding the inguinal
ring, thus allowing the intestine to descend to the scrotum. At first
this is intermittent, appearing during work and returning when the horse
is at rest. For a long time this form of hernia may not cause the least
uneasiness or distress. In course of time, however, the imprisoned gut
becomes filled with feces, its return into the abdominal cavity is
prevented, and it becomes strangulated. While the gut is thus filling
the horse often appears dull, is disinclined to move, appetite is
impaired, and there is rumbling and obstruction of the bowels. Colicky
symptoms now supervene. Strangulation and its consequent train of
symptoms do not always follow in scrotal hernia, for often horses have
this condition for years without suffering inconvenience.